Manga Classics: Journey to the West - The Beginning (Paperback) (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781947808331)

Also known as Ruzhong, Wu Cheng'en was a Chinese novelist, poet, and politician during the Ming Dynasty in the 1500s. He is widely considered to be the original author of the Journey to the West novel, although it was originally published anonymously in 1592. While he was known for some creative writing and poetry, fantasy fiction such as Journey was at the time considered "vulgar" and not true literature, unlike the classical works of previous dynasties. It wasn't until centuries later that textual analysis of works from that period was studied, along with reports from his hometown, suggesting that he might in fact be the original author. His use of local vernacular instead of classical Chinese, as well as the familiar "defiant spirit" of his other writings, has led most scholars to conclude that he is the most likely author of this legendary classic.

Jim Zub is a writer, artist and art instructor based in Toronto, Canada. Over the past twenty years he's worked for a diverse array of publishing, movie and video game clients including Marvel, DC Comics, Disney, Capcom, Hasbro, Cartoon Network, and Bandai-Namco. He juggles his time between being a freelance comic writer and a professor teaching drawing and storytelling courses in Seneca College's award-winning Animation program. His current comic projects include Conan the Barbarian, the monthly adventures of Robert E. Howard's legendary sword & sorcery hero, Dungeons & Dragons, the official comic series of the world's most popular tabletop role-playing game, and Stone Star, a space-fantasy adventure set inside a roving gladiatorial arena.

Julien Choy has been working in the comic, animation and video game industries for more two decades. His works include the comic version of SNK's The King of Fighters, and Capcom's Street Fighter in Asia. Julien is a multi-talented creator who has mastered a wide range of art styles.