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Low blow

February 22, 2007 by

It seems to me that the marketing meme of positioning manga as an empty-calorie gateway for “real comics” is getting a little out of control. It’s like manga is nothing but mashed peas or strained apricots, perfectly fine until you have all of your teeth and can start enjoying solids, but nothing a person of discernment would ever favor, provided they knew what else was out there.

The latest example comes from a surprising source. Towards the end of the piece on the resurgence of comics for kids in this week’s PWCW, there’s a quote from First Second’s Mark Siegel that really annoyed me:

“Manga indeed remains a force to be reckoned with, but if fans find themselves wanting something more substantial, the new wave of titles will be waiting for them. Siegel said the design aesthetic and quality control at First Second is consciously aimed at rising above the quality bar set by manga. ‘We want children in the young section of graphic novels to be able to reach for something that isn’t just junk food,’ he said. ‘A lot of the manga is just that, and it does very well, but it’s disposable. Our books are meant to be for keeps.’”

In terms of production quality, yes, First Second sets a very high standard, superior to the average manga paperback. But is that all Siegel is talking about here?

I hope so, because in the imprint’s relatively short history, Siegel has managed to concentrate of the quality of First Second’s output without denigrating the output of other publishers, even by implication. I admired that position, because I don’t generally find that bashing the competition says anything constructive about the basher’s own product. (I remember being sorely and similarly annoyed by a Progresso campaign that focused entirely on the deficiencies of Campbell’s, even though I generally preferred the former when spending my canned-soup dollars.)

I’m not immune to the behavior, obviously, because I do have very clear preferences in what I like to read (which includes both manga and a lot of books published by First Second). It’s natural to look at the proverbial eighty-pound gorilla and be tempted to kick it in some sensitive spot. Hell, one of my favorite songs from Avenue Q is “Schadenfreude.”

But it seems really counterproductive to insult the very audience you’re trying to lure.

Filed under: First Second, Media 9 Comments

Charts and graphs

February 7, 2007 by

Since Publishers Weekly Comics Week can’t seem to be bothered to offer commentary on their top ten comics for the month of January, I thought I’d take a stab at it.

1. Death Note, Volume 9. Tsugumi Ohba. (Viz Media, $7.99 ISBN 978-142150630-2) With so much attention paid to “the Cartoon Network Effect,” it’s a little surprising to see a manga title rise to the top of a sales chart without a concurrent anime release acting as a driver. It’s less surprising that said title is Death Note, which combines a perpetually twisting, suspenseful narrative with excellent art.

2. Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 11. Hiromu Arakawa. (Viz Media, $9.99 ISBN 978-142150838-2) But it seems that the Cartoon Network Effect isn’t entirely irrelevant, even if airings of the Fullmetal Alchemist anime are sporadic and reserved for the wee hours of the morning.

3. Vampire Knight, Volume 1. Matsuri Hino. (Viz Media, $8.99 ISBN 978-142150822-1) While Fruits Basket (Tokyopop) generally holds the title for highest sales chart shôjo placement, this new addition to Viz’s Shojo Beat line is the first series to join the serialization roster of the line’s monthly anthology since its launch in 2005.

4. One Piece: It’s All Right!, Volume 13. Eiichiro Oda. (Viz Media, $7.95 ISBN 978-142150665-4) Is it the Saturday morning cartoon? The serialization in the Shonen Jump monthly anthology? Or do kids just love pirates?

5. Black Cat, Volume 16. Kentaro Yabuki. (Viz Media, $7.99 ISBN 978-142150610-4) The second entry from Viz’s Shonen Jump line, with its $8 price point and action-rich stories.

6. Ouran High School Host Club, Volume 8. Bisco Hatori. (Viz Media, $8.99 ISBN 978-142151161-0) Another Shojo Beat offering, though not one serialized in the anthology. The higher frequency of releases in Shojo Beat’s non-serialized titles (Yû Watase’s serialized Absolute Boyfriend only recently released its third volume) doesn’t seem to be hindering sales.

7. Shaman King, Volume 11. Hiroyuki Takei. (Viz Media, $7.95 ISBN 978-142150678-4) Okay, maybe they don’t all beg for individual commentary. See comments for One Piece.

8. Punch!, Volume 2. Rie Takada. (Viz Media, $8.99 ISBN 978-142150875-7) Um… ditto. See comments on Ouran High School Host Club.

9. Inuyasha, Volume 28. Rumiko Takahashi. (Viz Media, $7.95 978-1421504681) While many women have had success in shônen manga (like Hiromu Arakawa above), Rumiko Takahashi remains one of the best examples with long-running hits like Inuyasha and the recently concluded Ranma ½.

10. W Juliet, Volume 14. Emurai. (Viz Media, $9.99 ISBN 978-142150567-1) Shôjo releases don’t need to be new (or new-ish) to enjoy strong sales, as demonstrated by this long-running series.

Comics Worth Reading and MangaBlog have also weighed in on the list.

Filed under: Media, Sales, Viz 4 Comments

Gazetteer

December 28, 2006 by

Kids read comics! And they write about them for newspapers! In West Virginia, of all places!

I was happy to see this piece in the Charleston Gazette linked at MangaNews, partly because I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a graphic novel mentioned in a West Virginia newspaper, and partly because it’s about one of my favorite books of the year, Gene Yang’s American Born Chinese.

High-school student Lesley Cruickshank reviews the book, interviews the creator, and throws in some recommended titles for good measure.

Here are some of Yang’s favorites:

“For younger teens who enjoy ‘American Born Chinese,’ he recommends ‘Usagi Yojimbo’ by Stan Sakai, ‘Bone’ by Jeff Smith, and ‘anything by Raina Telgemeier.’

“For older teens, he suggests ‘Blankets’ by Craig Thompson, ‘Small Stories’ by Derek Kirk Kim, ‘Persepolis’ by Marjane Satrapi, ‘Missouri Boy’ by Leland Myrick and ‘Maus’ by Art Spiegelman.”

And here are Cruickshank’s picks:

“I would add to the list the ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ series by Hiromu Arakawa, anything by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel or otherwise), the ‘Fables’ series by Bill Willingham, ‘Transmetropolitan’ by Warren Ellis and, my favorite, the ‘Preacher’ series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, which (supposedly) will be an HBO show soon.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Fullmetal Alchemist and Preacher recommended in the same sentence before.

Filed under: First Second, Linkblogging, Media 2 Comments

Digital delivery

December 13, 2006 by

How unfair is it that, when reading the PWCW interview with Digital Manga’s President Hikaru Sasahara, I kept thing, “Yeah, Mr. Edgier Brand of Manga. Where’s the rest of Bambi and Her Pink Gun?” I like to think it isn’t entirely nitpicking, and I’m pretty sure there are Worst fans out there who asked essentially the same question.

I also thought it was kind of funny (and irritating) that Kai-Ming Cha framed what distinguishes DMP as offering titles that are an alternative to market-dominating “formulaic shojo titles aimed at teen girls,” then went on to talk about DMP’s massive success with arguably formulaic shônen-ai and yaoi, which is… well… really popular with teen girls, right? (Not just teen girls, obviously, but shôjo’s audience isn’t entirely homogenous either.) I mean, the Juné site is subtitled “Where Girls Gather & Boys Play.”

It’s weird to think how DMP has reinvented itself from a purveyor of off-kilter seinen to a BL-yaoi house with a scattering of interesting fringe titles like the Project X series. And I’m all for publishers finding underserved niches and successfully popularizing them. Heck, it’s what the publishers who initially started licensing shôjo did, and now that category’s getting knocked for having a stranglehold.

I think Simon Jones makes an excellent point about the comic-shop potential of more mature yaoi, like DMP’s new 801 imprint. Books from Juné and Blu already do incredibly well in comic shops, just judging by the graphic novel sales lists at ICv2. They handily outsell just about everything else in the manga category when they show up, unless it’s a mega-hit or a comic-shop favorite from a publisher like Dark Horse.

Filed under: DMP, Media 1 Comment

Millions of tourists are churning up the gravel

November 29, 2006 by

The subsidiary industries of manga just keep expanding. This time it’s tourism, according to a piece in the Daily Yomiuri. Sure, Tokyo has its butler cafes and otaku ghettos, but Kyoto has history:

“The Kyoto municipal government and the university have played important roles in establishing the nation’s first comprehensive manga facility. The museum collects cartoons of historical value and other materials, cultivates people wishing to work in the animation industry and offers lifelong learning courses for local residents.”

In other news of cultural exchange, ICv2 picks up on part of the Times Clamp interview:

“As Clamp spokesperson Agetha Ohkawa put it, ‘It used to be difficult to find American comics in Japan, but they’ve become more accessible. As creators in Japan, we’re very curious about American work and are pretty sure we’re influencing each other.’”

Now I’m picturing Japanese children cluttering the floors of the local equivalent of Barnes & Noble, reading Identity Crisis, and putting it back on the shelf.

Filed under: DMP, Media Leave a Comment

Edited

November 29, 2006 by

ComiPress offers a translation of an interview with Naoki Urasawa of Monster fame, focusing largely on the role of the editor in manga creation. It’s an interesting reminder of the strong role editors play and some of the associated problems:

“Although the relationship is like collaboration, ‘Manga artists don’t realize the importance of editors.’ Urasawa insisted. ‘If I build a good relationship with an editor who is in charge of me, the editor will be transferred away in the future. I have felt it odd that a companies’ convenience should affect the art of manga.’”

It’s an interesting companion piece to the recent interview with Clamp in the New York Times, since the group seems largely free of editorial influence aside from the group’s producer-director, Ageha Ohkawa.

And even legends like Moto Hagio have both bristled at and benefited from the influence of an editor, as demonstrated in this interview that ran in The Comics Journal. On Kodansha:

“During that time they gave me a new editor [25], but both editors followed company policy, which was not to let artists do whatever they want, but to have artists do something that fits the theme of whatever project they are currently doing.”

Hagio had a happier relationship with Junya Yamaoto, who attained his own legendary status for his work with Hagio and the other members of the Year 24 Group of innovative shôjo manga-ka.

Filed under: Media, TCJ, Viz Leave a Comment

"Vixen" was taken

November 26, 2006 by

Remember that advertising campaign that NBC had for its reruns, cheerfully suggesting that “It’s new to you!”? I’m often reminded of that when The New York Times covers comics. This time it’s about DC’s new line of graphic novels for teenaged girls, the horribly named Minx.

As Johanna Draper Carlson and Chris Butcher have already noted, DC is rather late to the party (and already showed up in a different outfit), but they’ve previously managed to convince the Times that Identity Crisis represented the maturation of the graphic novel, so it’s not surprising that they’ve passed this initiative off as innovative instead of belated.

It’s always mildly irritating when a comics publisher gets away with it, though, and frankly odd in this case. Draper Carlson noted at her blog that she mentioned Scholastic’s year-old Graphix line when interviewed, and she could just have easily brought up Tokyopop’s significant output of girl-friendly global manga, but the article sticks to the impression that DC is breaking ground.

DC VP Karen Berger’s first quote, “It’s time we got teenage girls reading comics,” reminded me of Dirk Deppey’s “She’s Got Her Own Thing Now” from The Comics Journal #269:

“It has now been conclusively demonstrated that the young female reader is, in fact, quite willing to buy comics. She just doesn’t want yours.”

I wonder if another quote from Berger isn’t an indirect (and reductive) swipe at available shôjo:

“Teenage girls, Ms. Berger said, are smart and sophisticated and ‘about more than going out with the cute guy. This line of books gives them something to read that honors that intelligence and assertiveness and that individuality.'”

But perhaps I’m overly cynical. And what better name to express assertiveness, individuality, and a focus on more than mating rituals than Minx?

Admittedly, this bid for that sector of the audience seems likelier to succeed than any of their previous efforts. I like a lot of the creators involved, listed at Butcher’s blog, and I’m pleased to note that, for the most part, they’re talented and versatile graphic novelists, even if they haven’t written specifically for this audience before. Mike Carey is the closest thing to a “house DC writer” in evidence, but the prospect of him reuniting with My Faith in Frankie partners Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel is welcome news, no matter who’s publishing them or under what imprint.

Andi Watson is a versatile writer, and I’ve liked a lot of his comics, whether he’s worked as a writer-illustrator or just provided the script. (He also had the good sense to stand out of the way and let Simon Gane wow everyone in Paris from Slave Labor.) And the world needs more comics from Derek Kirk Kim, so First Second will just have to share.

Butcher notes the manga-esque packaging and pricing, which are eminently sensible, as it increases the likelihood of the target audience finding these books in places where they’re already going for their manga fix. (In my experience, bookstores tend to shelve by size when it comes to graphic novels. If it’s shaped like manga, it’s shelved with manga.)

I don’t know if I can really take issue with his assessment of CMX, DC’s manga line, as “designed to fail,” though I do think they’ve been making conscientious efforts to improve their product. They’ve spruced up the trade dress considerably (though it could hardly have been more generic at the outset) and are publishing intriguing titles like Emma, though marketing in general could be much stronger. (I’ll always be steamed by the fact that the wonderful Chikyu Misaki seemed to have to rely entirely on word of mouth.)

Given recent claims about DC’s corporate culture, neatly summarized at the Newsarama blog, it would be easy to view this as a cynical cash grab. It probably is, but at least it’s targeted at a burgeoning audience that’s still underserved by traditional U.S. publishers instead of another bid to shake more money out of dedicated spandex fans. And it seems likely to produce some good books, so count me in the “cautiously optimistic” column.

Filed under: CMX, DC, Graphix, Media, TCJ 6 Comments

Notability

November 23, 2006 by

My end-of-year list obsession continues, though The New York Times isn’t that much help. Only one graphic novel made its “100 Notable Books of the Year” list, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, though if you’re going to limit yourself to one, that’s a pretty darn good choice.

Another entry from the list’s non-fiction category, The United States of Arugula, is delightful reading so far. The evolution of celebrity food culture is interesting to read about for its own sake, but the behind-the-scenes bitchery is great fun. (Don’t worry… Julia rose above.)

Filed under: Awards and lists, Media, Prose Leave a Comment

Based on the hit manga…

November 16, 2006 by

Speaking of Nodame Cantabile, it seems to be enjoying a bump from the release of its TV drama adaptation. ComiPress shares the latest Tohan Top 10, and Nodame occupies three spaces on it, with the most recent volume just ahead of the first and third. It’s like the Cartoon Network Effect, only with live actors.

And what does the Daily Yomiuri think of that program?

“[I]t displayed potential for the first 15 minutes.”

In other multi-media news, Anime News Network notes the joyous arrival of the Sgt. Frog anime in February, and that the invasion began a little early.

And last but not least, that trailer for the Death Note sequel is really, really creepy. But so is the trailer for the first one.

Filed under: Del Rey, Media, Sales, Tokyopop, TV, Viz Leave a Comment

Around the world

November 16, 2006 by

Is Birmingham, England, the next big hub of the comics industry? Possibly, argues this piece in the Birmingham Post about StripSearch, an initiative for would-be cartoonists helmed by Hunt Emerson and John McCrae. The goal?

“‘We have given them the strength to break out of their nine to five hell,’ adds John ‘And throw them into comic hell…’”

There’s also a manga primer attached to the piece, and… well…

“Manga characters almost always have large eyes, small mouths, and they also usually have abnormal hair color.”

It reads like narration from a documentary on some startling genetic disorder, doesn’t it?

Still, the Midlands Comics Collective sounds like a wonderful idea, and they’ve already published an anthology. Some of the creators are also featured in The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga.

*

It’s not just Nana. Apparently, Nodame Cantabile has inspired a themed café, though how anyone could want to eat after looking at a recreation of Nodame’s room is beyond me.

Filed under: Del Rey, Linkblogging, Media Leave a Comment
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