|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||
|
|
  Local artists are struggling. Before they struggled against American comics, now they struggle against manga. What's new? QC: There's so much manga that never make it into English. The very best of them included. And truth is, cute girls only constitute a small percentage of total manga output in Japan.   PC: Yeah, we've just been hearing about things like GANTZ and stuff. PC: Hellsing wasn't EXACTLY for us, but at least it had EDGE. QC: I was thinking economic textbooks manga, but you get the idea. Salaryman manga, 4-panel gag manga, cooking manga, educational manga, history manga... actually, just about anything that can exist has been made into manga. And enough porn to bury a small country. Porn aimed both at men AND women. So there's double the amount of it - it's like the book market in other countries. PC: Yeah! Well that used to be everyone's first idea of manga... hentai.   QC: Uh-huh. But I think that's an image that was first fostered by anime. PC: Then the anime and cartoons got popular, and then Pokemon came, and then the Pokemon and Dragon Ball kids got just a LITTLE older, and then it exploded. So, any closing thoughts? QC: The manga market has expanded quite rapidly in America and beyond for the past few years, especially with the next generation of non-Japanese manga artists. It's good to see companies like TokyoPop willing to take risks and nurture these artists, and it seems that there is a market out there for the stories being told too. I think overall it can only do good for everyone involved - not only does it add diversity to the concept of manga in the first place, but it can also help break down the existing stereotypes people have of "comics", especially Western ones. Hopefully manga can be a worldwide entertainment phenomenon, much like movies, within the next two or three decades. I have a lot of hope for the future. Related Links: Unexpurgated Queenie Chan Interview at Silver Bullet Comics Queenie Chan's Website Park Cooper and Barb Lien Cooper's Wicker Man Studios Previous : : |
13 August 2008 6 August 2008 5 August 2008 29 July 2008 22 July 2008
|
 |
| home | reviews | news | features | about us | advertise | privacy policy | contact us |
