What do you think about the rise of manga and the decline of American comics?

Question

I love manga, and have been a manga fan for about 13 yearrs now, though I'm not quite as fanatical about it as I used to be. (I still have dozens of volumes of Ranma 1/2 and Dragon Ball on my shelf) However, I'm also a big American comic book fan, and while I'm happy for the greater availability of manga, I feel a little bit sad that we may be witnessing the decline of a 20th century American institution and form of modern mythology. I don't think it's guaranteed anymore that Superman and Batman are going to be around in 100 years.

(Yeah, Civil War and the death of Captain America spiked interest a little bit, but how long will that last?)

So what are manga publishers doing that American publishers aren't? For those who only read manga, what turns you off about American comics?

Hey, Redflag, I like American comics too, but did you ever read stuff like Nausicaa or Crying Freeman, or watch Cowboy Bebop? Easily up there with the best American fare.

h, if you think US comics feature only heroes and villans in black and white, no shades of gray, and the hero always wins... you haven't really read a lot of American comics, have you?

People are making some good points here... but how many manga fans are also former american comic book fans?

Answer 1

I agree. It IS sad that American comic books are becoming 'endangered'. I use the term 'endangered' because most everyone these days draws in the manga style. (myself included) And there is certainly nothing wrong with that! But to be honest, it just seems to me that some people are only drawing this way because it's the flavor of the week, y'know? It's the most popular thing out there right now, and it sells, so 'let's all go make manga'!

Well, to be honest I am a big manga fan myself. I prefer manga over American comics, but at the same time I enjoy many titles by Marvel as well as Vertigo and Dark Horse. For me, the thing that attracts me most to manga as opposed to American comics is the expression. I'm an artist myself, so the use of lines, patterns, inks and tones, the basic minimalistic approach that says 'less is BETTER' is what draws me in. It's facinating to see. Where as American comics tend to focus more on color and words, manga tends to focus more on FEELING and the conveying of those feelings through ART. I love picking up a manga and being able to discern how a character is feeling simply by SEEING the page, the art,....in contrast to an American/European comic that simply EXPLAINS to me - in a long and detailed texty monologue, I might add - the way the person feels. I get drawn into manga more easily.

Then too, back when I was in highschool, manga had more of a variety for me. Most American comics (atleast the ones my local comicbook shop/bookstore) carried were either superhero comics (about classic super heros) , superhero teen comics (this is where super girl, gen X would fit) , detective comics, or comics about older people, 40 + years of age. Back then I was only about 13. No thirteen year old wants to read about a 40 year old! They want to read about people THEIR age, and this is something manga is abundant in. There is something for every age group, so even when I grew out of those magical girl/ shojo highschool manga, there was still plenty to look forward to.

It seems like now American publishers are starting to aim more towards a wider audience, but for a while it seemed as though they catered to a specific generation; albeit making a few changes to entice a younger generation to read. At the same time you can't really blame them. There is only so much they can do to antique characters...can't change them TOO much, or they'll loose the fan's they've had for decades. Can't keep them the same as back then, because then the younger generation can't identify.

For a long time the American comic industry was stuck in what I call the 'cookie cutter super hero plot', where they take all the characteristics of a specific mold of superhero, give he/she a specific costume, hair color, origin, and voila! Instant comic character! (ofcourse it really doesn't happen that way, but still) I'm glad to see that in recent years they've stepped away from that.


Sorry...I got a bit carried away...

Answer 2

To me Manga has more developed plots and characters than American comics. Manga is more than just being about a "super-hero". With as many different types that appeal to any audience, no wonder their popularity is overtaking American comics. I think Manga creators have learned that, especially with the action series, you take an average person that eventually becomes great, but doesn't start out that way. With American super heroes, they are already at the peak of their power and the only way to go is down.

Answer 3

Manga, Animae, and Japanimation in general is a poor excuse for illustration or animation. It perpetuates a bigoted stereo-type of Americans and Western civilization in general with the distorted big-eye/little mouth characterization. Animation used to be art, but some how, the Japanese found a way to crank it out in mass volume without allowing for varied style or content. True followers of animation and comic book genre stories find the advent of Manga to be nothing more than a shadow of pseudo-realistic animation. It is the Junk-food of art and has as much intellectual nutrition.

Answer 4

i like manga better because:
1-prettier graphics
2-humor
3-deep, not one-sided black-and-white villains and heroes
4-lots about teen romance, and stuff i can actually relate to
5-the heroes dont always win. i have nothing against happy endings, it's just that predictable endings annoy me.

Answer 5

hey person obove me shutup white kid >:[ who cares bout white comics manga is much better