Library to kick off young adult media swap

The Columbia County Library is offering teens a chance this weekend to learn about and trade traditional comics and the manga series of Japanese comics.

Comics have long been popular among American teens, and the manga graphic novels, similar to comic books, are becoming more popular, said Anita Patterson, a reference and young adult librarian at the library.

"It is a huge trend with teens," Patterson said.

The style lends itself to all readers.

"They enjoy reading the stories, but a lot of them like the pictures to go with it," she said.

The library is holding a young adult media swap from noon to 2 p.m. at the library on Ronald Reagan Drive in Evans. The event is an opportunity to swap comics and manga with other teens and learn from guest speaker Clay Cushman.

Cushman, a manager of The Book Exchange on Bobby Jones Expressway, said he'll explain what is collectible and what are age-appropriate selections.

"It'll be a little bit of history of comics going back all the way to the 1930s, where the superheroes genre came from and how comics have morphed through the years, always really dealing with social issues, but even more so nowadays," he said.

"Manga" is the Japanese term for comics, Cushman said.

"Their stuff is different than ours," he said.

Manga has become popular among young people in America and is the basis for Japanese anime movies.

Cushman said he'll discuss how collectible certain comics, manga and other graphic and trade paperbacks are.

The event is free, but Patterson said registration is requested. For information or to register, call the library at (706) 863-1946 and choose option 4.