Comics are officially bringing nations together.

To celebrate 400 years of diplomacy between Japan and Spain, 46-year-old Takehiko Inoue -- the creator of of Slam Dunk, Vagabond, Real and other celebrated manga -- has been appointed as one of three goodwill ambassadors to Spain by the Japanese Foreign Ministry, to serve from now until July 31 of 2014.

Inoue's work is highly regarded and highly popular in Spain (and the rest of the world for that matter), and last year Viz Media published his hardcover art book/memoir titled Pepita: Takehiko Inoue Meets Gaudi, about how he draws inspiration from the late Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi and how he absorbed his work on a trip to Catalan.

An exhibition of Inoue's Gaudi-inspired work, including numerous paintings from his book, will be on display in Barcelona in April 2014.

It's been a few days since Inoue updated his blog or Tweeted, but fans can likely expect updates about his stay in Spain through those channels.

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