Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan lays the groundwork for Eisner award-winning author Shigeru Mizuki\'s historical and autobiographical series about Japanese life in the twentieth century. Depicted against his trademark photorealistic backdrops, Mizuki effortlessly portrays a nation forced into a period of upheaval and brings history into the realm of the personal. Indeed, as a child coming of age in the Showa era, the author\'s earliest memories coincide with key events of the time. (W/A/CA) Shigeru Mizuki