Comics Need Saving: Manga's Winning Secrets

A lot of folks seem to think that I am advocating for comics to be coming out on a weekly basis to emulate Shonen Jump and that is not true. In fact, you'll notice that in this video, I specifically said that American comics need to SLOW DOWN.

The weekly model in Japan is absolutely brutal on its creators and frankly, it's extraordinarily unhealthy and takes advantage of them.

To me the main issue is DC and Marvel comics are only about superheroes.
Yes, manga magazines like Super Jump is known for their stories about a kid with powers wanting to be best, but they also have other kind of stories about sports, mystery cases, comedy or even romance.
They have a wider spectrum to atract readers even outside of their main target.

Any idiots thinking the problem is "comics are woke" or "comics have too many fetishes now a days" needs to listen to 3 things:
1- HAVE YOU FUCKING READ ROMANCE MANGA? Lots of popular works are filled with fetishes!
2- Do you have any fucking clue how many fetishes 1930's-40s comics authors hid in their shit? Even later? Ask the wonder woman creators... (all the bondage is for a reason)
3- There's been more openly gay characters and queer baiting in manga than comics since they started, idk what the fuck to tell you

Another thing think is an issue (Pun intented) is that American Comics just only seem to be known as "The Super Hero big punch" books when of course there's way more than that but obviously to non-reads/casuals they don't know that.

I done think there is one solution to something like this honestly.

the japanese view manga is a medium. americans view comics as a genre. this is translated to animation as well. the japanese view anime as a medium of expression. americans view animation as a genre for children

I don't see advertisement for manga either. Not even inside other mangas.
And Manga and Anime piracy is extremely easy. Easier than comic books and almost anything else you can think about. Piracy isn't necessarily a main problem forncomics

And being weekly is a good thing for business. What are you even talking about bro?

My favorite reader media:

1)Manga and light novel Japanese market. ( Usually buy my novels Amazon kindle)

2) Manhwa Korea market support my favorite serie buying faster chapters

3) CN novels my favorite right now Lord of the misteries plus novel really good support with my subs Wuxiaworld

you should make a video about battle chasers

How convenient.

Comic books could be saved since they surpass mangas based of the fact they have color. It’s just the lack of story, there’s so many different writers and versions for a character that it’s harder to get attached. Create new characters with one set group of writers and artists, then create a story from start to end.

So, the fact that you have people get into comics by watching your channel is bad? BUT you want Marvel & DC to pay influencers to talk about comics to get their audience into reading? The very thing you SAID was bad in the first place? 🤨

That quote from Gabe Newell is the most accurate statement ever. I know where to read manga chapters and download volumes for free, but you know what? I still subscribe and buy digital and physical books, because they make it easy and stories are easy to dive into and follow.

The last time I bought a DC/Marvel graphic novel was in 2011.

They literally tried to make superheroes named Safe Space & Snowflake. That alone speaks volumes

Also I look issues and hate the format. Same reason webtoons are popular with few series and the rest is mostly penuts. Nobody want to pay 10 or 20 for issue that has 40 pages.

You are smart person with clear head. But you also share many of the vocal minority views. You and they are killing western comics. No, this isn't about the way they ignore creator and staff health. It the other stuff. Like fan service and lack of respect for their audience. Bookwalker is going to take over amazon pie.

One thing you didn't touch on: More genres than just superheroes. Sure, superheroes are popular, but there are people who don't like them. I personally like superheroes, but in moderation - I'll read a few, but after a while I want to read a fantasy or sci-fi or sports story or slice-of-life or something else.

Yato from NoraGami is strikingly similar to boostergold. I think you would enjoy it if you haven’t already read it.

When the average American only knows how to draw a penis, then you have real real issues particularly the lack of pool talents.

The first time I tried getting into comics I tried different New 52, thinking it was a reboot and a good start. I was instantly greeted by "read such and such" to know who this character is in all of them and I gave up.

Comics aren't dead, AMERICAN comics are dead. France saw what manga did and came out with "Bande Dessinée", basically French comics. There, you get a ton of variety in the comics and with a business model that works. I want America to make comics like that. I'm sorry, but superheroes have been "in" for basically my whole life. I'm sick of it. Even in this video I don't think there were any examples from the big two that weren't superhero comics. There is so much artistic talent in the comic industry. It really is a waste to see it go toward always drawing capes and spandex. I want to see the day where the next big budget cartoon based on a comic series comes from America, and Japan gets the rushed dub with bad jokes thrown in.

For me there are two types of entertainment. 1) entertainment that I love experiencing over and over again. 2) entertainment that is much more interesting hearing someone else explain then me checking it out myself. Manga is the former and comics are the ladder.

I personally prefer western comics because of their more realistic and more mature themes but personally I don't understand why manga and comics are compared so much despite them literally being the same genre only thing that's different from them is that manga is more cartoonish and is made in Japan. Manga is litterally comic book in Japenese

I want to buy physical comics but i dont have much money (i cant get a job yet)
So currently i read them online
When i get money ill buy comics

I recently started reading superhero comics after many years of manga. And I think that in terms of storytelling they don't need to copy manga they just need to embrace the non linearity.

I have been reading sugested issues and runs and what I find most ridiculous is how they have a run with dozens or hundreds of issues but with huge changes in teams and ideas.

For example, fantastic four hickman run start on issue 600 when is it and looks completely diferent from 599 issues previously made. They just could say: hickman fantastic four and made it issue 1.

They should embrace fully the runs, ignore the major continuity and embrace small runs with amazing stories, explore the super hero concepts and let creators run with them.

They already do this but not to full potencial because they are in the constant search for the next amazing spiderman fever to milk and not embracing the creativity fully. Not trying to get something to stick to make 50 or 200 issues. No, make it with a length intended.

I want to see 20 issue spiderman continuity as I want to see 100 issues of other ideas. Who cares if they don't have any conection?

Just identify it clearly and market it as that.


I really like the change from manga. Where in super hero comics I can read many "what ifs" (pun intended) instead of only 1 canon story.

The issue is that the big two are owned by multimedia conglomerates. They don't see their acquisitions as an important cultural institution worth fighting for. They see them as backlogs of IP that can be turned into merchandise. If you're WarnerDiscovery or Disney, you don't really care if people are reading Superman or X-Men; you care if they're watching the movies and buying the toys.

HOW DO YOU READ COMIC BOOKS FOR A LIVING??????

Manga always winning. Comics mainly a money pit.

Going the Shonen Jump route could probably help if they included stuff like Batgirls in with a Batman story.

A Batman "Shonen Jump" Book with
Batman
Batgirls
Batwoman

Stories in it could work and get more eyes on it if done correctly. The question is with completion time and if they'd all make the same deadlines.

I think having a story from beginning to end with no new writers is needed. No retcons.

The art needs to change. I really don’t like comic art for the most part. I don’t think they look good.

The storytelling needs work.

Comics are too mature too.

Ironically tiktokers made me not wanna read the comic books. I'm just so tired of the nitpicking and gatekeeping.

In the end for Marvel and DC comics are just license holder of their characters to generate revenue from movies and merchandise.

yeah.. comics dont have continuity

You’re the goat. Save us Drake

Manga does issue releases in anthologies, but the way they does it actually make sense. For example, Shounen Jump, which is aimed at kids and teenagers is released on a weekly basis, while the manga magazines that releases monthly are often aimed at an older audience. So they don't have to worry about their audience forgetting them.

Also, there's another reason manga is selling much better than comics, anime. Most of the time, when you watch an anime adapted from a manga, once the anime ends, you can simply pick up the manga and continue reading from where the anime left off because it's the exact same story. So it gives people more reason to pick up a manga. Comics on the other hand are different. Usually comic book movies aren't adaptations of the comics. You can't read ahead in the comic to know more about the MCU because they are essentially different things. Comic book movies and TV shows doesn't adapt stories. So there's no reason for people to pick up the comics.

There is a problem Comics have that Mangas don’t that’s also noteworthy. Not as big as the ones you’ve mentioned, but nonetheless it’s an issue. It’s that, at the end of the day, Mangas have and ending whilst comic books don’t and that opens a door for countless issues.

Let’s take for instance Dragonball and Superman. Dragonball has a beginning and an end (less now with super but you know what i mean). Like you said, there’s the beginning with number 1 where he meets Bulma, the middle of the Saiyan Saga and then the end where Goku fights Uub in the last number of the main Manga series. In that meantime, Goku grows up, has a Family and matures throughout the whole story. But Superman on the other hand doesn’t, at least not in the main comics. There is a beginning for Superman, yes, but never and end and without an end in sight, there will never be a middle point where the overall Superman stories shift but in fact, it feels like he is frozen in time. He will always be the same Superman, probably always in the same age, always surrounded by the same people and always doing the same thing. There will be events along the way, but they are never permanent. Which leads to the dreadful comic line of: „everything returns to the same old eventually“. And then that just means you would just buy the same comic book of Superman, but just with different flavors whilst with Dragonball, you have the one Manga series that you can always return to read to and if you need something new but in the same style, there’s literally countless other Mangas then similar enough for you to find joy in, like One Punch Man for instance.

And it’s not just Superman, the same with Batman, Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor and even the X-Men. They aren’t allowed to end and so instead of writing middles and ends, the comic writers are more forced to simply write „phases“ for comic heroes to shake things up a bit before everything returns to the status quo eventually and more often than not, it’s bad phases. Spider-Man with the Clones, Tony Stark during Civil War, Batman sometimes being just the biggest d-khead to everyone around him or the 90‘s in general. And with those phases, you usually please almost no one. Old readers hate it, new readers aren’t sure if that’s what they want and casual readers just get confused. I mean, as cool as it is, Spider-Man‘s spider totem and his very own spider-verse was something fans were split in the middle and still are.

A great comparison for a comic that did start, have a middle and ended is Invincible! You have the beginning of Mark in the toilet, you have the middle where, (i‘m not sure, but i would just say) Mark returns after the time travel shenanigans with the Tree, and then the end where Mark leads the Viltrum Empire. Sure, the comic continues to this day, but this is still an end for Mark! Which a lot of other Marvel and DC Heroes desperately need too

Hey Luffy's grandpa provokes Black Beard, Check it out!
manga readers: 😱😱😱

man you are smart I wish more people in comics would listen to you

I think an import consideration in the profit margin and price of Manga is that Mangakas are worked to the bone

This is such a breath of fresh air after seeing troyoboyo's fence-sitting ass video

I think the biggest problem is the recycling of storylines, in manga you care about characters because what they do has a big impact in the overall story, but when I know Ill see this character again (even a beloved one) it lessens the impact. Also why is there not many cartoon covering a comic story sequentially and closely related to the comic. So that when you catch upto the cartoon you switch over to the comic to continue the story you were interested in

I’ll just say it, the problem is the quality, creativity, and diversity of the works. Comics do not have as much variety and creativity as manga does. There’s a manga for EVERYONE. I can one day read a battle manga about bread making and the next day read a manga about a rock climber and his psychological journey as a free climber. Also, it goes to quality. I’ve read many comics and many manga and the best manga are just higher quality than the best comics writing wise and story wise

One think make one canon time line or one main time line and develope that first before going to multiple story with different artist with different world building with different canon

For the anthology idea, what if they did one of those Crisis, Rebirth, New 52, Ultimates, etc esque retcons and then put all those new series in several anthology magazines (I say several because there'd be too many for one magazine)? They could do one with stories about each of the usual Avengers/Justice League members and then do more anthologies if those prove successful

There is one thing you didn't address that I had on my mind. As a non comic reader, I can't tell if any comics are about anything else but super heroes. If non super hero comics exist, I never see them whatsoever. I'm already burnt out of the movies they do. If I were to start comics, I want different stories. That's gotta be the biggest thing that turns me away, personally.

Manga feels like collecting too without being overwhelmed

The biggest problem with DC and Marvel, for me at least, is that it's always the same super heroes. So if you don't like those characters then there's no reason to get interested in marvel or dc. They seem stuck in time, unable to move on from what made them popular. I want new and original stories, not a derivative of an old story about a known character, especially when it costs so much.

W video anytime psyren is mentioned. Also I'm shocked no comic based platform tries to go digital. The only ones to think of are manga based like manga plus and viz media but marvel nor dc try anything substantial.

I read the paper and I’m 25 lol so not true, but yea the companies def need to improve their marketinf

Since he mentioned the "more bang for your buck" with manga magazines (same with 1 manga volume will have at least 100 pages for $6 vs 24pgs for same price single issue) there's another thing manga has been great on: consistency.

I never understood why 1 storyline for a superhero comic can have numerous writers and new artstyles. It personally feels tacky like they can't commit to a specific style. Even newspaper comics are more visually consistent.
Whereas manga will have 1 or 2 main artists (who might double as the writer or be in a partnership) and assistants for background or SPX. It's easier for me to remember the creator of JBA or Fruits Basket or Ranma 1/2 than some random artist/writer for issue #25 of Batman Gotham Knight or whatever.