Hands-on Activity: Basics of Manga
Location
Center for Student Innovation (CSI)
Event Website
kofimanga.com
Start Date
26-9-2026 1:00 PM
End Date
26-9-2026 2:00 PM
Description
Join Kofi Bazzell-Smith for this hands-on activity on the basics of making manga.
You must register for this activity using the event app. A link to register via the app is coming soon!
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
COinS
Sep 26th, 1:00 PM
Sep 26th, 2:00 PM
Hands-on Activity: Basics of Manga
Center for Student Innovation (CSI)
Join Kofi Bazzell-Smith for this hands-on activity on the basics of making manga.
You must register for this activity using the event app. A link to register via the app is coming soon!
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/eiu_comic_fest/comic_fest_2026/comic_fest_2026/20
Comments
Kofi Bazzell-Smith
Kofi Bazzell‑Smith is an artist, educator, martial artist, and former professional boxer specializing in Japanese manga. He is the first professor of Japanese manga practice in the United States, teaching at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Trained in Japan and fluent in the language, Bazzell‑Smith creates bilingual, cross‑cultural manga and is represented by Writers House Literary Agency for his upcoming graphic novel AZUKI- a martial arts parody set in a world where Rock‑Paper‑Scissors is a serious combat discipline. Drawing from his background in martial arts and professional boxing, the project blends manga sensibilities, Japanese aesthetics, Chinese Kungfu tropes, and Black diasporic history.
Bazzell‑Smith serves on the board of directors for the United States–Japan Bridging Foundation and is a 2025–26 delegate to the US–Japan Leadership Program. His work has been featured on ABEMA News, NHK Global, and Fuji TV, and he has given talks at institutions including Princeton, UCLA, Middlebury College, UT Austin, The Asia Society, and the International House of Japan.