American Comics vs. Manga

[Stormfalcon]

On a more positive note, other than crappy artwork, what else is different about manga? From the sound of things they don't do monthly release?

Yes and no. Traditionally, manga in Japan is first released in monthly anthologies (typically a throwaway phonebook-thick collection of different stories within a certain theme). Shonen Jump here in the U.S. is a good example of this kind of thing. However, you won't find individual monthly manga stories in Japan, not like you see in American comic racks.

After a while, the monthly chapters of a given manga series is collected into a volume designed for keeping around (as opposed to the throwaway nature of the monthly anthologies), meaning better paper and a smaller, more portable and storable size. This format is getting increasingly popular in America as well (after years of manga translators/publishers trying to adapt it to the monthly format and not doing as well with it).

However, what sets manga apart from American comics is the sheer diversity of genres and subjects covered, compared to the superhero rut of mainstream American comics. You'd be hard-pressed to find teenage romance from either DC or Marvel, for example, unless it was ancilliary to the adventures of a superhero team or if it somehow contributed to the angst factor. Certainly, you can find stuff like that in the independents, but it's much harder to find in the mainstream stuff. With manga, it's a widely accepted genre, as is sports for another example. With that diversity comes a wider audience, hence the booming sales. Female readers are more likely to reach for a romance manga than a testosterone-driven superhero comic, and more mainstream readers are likely to reach for something that doesn't have the geek factor of many American comics.

This is not to say that manga doesn't have its own geek factor or genres, but there's more of a diversity to it to attract other kinds of readers, and that's what sets it apart from mainstream American comics.

 

[Alzrius]

Yes and no. Traditionally, manga in Japan is first released in monthly anthologies (typically a throwaway phonebook-thick collection of different stories within a certain theme). Shonen Jump here in the U.S. is a good example of this kind of thing.

To be perfectly fair, most of these are actually weekly releases, not monthly. It's rather amusing to see Shonen Jump come out here as a monthly when it comes out much more often than that back in Japan.

However, what sets manga apart from American comics is the sheer diversity of genres and subjects covered, compared to the superhero rut of mainstream American comics. You'd be hard-pressed to find teenage romance from either DC or Marvel, for example, unless it was ancilliary to the adventures of a superhero team or if it somehow contributed to the angst factor. Certainly, you can find stuff like that in the independents, but it's much harder to find in the mainstream stuff. With manga, it's a widely accepted genre, as is sports for another example. With that diversity comes a wider audience, hence the booming sales. Female readers are more likely to reach for a romance manga than a testosterone-driven superhero comic, and more mainstream readers are likely to reach for something that doesn't have the geek factor of many American comics.

This is not to say that manga doesn't have its own geek factor or genres, but there's more of a diversity to it to attract other kinds of readers, and that's what sets it apart from mainstream American comics.

Testify!

 

[Stormfalcon]

To be perfectly fair, most of these are actually weekly releases, not monthly. It's rather amusing to see Shonen Jump come out here as a monthly when it comes out much more often than that back in Japan.

I do stand corrected there. I had forgotten that the phonebooks are weekly, not monthly. Been a while since I looked through those, since I'd been sticking with the tanks in my manga shopping.

 

[Mercule]

Wow, someone's bitter. What do you have against manga? There are good and bad manga, same as there are good and bad comics. I'd rather have my pick from all of them, instead of having one closed off to me.

Actually, I'm not bitter at all. Just perplexed.

I'll be the first to admit that I haven't delved deeply into the material, but all the manga I've seen has turned me off. The drawing style is unattractive, even downright annoying. The plots seem lacking to me. And there always seems to be some dorky add-on in it that blows the whole deal.

The perfect example of this is 'Vampire Hunter D' (okay, it's anime, not manga, but the point is the same). Not a bad story over all. Granted, the idea of a half-vampire is silly to me, but I understand Eastern vampire lore is considerably different from Western lore, so I gave it a pass. I was actually getting into it, then his freaking hand starts talking to him. Not only is that a 'where did that come from' moment, the entire idea that his hand is talking to him is so abysmally stupid that the rest of the movie was lost to me.

Most of the storylines from anime/manga (and, to be fair, I've a lot more experience with anime) have something similar to the hand in them.

 

[Xael]

I'll be the first to admit that I haven't delved deeply into the material, but all the manga I've seen has turned me off. The drawing style is unattractive, even downright annoying. The plots seem lacking to me. And there always seems to be some dorky add-on in it that blows the whole deal.

Well, that might be because you're just read wrong stuff, or you just happen not to like the style. Drawing style changes from end to end (but it's always quite different from the western style. If you dislike non-realistic style, which most mangas seem to be, then I suppose the style may seem unattractive). Plots, well, I'd generally say that they're better than in western comics, but that's debatable. I don't get the dorky add-on thing.

The perfect example of this is 'Vampire Hunter D' (okay, it's anime, not manga, but the point is the same). Not a bad story over all. Granted, the idea of a half-vampire is silly to me, but I understand Eastern vampire lore is considerably different from Western lore, so I gave it a pass. I was actually getting into it, then his freaking hand starts talking to him. Not only is that a 'where did that come from' moment, the entire idea that his hand is talking to him is so abysmally stupid that the rest of the movie was lost to me.

Half-Vampires silly? Blade anyone? Personally I just shrugged "Okay, a talking hand. Cool." and continued watching. But I just might have been playing too much D&D with floating, talking skulls and stuff to be much surprised or distracted by that kind of things.

Most of the storylines from anime/manga (and, to be fair, I've a lot more experience with anime) have something similar to the hand in them.

I don't really get this. You mean in general things that are somehow unnormal? Care to give more examples?