Explores the work of Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, whose practice melds his cultural and political experiences as a Haida artist with contemporary graphic literature to produce a unique genre called Haida Manga. As the father of this new visual genre, Yahgulanaas combines imagery from his North Pacific island home with Asian manga to create a distinctive and and groundbreaking artform for retelling oral histories and addressing contemporary issues surrounding land, cultural memory, ecological destruction and the politics of belonging, ownership and identity. The Seriousness of Play explores the multiple forms, materials and meaning of Haida Manga as it playfully transforms through re-purposed automobile parts, large-scale public art projects, mixed media sculptures, two-dimensional painted and graphic forms and hand painted illustrations. Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (born 1954) is an award-winning visual artist and author, and creator of Haida Manga. Yahgulanaas's publications include national bestsellers The Little Hummingbird and Red: A Haida Manga.

Preface by Jonathan King, Von Hügel Fellow, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge.

Introduction -- Backstory -- Haida goes Pop! Playing with formlines -- Cool media : the art of telling tales -- Culturally modified : precious metals, cars and crests -- Visual jazz : the adaptability of forms.