by Matthew Russell - Posted 4 years ago
Welcome, my CryptoComic Compatriots! Recently, I had the chance to read and review a very cool comic from Africa. I had to never check out comics from other regions other than American, Manga, and European. It inspired me to do a series explaining the differences between the comics of other lands.
I figured I would kick this one off with an overseas country. Yep, we will start this series by exploring Manga from Japan. By exploring omics from other countries, it should help us get a better understanding of our own home turf comics.
Manga (not to be confused with MAGA, that’s something totally different) is a blanket term for both their comics and cartoons. It is based on historical Japanese art. I’m not going to get into specifics on sales, other than to say that every year roughly 1.9 billion manga books are published. That’s 15 for every person in Japan.
Don’t get it confused with Hentai. Our CEO made that mistake when a long time ago when we were talking with a Japanese publisher.
Here in America, “Adult Comics” are known as either X Rated Comics, or Comix (from the days of censorship”. Over there it is Hentai.
So, FYI, if your Japanese comic has tentacles, it’s for adults. Put it down because there are some things that you can’t unsee.
Reading Manga is very, very different from your typical American comic. When you first pick one up, you might be pretty confused.
Like the traditional Japanese Kanji, it is written from right to left and top to bottom. This means, start from the back and work your way forward. When I was younger I picked up and issue and was so confused. You have to give me some credit, I was 10 after all.
After WWII, the writing switched primarily from the top going down to the left to right. This is still used today. Also, quick side note, their writing typically contains about 46 characters as opposed to the 26 we use in English text.
You might also notice that the books are a lot bigger. They are typically printed in a large format much like the Trade Paperbacks. These books are printed at 5" × 7" instead of the usual 7" × 10" format used by traditional American graphic novels.
The size of the books is not the only thing to change. The art style makes a huge change as well. The art styles were also developed in order to help speed up the publication of the comics.
This, of course, does not apply to all the various Manga but colors are a rarity. Most tank?bon are in black and white with only the covers colored.
While American style comics are fully colored using traditional “Cell shading” coloring, they leave most of the color styles up to your imagination.
Although the cost of printing color has come down significantly, Manga is fully invested in past tradition and keeps with the tradition of black and white. Although there are some new entries such as Dragon Ball Z that are fully colored. FYI, this only applies to the printed works, not the typical television show.
Manga is typically less technical which means that you can do more, faster. As stated above, you need to be faster to keep up with the heavy scheduling. Hairstyles are kept to a smaller few to convey different attitudes (see below). Backgrounds are less important, getting replaced by speed lines.
There is far less detail in the characters. If you don’t believe me, see the examples of Jim Lee’s Batman vs Akira Toriyama (most popular Manga artist today) drawing Dragon Ball Z. Check out the details in the faces and eyes. This is not to say that American is better or worse, just more detailed.
Characters in Manga tec]nd to get more and more powerful as stories continue, unlike American Comics. Think about Spider-Man’ power levels vs Goku. Yes, that is an uncommon matchup, but let’s explore further.
As the stories progressed, Goku has become what is known as a “Super Saiyan” and could take out Superman with a single punch or two. Spider-Man, when he gets a major power boost, it is usually a plot device that tends to go away after an issue or 2. There was the time he gained 4 extra arms, or when he meshed with Captain Universe. The point is that every time, he returns to his status quo and power levels.
Stories in manga are typically a long continuation with a single overarching plot. In American comics, let’s take a look at the Dark Knight (Batman, for those that live under a rock).
In modern times, Batman has gone up against the Joker in The Man Who Laughs, then goes up against the Whisper in Batman Gothic. This is followed by the Venom storyline where Batman fights his inner demons and is addicted to the drug Venom (this will later help introduce the villain Bane.
As you can see, each story is disconnected with the exceptions of the characters.
Now take a look at another popular Manga; Full Metal Alchemist. This is a story of 2 brothers learning and using alchemy in order to get 1 brother’s body back and bring their mother back to life. Every side story fits into that narrative. Each subplot gets folded into the major overarching plot. They learn and grow, but stay on mission.
So, what’s better; Manga or American style comics. Well, the answer is simple, neither. It is just a matter of taste. I absolutely love the way Manga is written, but I live my American art style. (I can hear myself just saying “Merica!)
My daughter is firmly in the Manga camp and there is no relenting. If you don’t believe me, head to our booth at a convention (as soon as they open up again) and try quizzing her. Mindblowing. Just ask for Crypto Cadence. She’s probably the one cosplaying as Bob, our mascot.
The truth is that I love them both. When they mix, we get something truly exceptional. If you don’t believe me, check out Batman: Ninja on the DC app.
