Thoughts On How To Save Comics

[hyped78]

Exactly this.

I mentioned this in another thread that US publishers should look at what's happened with manga.

Manga did actually experience a sales decline and in response they've embraced digital.

The barrier to entry was somewhat reduced, as it stands today, one can read manga from official sources for 100% free.. American publishers seem to have done the opposite, they embraced digital only briefly and they have constantly increased prices while reducing page counts.

Even on this forum, most of us are long-time comic book fans but even we are struggling to keep up with buying comics. The simple fact is that they are too expensive and are not really value for money, no matter how good a title is. The only logical way to buy superhero comics is in 1. Trades 2. Via subscriptions like Marvel Unlimited, anything outside of that is just too darn expensive.

How does this work - “one can read manga from official sources for 100% free”, or what’s the idea/rationale behind it? Disclaimer: I have never read manga

[Username taken]

How does this work - “one can read manga from official sources for 100% free”, or what’s the idea/rationale behind it? Disclaimer: I have never read manga

On the Shonen Jump app, one can read the title for free but only once.

If you want to re-read, you have to either subscribe to their service or buy the title.

For non-collectors like myself, that works for me because I am generally ok with the one-off read. If I need to read it again, I can go buy a tankobon volume which is still cheaper than superhero comics.

So, the barrier to entry to manga is very low compared to Marvel and DC and other US publishers. Throw in the fact that you can find manga in regular bookstores and other places where you can't find superhero comics, and it's no wonder that manga is selling as well as it is.

[hyped78]

On the Shonen Jump app, one can read the title for free but only once.

If you want to re-read, you have to either subscribe to their service or buy the title.

For non-collectors like myself, that works for me because I am generally ok with the one-off read. If I need to read it again, I can go buy a tankobon volume which is still cheaper than superhero comics.

And they have good selection? I mean, is Shonen Jump like Comixology, kind of?

[Username taken]

And they have good selection? I mean, is Shonen Jump like Comixology, kind of?

Yes, but it's only for Shonen Jump stuff. Shonen Jump is a magazine published by Shueisha Inc (most manga are published weekly in various magazines that are collected into volumes).

The really huge manga like One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia are published by Shueisha in Shonen Jump. I generally read more Shonen manga but that's a personal preference.

But there are other publishers that publish a very, VERY wide variety of stuff from LGBTIQ stuff to romantic comics. Manga pretty much covers every genre possible.

[hyped78]

Yes, but it's only for Shonen Jump stuff. Shonen Jump is a magazine published by Shueisha Inc (most manga are published weekly in various magazines that are collected into volumes).

The really huge manga like One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia are published by Shueisha in Shonen Jump. I generally read more Shonen manga but that's a personal preference.

But there are other publishers that publish a very, VERY wide variety of stuff from LGBTIQ stuff to romantic comics. Manga pretty much covers every genre possible.

I’ll check it out (Shonen Jump), thanks for the tip

[Gaastra]

So, they are trying to open up the first manga cafe in america in chicago.

Japan manga cafes are crazy. Some are hotels and other restaurants with manga!



Not sure how this will go in america.

[Gaastra]

Japan cafe--

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I forgot who mentioned this....but months ago one writer proposed that all the heavy hitter writers and artists need to come back into Marvel and DC Comics and just line up projects to do. Just come back like Morrison , Johns , Millar , McFarlane , Jim Lee etc and write the main titles and to try and create a buzz deal.

[Zauriel]

I have read a golf manga called Kasane no Michi (Kasane's Way) also alternatively titled Kasane no Tao. It is good at explaining golf terminology words for those who are not familiar with golf including me. It lasted seven volumes (tankoubon) and 84 chapters.

But there is a golf manga that has been published from 1990 to 2022 and has now 84 volumes. The title is Kaze no Daichi (風の大地, "Windy Plains"). It is really very popular to have lasted 32 years. Over 150,000 people have read this manga Kaze no Daichi. That is more than the number of people who read the present-day highest-selling comic book which reportedly sold a little over 100,000 copies which doesn't translate to 100,000 people since there are speculators who would buy multiple copies.

Unfortunately, the author died of cancer last year, so the series ended since the manga publishers, unlike American comic book publishers, usually don't hire other manga artists to continue the deceased creator's original work. If the author is alive, the series would continue to the present time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaze_no_Daichi

I am also currently reading another manga series called "Sumiyaki Monogatari", original Japanese title for "Tales of a Charcoal Burner". It narrates the story of a charcoal burner's life and work. I found this manga to be educational. I didn't even know what charcoal burning is like until I read this manga. I was kind of impressed with it. The artwork looked good, too.

Why am I discussing this here? the point is Japanese may be more creative storytellers than the Americans when it comes to making comic books. The US comic books need to stop focusing mainly or solely on superheroes and licensed properties (Star Wars, Star Trek, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Aliens/Predator) and write original stories in other genres.

[ed2962]

I forgot who mentioned this....but months ago one writer proposed that all the heavy hitter writers and artists need to come back into Marvel and DC Comics and just line up projects to do. Just come back like Morrison , Johns , Millar , McFarlane , Jim Lee etc and write the main titles and to try and create a buzz deal.

I don't know if a line up like that is going to attract many new fans. Morrison and Johns are still in comics. As is Millar who's making more money with his indie comics and movie options. Lee will occasionally do covers for special projects. I think McFarlane doesn't have much interest in coming back to comics. But let's say these came back to work on some Avengers/Iron Man/Capt America/She-Hulk crossover...sure I'd probably give it a peak due to there past fame, but I'm not sure a teenager would care as much. Or better yet, would it get more people to check out digital or Walmart to order more trades...

[Zauriel]

Perhaps the problem lies not with creativity or creative storytelling or art, but with the readers' interests.

If you try to sell a comic book about golf in America, it wouldn't sell more than 1,000 copies.
If you try to sell a manga about golf in Japan, it would sell over 100,000 copies.


A guy buys 5 copies of the same X-Men comic book and hoards them all for himself.

A boy buys one copy of One Piece manga and lends it to his younger brother and his 3 friends. 5 people read one copy of One Piece manga.

[Mister Mets]

I forgot who mentioned this....but months ago one writer proposed that all the heavy hitter writers and artists need to come back into Marvel and DC Comics and just line up projects to do. Just come back like Morrison , Johns , Millar , McFarlane , Jim Lee etc and write the main titles and to try and create a buzz deal.

Jim Lee got a lot of excitement with his earlier work, but there's been diminishing returns.

I think the bigger problem is the lack of any new artist with that level of popularity.

What Marvel and DC need are new guys as popular now as Grant Morrison and Jim Lee were in 1993. This is obviously easier said than done, but it speaks to the main problem.

[Mister Mets]

I have read a golf manga called Kasane no Michi (Kasane's Way) also alternatively titled Kasane no Tao. It is good at explaining golf terminology words for those who are not familiar with golf including me. It lasted seven volumes (tankoubon) and 84 chapters.

But there is a golf manga that has been published from 1990 to 2022 and has now 84 volumes. The title is Kaze no Daichi (風の大地, "Windy Plains"). It is really very popular to have lasted 32 years. Over 150,000 people have read this manga Kaze no Daichi. That is more than the number of people who read the present-day highest-selling comic book which reportedly sold a little over 100,000 copies which doesn't translate to 100,000 people since there are speculators who would buy multiple copies.

Unfortunately, the author died of cancer last year, so the series ended since the manga publishers, unlike American comic book publishers, usually don't hire other manga artists to continue the deceased creator's original work. If the author is alive, the series would continue to the present time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaze_no_Daichi

I am also currently reading another manga series called "Sumiyaki Monogatari", original Japanese title for "Tales of a Charcoal Burner". It narrates the story of a charcoal burner's life and work. I found this manga to be educational. I didn't even know what charcoal burning is like until I read this manga. I was kind of impressed with it. The artwork looked good, too.

Why am I discussing this here? the point is Japanese may be more creative storytellers than the Americans when it comes to making comic books. The US comic books need to stop focusing mainly or solely on superheroes and licensed properties (Star Wars, Star Trek, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Aliens/Predator) and write original stories in other genres.

I think you have the correct realization two posts later that it's about reader's interests.

There are plenty of comics about other topics. Most of them just don't sell very well.

If Love & Rockets sold 100,000 copies for a new issue, we'd have a lot of comics that aren't about superheroes.

[Zauriel]

I think you have the correct realization two posts later that it's about reader's interests.

There are plenty of comics about other topics. Most of them just don't sell very well.

If Love & Rockets sold 100,000 copies for a new issue, we'd have a lot of comics that aren't about superheroes.

Yes, I agree. I have read a unique comic book by BOOM! studios called "Fence". The Fence comic book's synopsis is about a 16-year old school student who is exposed to the competitive sport of fencing and has to fit in with the fencing team mates, including particularly a hotheaded rival. It was really good, I mean both the story and the art were good, and I enjoyed it, even though I am not familiar with fencing. But the problem was it didn't sell very well.

By the way, there are a couple of fencing manga in Japan that sold well.

[Zauriel]

About 59% of the US population today have never read a comic book at all. Almost everyone in Japan, even in the rural countryside has read at least one manga.

Japan has a comic book convention called comiket. Comiket is the largest fan convention in the world, with an estimated turnstile attendance of 750,000 in 2019. That attendance is so huge. Bigger than all the comic book conventions in the USA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comiket

Japan has more manga than the US has comic books.

Osamu Tezuka was posthumously awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Japanese government. Stan Lee received National Medal of Arts from the President George W. Bush. In fact, Stan Lee was the only comic book professional to have received that honor. Jack Kirby should have received the honor, too. And Siegel/Shuster, Bob Kane and Steve Ditko. Those men also deserve to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for making significant contributions to American culture.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is usually given to those who made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."

If a football coach like Lou Holtz or a pro golfer like Tiger Woods can receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, then so can the creators of Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men and Avengers all of which became part of the American culture, even though over half the US population do not read comic books at all.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presid...dal_of_Freedom