Forum - View topicNEWS: Comic Books battle for survival
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cyberphin
Posts: 8 |
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gave up on regular monthly issue american comics about a year ago. I might just have out grown then at 31 but I'm buying more manga per month in terms of money than I ever did comic books.
One is the price/volume. get 3 issues of a comic or one volume of a manga. I think comic books will become more and more niche and will become graphic novel driven. I saw a marvel collection of spider-girl the other day in the manga tpb style. |
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Aaron White
Old Regular
Posts: 1365 Location: Birmingham, Alabama |
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This is interesting. It isn't really news, but I remember recently there was a thread in which a number of posters argued that superhero comics still dominated western comics sales. Hope this clears that up.
Arty comics like Jimmy Corrigan are doing okay at the bookstores, though; arts-comics, superheros and manga seem to have different demographics. |
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littlegreenwolf
 Posts: 4796 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Intresting article, but it seems kind of odd that they make it seem like a war. Is manga really taking away the comic fans? I just don't see it. I still buy the same comics I always have, I just buy manga too.
The article also left out the little fact that most of the people buying manga are female, and that's part of their major boost in sales. |
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phoelixian
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Manga accounts for probably 95% of the "comics" I read/purchase now. Interesting that about 5 years ago it was 0%. I guess it was a 'time to try something new' rather than a 'been there, done that'. I haven't looked back.
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Sam.:
 Posts: 136 Location: ANN WebSite. |
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yeah, your right lgwolf, thats odd. Insead they depicted a working man in a suit and tie, -- trying to picking a Dragonball manga insted of an X-men comic. -- That just gives people the wrong idea what kind of people 'really' buy translated manga. But i guess even older male adults like it too. Anyways,.. But I do remember reading somewhere that the large portion of manga readers both in Japan and in the US are female. |
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Mr Mania
 Posts: 581 Location: UK |
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Yeah they have been doing that for a while now. Well obviously they have been printing graphic novels for years but it seems they are bringing more and more collections out now. Especially with their ultimate line. Its a shame really, there are a lot of really good superhero comics out there which are on par with the better manga. I actually like to read my comics monthly but its just so much simpler to pick up graphic novel now. |
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beelzebozo
 Posts: 308 Location: Aurora, Colorado |
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I was a big comic book fan before I discovered anime But even before I dropped comics, I had gotten tired of many of them. Circular storylines that gave you a big build-up and finish, only to have most of it erased when the next writer/artist team stepped on board. Right now, I only buy graphic novels collections of exceptional stories (Dark Knight, Kingdom Come, Marvels, etc). Which is why I like manga: Beginning-middle-end.
Speaking of manga sales being fueled by female readers, I find it funny that DC Comics is getting on the manga bandwagon, because their Vertigo line produced one of the biggest female-read comics of all time: Sandman. If American comics want to compete with the imports, they will need to erase the damage done by "Seduction of the Innocent" & the Comic's Authority Code that doomed American comics to superhero stories and get to producing the variety that Japan (& Korea) does. |
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Jadress
 Posts: 808 Location: Seattle. It purdy and nerdy! |
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I tend to agree with your statements. I was never attracted to comics when I was a kid. I liked the old X-men cartoon, but when trying to look at the comics, I didn't know what issue was in the beginning, or near the end... partially because many superhero comics don't have endings. This confused me and I quickly lost interest. |
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littlegreenwolf
Posts: 4796 Location: Seattle, WA |
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I buy Sandman on a regular basis mainly because I'm a gaint fan of Neil Gaiman's books. The other comic titles I collect are image's Magdalena and Tomb Raider, though I believe those may have been discontinued. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15604 |
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Kind of ironic, considering comic book movies(Catwoman aside) make just as much money.
I didn't know the Red Skull was Japanese.
It's not any more of a fad than multiple covers or alternative storylines.
*cough* LXG *cough* (And possibly Batman Begins after seeing the Batmobile in action.)
I guess we know where Tokyopop and Del Rey are blacklisted. Aaron:
Compared to a decade ago, they do. But they have a long climb up to the success of the 80's. greenwolf:
I usually just buy comics, depending on who's involved. But when you think about it, they've been competing since the early 90's, when IMAGE started ripping off the manga style. For a while, business was booming, until McFarlane annoyed the hell out of everyone, by defending the Spawn movie and merchandise he slapped his name on.
There are female comic book readers, but they're usually the male equivalent of otaku. (Although there was this one girl at AX 2k3 whose number I'd wished I picked up...)I think manga's success is being able to appeal to the trend-setting girls who'd normally look down on comics. I guess Britney Spears fans and Ganguro girls have more in common than initially believed. Jadress:
It also doesn't help when they say, "Seen is Issue..." and that issue is OOP. |
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Shiki MSHTS
 Posts: 738 Location: NoVA |
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I might be a gigantic gullible fool, but that was sarcastic... right? |
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Mr Mania
Posts: 581 Location: UK |
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Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freemen, Ken Watanabe and Christopher Nolan directing. You can't go wrong with them credentials, at least I hope. |
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the_soultaker
 Posts: 685 |
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Well, in the lame 90's Captain America movie the Red Skull was portrayed as an Italian.  "it'sa me, Skullio"!
Arriverderci |
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Kagemusha
 Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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I for the most part read manga now, but I still do enjoy many diffrent comics, my current favorites are 100 Bullets, Y the Last Man, and The Goon. I really think some people are playing up a hostility between comic and manga fans that really doesn't exist. All of the comic fans I know enjoy manga and the people at the comicbook stores are supportive of both mediums (though I can't say that about most manga fans I know). Manga isn't really killing the comic book industry. Its basically going to remain at about the same state as it has been for the last ten years.
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LordRobin
Posts: 354 Location: Akron, OH |
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I don't think it's the "Japanese-ness" of the source material that is causing manga's utter domination. It's just that manga TPBs are so much more accessible. To explain:
-- You can buy them in any major bookstore. Not all bookstores carry comic books (and those that do carry a very limited selection). Most mainstream consumers don't even know where the nearest comic shop is. -- You can carry them around very easily. Flimsy comic books are damaged by the slight mishap. -- There's always great stories to join at the beginning. The lion's share of comics are titles that have been going on for months, years, or even decades. It's easier to hop on at volume 1 of a manga than Superdude #572. -- Shojo. How many domestic comic books are specifically aimed at females? Comics will survive, but look for them to become more like manga. Trade paperback format, more individual limited series, less concepts designed to go on ad infinitum. ------RM |
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