One of the main influences that led me to pursue my art degree was comic books. I remember staying up late — on a school night at that — reading comics like Spider-Man and Batman. However, what pushed me to completely dedicate my life to learning art wasn’t an American comic but a Japanese manga. It was like opening a door to a whole new world. Unlike the majority of American comics, which typically focus on superheros, Japanese manga have a much wider selection of genres to choose from.
Since the pandemic, I’ve seen the rate of manga consumption skyrocket in the U.S., and I can understand why. Each manga is its own work of art, and each manga’s author has the liberty to tell their own story in their own unique way. This is a luxury an American comic doesn’t allow. With large companies like Marvel and DC comics dominating the market, most comics must be focused on superheroes. When a story ends, they simply create a new storyline with the same characters. Prime examples are the “Absolute Batman” and the “Batman” reboot series that were released within the last two years.
Jim Lee, president of DC Comics, agrees manga is gaining an upper hand. He stated in an interview with Nikkei XTrend, “I think manga has an ‘advantage’ over American comics, which are mostly about superheroes, and that’s where the majority of sales and readers are concentrated.”
As amazing as superheroes are, I would love to see more variety in American comics. In Japanese manga, there’s an option for everyone. While there are ways to produce comics outside of the typical superhero genre, it is significantly more difficult than even entering the comic industry. Publishing firms like Image Comics will publish comics for a flat fee, but the author will have to put together their own team and practically promote their own comic. America simply doesn’t have the platform for comics outside of the standard to be promoted. One day, I would love to see American comics explore genres and stories beyond superheroes.
AloJapan.com