You are welcome to look at the talkback but please consider that this article is over 2 years old before posting.
Forum - View topicNEWS: NPD Bookscan via The Beat: Manga Made Up 76.71% of Adult Fiction Graphic Novel Sales in 2021
|
Goto page 1, 2 Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Kyiev
|
|
|||||||||
|
i don't understand why American comics are dying
|
||||||||||
|
Egan Loo
Posts: 1352 |
|
|||||||||
They aren't. As The Beat noted, NPD BookScan reported that superhero comic graphic novel also grew in U.S. sales in 2021. Not 71.1% more like manga, but they still grew. Plus, American comics is more than superhero comics. Juvenile Fiction and Young Adult Fiction graphic novels (excluding manga) also grew in U.S. sales in 2021. As noted in previous threads though, there are some caveats about taking BookScan numbers at face value: 1. Comics Beat only analyzed the BookScan sales data. BookScan did not include almost the entire "Direct Market" -- in other words, almost all 2,000 comic book stores in the United States. 2. In addition to not counting graphic novel sales in almost all comic shops, Bookscan does not count periodical comics at all — that is, "floppies" or what most English speakers think of when they think "comic books." |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
livin_large
Posts: 107 |
|
|||||||||
Isn't that because of this line: "The Beat explained to ANN the discrepancy in these numbers is because NPD Bookscan included the approximately 1 million copies of My Hero Academia sold in 2021 in the Superhero subcategory, while The Beat staff moved My Hero Academia's sales to the Manga subcategory in its reporting." Seems like NPD is attributing My Hero Academia's sales to American comic categories. Which, technically, I guess, is true it's a superhero title, but just furthers muddies the waters. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Egan Loo
Posts: 1352 |
|
|||||||||
The Beat noted that the superhero comic graphic novel category grew in U.S. sales in 2021, even after it took out My Hero Academia from NPD Bookscan's numbers for that category. True, the superhero comic category would have been even higher in U.S. sales if My Hero Academia was counted in it, but it still grew without My Hero Academia. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
AmpersandsUnited
Posts: 633 |
|
|||||||||
I'll answer your question with another question: Why would someone read comics over manga? What do they offer that manga does not? I can't think of anything, personally. Manga are cheaper, more diverse, and much higher quality. American comics aimed at kids like Dog Man do well, but personally I don't think there's much in the way for teenagers and adults to compete with manga or other forms of entertainment like video games and television. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
lossthief
ANN Reviewer
 Posts: 1440 |
|
|||||||||
This assumes a frankly myopic dichotomy where people who like reading comics will ONLY read either manga or western comics, rather than the reality that most fans will read some combination of both. Plenty will lean towards a preference, depending on their tastes and availability, but generally if you enjoy Japanese comics, you're also probably willing to read English ones, and can find some that are to your taste. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Scion Drake
Posts: 959 |
|
|||||||||
Yeah I read both manga and comics and I get a lot out of it cause of the resulting variety. Sure there are stuff manga does that comics doesn't have but the opposite is also true. I've read Saga and East of West and they are unlike most manga I've read before. The experience is different and it works for both mediums, no one is inherently better than the other. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Saskatoonshred
Posts: 22 |
|
|||||||||
People act like comics have never included any sociopolitical commentary until the last 15 years. American comics have always been upfront with their social and political statements as well as multitudes of manga. It's nothing new in any way. American comic collecting/ reading have shifted to be a more niche hobby even more than it used to be. There's no denying that and the sales figures show that. At the end of the day I'm glad people are reading comics regardless of the country of origin. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
bagman
Posts: 111 |
|
|||||||||
|
[quote="Saskatoonshred"]
Don't even bother, there's nothing that'll convince the 'go woke go broke' crowd that politics have always existed in CBs and that they haven't led to a decline in sales |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Saskatoonshred
Posts: 22 |
|
|||||||||
Oh I know there's no convincing them otherwise. It's just fun to see their half assed responses and maybe a like .1% will actually learn something lol. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
FeelMyBlade
Posts: 155 |
|
|||||||||
I would be genuinely surprised to hear how someone can look at comics today and not see a huge difference from 15 years ago. What happened with Y The Last Man should be proof enough that even stuff from the late 2000s isnt acceptable these days. That's not even touching on stuff published in the 90s, 80, and older. It's true there were people rallying against comics as early as 1999 with the whole Women in Refrigerators movement, but they were a fringe group and mostly ignored at the time. Over time though, the industry shifted towards that mindset and is what it is today. I don't see any reason to deny it. People can still enjoy those comics if they like them. But it shouldn't be hard to see why people would fall off from the hobby as a result over the years. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Scion Drake
Posts: 959 |
|
|||||||||
Man over a month ago I bought a book collecting the Green Lantern/Green Arrow that famously covered political and social stuff like racism such as the treatment of Indigenous populations and how corporations are treating the common people like expendable tools. That was in the 70's man. Its also very leftist in its messages so even 50 years ago comic books were always pretty progressive. So nothing has changed really, the "go woke go broke" crowd really are just a bunch of ignorant louts who don't know anything including the very anime they falsey believe is devoid of politics. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
FunkyDude88
 Posts: 108 |
|
|||||||||
|
@FeelMyBlade
Man, why did you have to remind me how badly She-Hulk got character assassinated. "Actually, I always hated being attractive and it's truly empowering I can finally be free to be ugly. This is how I always felt!" I loved Byrne's run. Slott's was alright. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
ThrowMeOut
Posts: 265 |
|
|||||||||
|
It's not wokeness, American superhero comics are just really hard to get into these days. If I want to read, say, Demon Slayer, where do I start? Chapter 1, easy peasy. If I want to get into Spider-Man? Uhh...
You basically have to take a college course to follow superhero stories these days, with all the retcons, alternate universes, change in writers ect. Ect. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Saskatoonshred
Posts: 22 |
|
|||||||||
It may appear overwhelming at first to get into superhero stories but there are so many resources to get info about where to start with characters and runs. Changes in writers actually tend to be good jumping on points (most of the time). There are anime/manga franchises that are confusing as well to figure out where to start (Fate, Muv-Luv, etc) it's not just an western comics thing. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group