Comics in the Classrom has an interview with Jason Thompson, who just penned the massive “Manga: The Complete Guide,” which lives up to its title:
CitC: What is the big draw for teens and other fans? I stopped reading comics in university (early 90’s) and didn’t come back until recently, and when I got back into it I could hardly believe the popularity that manga had. What happened.
Jason: Manga addresses a market that American comics had neglected: essentially, everything but superhero comics. Through a combination of factors, American comics had become marginalized. Part of the reason is that, with the exception of hard-to-find indy comics, they completely neglected the women’s market; women make up a huge proportion of manga fans. Another reason, I think, is that (again with the exception of indy comics), American comics were not stories; the mainstream superhero comics are all franchises owned by corporations and they don’t have endings, resolutions, or a creator’s personal touch. Even the most commercial manga has a beginning, an ending, and a single artist associated with that title. Most manga are intended for entertainment, but as I say in my book, they have at least the dramatic continuity of a long-running TV series or a series of paperback novels.
Another stealth factor is that, for nearly 15 years, American kids have gradually become used to manga through Japanese anime and video games. Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Naruto (all based on manga, by the way)…video games like Pokémon and practically everything from Nintendo and Sony…these things have gradually familiarized people with the art style and storytelling conventions of manga. A generation that isn’t prejudiced against anime and video games is a generation that isn’t prejudiced against manga.
August 16th, 2007 at 11:44 am
As a freelance consultant (and former public librarian) who selects graphic novels for a book distributor and is working on a major reference project for a publisher, I have found Thompson’s book to be invaluable; I’ve been using the advance reading copy Del Rey Manga sent to me, and it’s great. I don’t always agree totally with Thompson’s ratings for some manga titles, but we do seem to agree on most of them. I’ve been recommending this book to all librarians I know.