Japanese Comics (Manga) vs American Comics

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Ever since the American comic strip was introduced to Japan in the early 1900s, Japanese and American comics have shared common traits. Japanese comics evolved into a new form called manga with notable differences that make it into a markedly different product. Some of these differences are more immediately recognizable to readers who have looked at both American and manga magazines.

Two of these differences are length and coloring.¹ American comics are usually printed in full color, whereas manga is more often printed in monochrome.

As for length, the typical serialized American comic is about thirty-two pages long, whereas a manga magazine's page count can range in the hundreds of pages in length.¹ One of the reasons for this is that manga magazines serialize multiple series within one volume where as one issue of a western comic only follows a single series.

The variation in form is due in part to the difference between how the two are made. There is a major difference is the staffing situations in both industries. American comics tend to take on a more assembly line approach¹ with separate individuals assigned to penciling, inking, lettering, coloring and writing. Occasionally western comics even have specific artists or teams of artists hired only to do the issue's cover. However, the manga industry tends to have all of the artwork and writing done by a single creator¹, though it has become more commonplace for a mangaka to have a crew that may help with tasks such as doing the backgrounds or applying screentones in order to meet deadlines.

Another difference is pricing. As of 2009 Marvel comics started raising their prices up to $3.99 per 32-page issue on some of their best selling series, and slowly spread that price increase to some of their other series.² DC was not slow to follow suit, adding additional content to the series they chose to raise in price.³ In comparison, Shonen Jump, a shonen manga magazine, sells for $4.99.⁴ The reason why manga magazine companies are able to print on a cheaper per-page scale is because they are not intended to last long. They are printed on low-quality recycled paper often tossed in the trash or recycled after they are read.5 There are sometimes exceptions to the rule, such as Stigma by mangaka Kazuya Minekurah which is presented in full color⁶ and western publishers such as SLG Publishing, who release most of their comics in black and white.

Another difference is the American "Universes". In manga, none of the series' characters ever cross each other or know of each other. However, in American comics, characters of the same publishers (DC, Marvel, etc.) will appear in each others comics and have intertwining stories. This means people can see Batman in Superman, or Spiderman in Fantastic Four. There are also arc stories that affect the entire family of the comics, such as DC's Final Crisis, and Marvel's Civil War. One easy similarity though would be the use of characters multiple times in a series. In manga, when a villian is defeated, they usually do appear later as allies, or, in some cases, allies can appear as villians. In american comics, villians do appear over and over (Ex. Joker, Venom, Magneto) as archenemies for the hero, or sometimes as rare allies.

Influence and Style Blending

Because of the increasing popularity of manga outside of the years, many American artists have been influenced to such a point where some of the differences between the two styles have begun to erode.⁵ Signs of this influence have manifested in various ways aspects, from some artists choosing a a cartoonier break from the standard of American comic realism, to straight up adaptions of the manga form. One notable adaption is Marvel's Marvel Mangaverse, which had Ben Dunn working on the series. Ben Dunn is an American artist notable for having worked with the manga style in his work since he started Ninja High School in 1985.⁷ The previous year Dunn founded Antarctic Press, a publishing company that seeks to publish high quality titles that are both unique and entertaining.¹⁰ Not all cases are clear-cut adaptions of manga style, however. Artists like Corey "Rey" Lewis have their own defined style with manga as one obvious inspiration, though simultaneously not necessarily the dominate style. In Lewis' first work, Sharknife, various aspects of Japanese culture shines through. Lewis lists his three favorite comics as Naruto, 100%, and Vagabond, all of which are manga titles.¹¹ An interview with Lewis can be seen on Youtube here.

American cinema has begun to capitalize on manga and anime influences. Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy, the series regarded by many as the birth of modern manga, was recently adapted into a CGI style movie aptly titled Astro Boy . Dragon Ball was also adapted into a live action film in 2009. Quentin Tarantino adopted an anime style of cinematography in Kill Bill vol.1. He even animated the section of the movie where we learn about the Japanese villain O'Ren Ishi in the Japanese fashion. It can be seen here.

The influence is not one-sided. It is an interplay between nations. Osamu Tezuka, "the father of Japan's huge contemporary comics and animation culture", was heavily influenced in his youth by American cartoon shorts.⁵ More recently, Akira Toriyama, notable for his Dragonball series, has a style that's proven inspiration to many more recently popular shonen artists. Toriyama cites some of his influences as an artist as Tezuka's art in Astroboy as well as Disney's 101 Dalmations.¹²

The Adult Swim Factor

Japanese Manga Industry in Japan:

Ubiquity is the word Wired uses to describe the intricacies of Manga in Japanese culture. Weekly Shonen Magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, Young King Ours, Shojo Comic, are just a few of the most popular Manga that can be found on virtually every magazine stand.⁸

THE MONEY IS IN THE MANGA!

After WWII, the fledgeling manga industry took off in Japan. At first considered a only a form of children's entertainment or an outlet for leftist political activism, manga grew as an art form and expanded into entertainment for adults and other genre. In the 1960s manga comics entered the mainstream, and the influence of manga and its sales have continued to steadily grow ever since.

Manga Sales in Japan

Manga is big business in Japan, representing almost 2% of their GDP in 1995, the peak year of recorded sales. In 1995, the Japanese consumed almost U.S.$7 billion of manga, which made up over 40% of all book and magazine sales in Japan.⁵ In addition, there is a tremendous spin-off industry that can be attributed to manga, like paparback books, hard-back novels, cds, movies and television shows, and licensed novelties.

Manga Sales in America

Manga got to a slow start in the U.S. The first exports to America were in the form of animation, like Tetsuwan Atom in 1963, Speed Racer and video games like Super Mario Bros. One of the first manga to enter the U.S. market was Gen of Hiroshima by Keiji Nakazawa. It was not until the turn of the century that the market really started to respond to manga, though. In America, manga sales grew 360% from 2002 to 2007, increasing sales from $60 million to $210 million.¹³ Manga was moved out from the back aisles of bookstores to assume a new position with the latest young adult novels. The role that manga plays in the U.S. economy, however, is infinitesimal compared to how big it is in Japan. The Amercian comic book market overall does not even come close to how large the manga market is in Japan; comic book sales in the U.S. (not counting manga) have ranged from $400 million in 1996, to $275 million in 2000, and $429 million in 2009.¹⁶

Impact of Recession and New Technology on Manga

The Recession

2008 has seen a decline in manga sales in the U.S. The overall sales of graphic novels rose 5%, yet manga declined by 17%, due mostly to the recession and competition from Staphanie Meyer's Twilight.¹⁵ Manga still makes up the majority of graphic novel business, however, with 55% of all releases and 44% of all sales being manga.¹⁴ Manga sales have been declining in Japan for several years, dropping from a high of U.S.$7 billion in 1995 to U.S.$4.1 billion in 2007.¹⁷ The only other times that the manga market saw a slowdown in its growth was in 1986 when Nintendo hit the market and in 1995 when Playstation and Windows 95 hit the market. Manga faces a similar challenge today with the introduction of cell phones, the internet and video games which all compete for the attention of Japanese youth.

Japanese influence on the American Animation Industry:

The last four years have showed an increase in Manga sales in the US. Wired magazine emphasis the increase in Manga stating that, Manga ha[s]gripped the global imagination”. More Manga has left its roots in Japan and is making a big dent in the US. Just to mention one popular Manga animation series, Dragon Ball Z left its home on the prairie of Japanese Manga entertainment, and spread to the US, becoming one of the most popular Japanese Manga to come to the US.

Future of both Industries:

Manga sales are not spreading like wild flowers anymore in Japan. Wired states a decline of about “half over the last decade”. A new focus for entertainment is breaking through; it seems the Japanese are turning their attention away from pages of joy to a new source of entertainment, (the cellular phone). But don’t get depressed yet, Manga magazines in Japan are still doing very well. Manga is still holding a respectable position of about “22% of all printed material in Japan”. There is speculation that Manga in Japan is on a permanent downhill slop, but there are still an astronomical number of readers.⁸ The US On the other hand is creeping by with almost no change since the late 1990s. Very little has changed in the last decade for American comics. It seems the US comic is dwindling with most as Modern comics says, “The characters created over the decades almost all have now been converted into film and cartoon TV series…”. The comics of the past have all but been depleted. It is also known that other than” film and cartoon”, US comics have also entered the merchandising market and video games. The future of US comics may be dying but the memory will be around for at least the next generation.⁹

Paragraph Reference

Dragon Ball Z ( Para. 7) http://www.anime3000.com/information/creators/toriyama.html

Manga Influence in American Media

Works Cited

1. Russell, Michael Comic Books- Japanese Manga vs American Comics. Ezine Articles. May 27, 2006. Web. March 10, 2010.

2. Parkin, JK More on Marvel's Price Increases. Comic Book Resources. May 31, 2009. Web. March 10, 2010.

3. Gustines, George Gene Comic Titans are in the Grips of the Dreaded Inflationist. The New York Times. March 29, 2009. Web. March 10, 2010.

4. Aoki, Deb Shonen Jump (U.S.) Manga Magazine Profile. About.com. n.d. Web. March 10, 2010.

5. Schodt, Frederick L. Dreamland Japan. Berkley: Stone Bridge Press, 1996. Print.

6. AnimeNewsNetwork.com. Animenewsnetwork.com. n.d. March 10, 2010.

7. Macdonald, Christopher Ben Dunn Interview. Animenewsnetwork.com. Animenewsnetwork.com. May 27th, 2004. Web. March 14, 2010.

8. Daniel H. Pink. 2010. Japan, Ink: Inside the Manga Industrial Complex. Apr. 2010 http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/15-11/ff_manga

9. Ed. Admin. 2009. Modern comicsamerican Comics.co.uk. Apr. 2010 http://americancomics.co.uk/the-bronze-age-and-modern-comics/

10. About Us. Antarcticpress.com. August 14, 2005. Web. March 14, 2010.

11. Lewis, Rey S. Sharknife Volume 1. Portland: Oni Press, 2005. Print.

12. Russell, Sean "Japanese Master". Anime3000.com. n.d. Web. March 14, 2010.

13. Brienza, Casey. "Books, Not Comics: Publishing Fields, Globalization, and Japanese Manga in the United States." Publishing Research Quarterly, Jun2009, Vol. 25 Issue 2, p101-117, 17p; DOI: 10.1007/s12109-009-9114-2; ( AN 39768457).

14. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-02-05/icv2-estimates-u.s-manga-sales-were-down-17-percent-in-2008

15. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/400877-2008_Graphic_Novel_Sales_Up_5_Manga_Off_17_.php.

16. http://www.cbgxtra.com/Default.aspx?tabid=695

17. Wiseman, Paul. "Manga Comics Losing Longtime Hold on Japan." USA Today 19 Oct. 2007.