On Comics: Japanese Vs American

Manga are comics with Japanese authors or in a Japanese style. A popular publisher which I will be mostly using as reference is Shonen Jump, with titles including Naruto, Bleach, Kuroko no Basket, etc. Manga has not always been popular outside Japan, however with the advent of the Internet, globalization has made culture (such as manga) more easily accessible. Manga, at least currently is well known for its distinctive art style. You know the clichéd large, shimmering eyes, small mouth and oddly styled/coloured hair with sometimes defies the laws of gravity. Yes, this is a huge generalisation, but in a nutshell it is true for the most part.

American comics, on the other hand I must admit are comics I’m not very well versed in.  Mind you, I am talking about the DC and Marvel publications. Here’s why:

            I.     The latest manga is available (for the most part) for free on the Internet. Good luck trying to find the latest Batman or Flash comic online. This makes it hard to get a preview of the series and whether or not it is a purchase you would want to make.

          II.     It just might be where I’m staying but American comics are expensive. A comic book with a little less than 100 pages would have an average cost of $25-35. A manga volume would generally cost $10-15 and have for the most part more pages.

        III.     The continuity is calamitous. I like a good complex story as much as the next guy but when you have more Superman versions than recall (which are mostly canon) it drains away the fun of reading as you most likely have to be a hardcore fan to fully understand the entirety of the story/ies.

The modern comics which I have seen from DC/Marvel usually have very nice art styles. Simply said I don’t think comics lose to manga if you are comparing artistic quality. Both occupy different niches but are definitely aesthetically brilliant in their own right.

As far as stories go I do like both manga and comics. One particular DC comic I was a fan of was the reimagining of Superman in a ‘what if’ scenario. In Superman: Red Son, we are treated to an account in which Kal-El's spaceship actually missed Kansas and landed in Soviet Ukraine instead. The story is non-canon but is nevertheless a good read with good art. The same can also be said about the V for Vendetta series that had an enthralling and engaging plot.

On the flipside, manga usually covers a lot more ground plot-wise. There are loads of genres, covering stuff like basketball (Slam Dunk, Kuroko No Basket, Dear Boys), cooking (Yakitate Japan, Addicted to Curry), Humor/Sketches (Lucky Star). In essence, manga do not generally follow the convention of hero and villain monodrama, which is a welcome change. The stories generally fluctuates  around a lot like an teenager's mood-swings, with the story line switching from comedic to serious  and vice versa in a heartbeat.

There are no winners in this comparison; I  simply compared Japan’s most prominent comic publishers to America’s. Deciding a on a definitive conclusion would be akin to trying to decide which food dish is the best in the world. It simply isn’t possible to make such a claim with people having different tastes and such. If you like a bit of variety in your graphic fiction, do give manga a chance and if you like a classic interpretation of good triumphing over evil, please do rush over to your superhero comic post haste.

The article represents the thoughts of the writer and only serves as a basic opinion on the matter. The usage of generalization is done to make an easier comparison and the author apologizes to anyone offended by this.