ics , ▁a ▁medium ▁that ▁has ▁taken ▁various , ▁equally ▁valid ▁forms ▁over ▁its ▁history . ▁ ▁Morgan ▁sees ▁com ics ▁as ▁a ▁subset ▁of ▁"" ▁( or ▁" dra wn ▁liter atures "). ▁ ▁French ▁theory ▁has ▁come ▁to ▁give ▁special ▁attention ▁to ▁the ▁page , ▁in ▁distinction ▁from ▁American ▁theories ▁such ▁as ▁Mc Cloud ' s ▁which ▁focus ▁on ▁panel - to - panel ▁trans itions . ▁Since ▁the ▁mid - 2 0 0 0 s , ▁Neil ▁C ohn ▁has ▁begun ▁analyz ing ▁how ▁com ics ▁are ▁understood ▁using ▁tools ▁from ▁cogn itive ▁science , ▁extending ▁beyond ▁theory ▁by ▁using ▁actual ▁psych ological ▁and ▁neu ros cience ▁experiments . ▁This ▁work ▁has ▁argued ▁that ▁sequ ential ▁images ▁and ▁page ▁layout s ▁both ▁use ▁separate ▁rule - bound ▁" gram m ars " ▁to ▁be ▁understood ▁that ▁extend ▁beyond ▁panel - to - panel ▁trans itions ▁and ▁categor ical ▁dist in ctions ▁of ▁types ▁of ▁layout s , ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁brain ' s ▁compreh ension ▁of ▁com ics ▁is ▁similar ▁to ▁compreh ending ▁other ▁domains , ▁such ▁as ▁language ▁and ▁music . ▁ ▁Historical ▁narr atives ▁of ▁m anga ▁tend ▁to ▁focus ▁either ▁on ▁its ▁recent , ▁post - W W II ▁history , ▁or ▁on ▁attempts ▁to ▁demonstrate ▁deep ▁roots ▁in ▁the ▁past , ▁such ▁as ▁to ▁the ▁ ▁picture ▁scroll ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 2 th ▁and ▁ 1 3 th ▁centuries , ▁or ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 th - century ▁H ok us ai ▁M anga