Panels, Portals, and Power-Ups
MoPOP’s upcoming exhibit explores the evolution and impact of Asian comics
By Sarah Stackhouse March 4, 2025
It’s hard to overstate the impact Asian comic art has had around the world.
Manga, manhua, and other styles have shaped everything from movies to fashion trends. The stories go deep, the art is intricate, and no genre is off-limits. Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form is MoPOP’s newest exhibit and the biggest of its kind, showcasing more than 400 pieces of original comic art from Japan, China, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Afghanistan, and Vietnam. It explores the evolution of visual storytelling, from folklore-inspired woodblock prints to modern digital comics, and gets into themes like mythology, sci-fi, and censorship-defying political works.
The show runs March 8 through Jan. 4, 2026, with original art, hands-on interactives, and an exploration into how Asian artists have shaped the medium. But first, MoPOP is throwing an opening party on March 7, transforming the museum into the Forest of Lunarda, a fantasy world inspired by isekai — the anime and manga genre where characters are transported to other realms. Expect a mythical atmosphere with an Asian street food night market featuring local chefs, and Prometheus Brown and KEXP Eastern Echoes DJ Diana Ratsamee. There’s also an anime rave with DJs Sake Bomb and Aleksa Manila, and a cosplay contest with prizes for the best looks, so you can bet the halls will be packed with spirits, warriors, sailors, cowboys, and who knows what else.
Tickets for the opening party are on sale now.
Follow Us
Rearview Mirror: An Oyster Party, Money for Art, and Mac & Cheese at 30,000 Feet
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
We Partied for Art I love a party, and I love art, so when the Henry Art Gallery invited me to its annual fundraising gala, it was paddle’s up from the get-go. Held on the floor of Pioneer Square’s Railspur building in a space managed by Rally, Angela Dunleavy’s latest venture (read all about it…
Urban Grit Meets Wild Beauty: Inside Seattle Art Museum’s Beyond Mysticism
Seattle’s history is rooted in its fascinating juxtaposition of industry and nature, inspired by the region’s dramatic landscapes and rapidly changing cityscape. Seattle Art Museum’s current exhibition, Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest, invites you to meet the artists who captured that tension and transformed it into a bold new vision of Modernism. Modernism, Made in…
Our March/April Issue Has Arrived!
Inside you’ll find Best Places to Live, a packed spring arts guide, and more stories from across the region.
The future’s bright, and so is the cover of Seattle magazine’s March/April issue! Featuring a mural by local artist (and 2023 Most Influential pick) Stevie Shao, the colorful cover is a snap from Woodinville, one of the six “Best Places to Live” featured inside. While we usually focus on Seattle neighborhoods, this year we expanded…
Supporting Roles
Three women in the Northwest are helping local artists through newly launched residencies outside of Seattle. Here, we take a look inside these thoughtfully designed spaces, and learn what drove their founders to become cornerstones in the creative community.
Iolair Artist Residency Eastsound, WA Years ago, after studying photography and earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Washington, Pacific Northwest native Linda Lewis realized that she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life behind a camera. “The minute I graduated from school, I was far more inspired by the…