Manga Killing US Comic Books, DC & Marvel Stagnate

[@SwampThingNJ]

Ive been buying manga lately and there are a few things US comics could learn from Manga. They are (1) Price Point and (2) ease of entry. (1) I don’t mind buying the manga books at 10$ each, but good luck finding a TPB for that price with nearly as much content as a manga volume. If US Comics could meet that price point, I would be find picking up volumes. But when it’s available online through marvel and DC unlimited, I feel dumb to pay $20 for a TPB collecting 3-4 comics I can read in 45 minutes (2) I like the way manga intentionally markets itself to be easily entered. If someone wants to read Superman, there are an overwhelming number of places to enter and no clear place to begin. Manga makes entry and continuing a series very easy. There are clear starting points and ends.

[@tonyfrickey9062]

Plus shonen jump is 1.99 a month, you get the entire back catalogue and you get the new issue the same day its released...also you can read some chapters for free...

[@SwampThingNJ]

@@tonyfrickey9062 I would absolutely love if US comics could adopt that model…

[@tonyfrickey9062]

@@SwampThingNJ they could easily do that but dont want to....they rather fleece digital customers as much we customers that buy physical books...

[@robertgray1365]

That'll never happen with American comics as long as the people currently in charge remain in charge. They think raising prices and using cheaper materials is the only way to make up for their losses without even considering raising the quality of the output. Batman comics are hands-down DC's highest sellers and what did they do with that information? Raise the price of Batman comics a dollar. What kind of braindead business model is that? Unless the clowns behind these kinds of decisions are held accountable and replaced American comics are done. At this point even that might be too little too late.

[@1971thedoctor]

One Punch Man and Lone Wolf and cub got me to try other Manga. I used to buy $60 a week of marvel dc and independent comics, now I buy omnibus trade paperback of comics from the golden age silver age and my personal favorite the Bronze Age. Once in a while I buy a new floppy but if it’s not good I don’t buy the next issue.

[@wtk6069]

It's not really fair to blame manga for killing US comic books. The US industry is dying of their own accord because they have abandoned their core audience. Manga are merely giving another option to neglected American readers who otherwise wouldn't be reading any comics at all.

[@adamdenardis5438]

I caught onto that back in 2005. Comics at the time were overly dark and just killing characters. They were ugly too. Manga meanwhile was just hitting it big in the US and bringing stuff over from the 80s and 90s while coexisting with then current stuff like Naruto and Bleach. Death Note too. All that stuff was just starting to get big. But it was only known among fans. Comics were still considered more popular at the time and movies added to that popularity. But i saw the writing on the wall. It wasn't gonna survive going that way. The movies were gonna take over and the comics were gonna be treated as an after thought. Say all you will about the 2010s-2020s comics being about politics, comics were on their way out before that. Meanwhile manga kept escalating with only one small period where sales tanked. You know what saved manga in the last decade? One Punch Man and My Hero Academia. Attack on Titan. Demon Slayer. Also bringing over stuff that used to be stuck in Japan for decades like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and HunterXHunter. It all factors into high sales. We're in kind of a new slump however due to some titles being too similar to each other and a lot of slice of life mucking up the shonen genre, but there's always something fresh around the corner than can hit it big.

[@Quizebot]

👍🏽 agreed

[@IzzyVerseNYC]

I agree entirely it due to being force feed ideologies rather than ideas. Stop trying to tell us how we should think instead entertain us through storytelling

[@sik3xploit]

Calling woke "American culture" is like calling Cuba "anti-communist".

[@Reanimator999]

When I was in high school in 90's and I knew this comic book guy who always snubbed at Anime/manga. His reason was that he never liked cartoony exaggerated designs in anime/manga. It seems like comic book nerds at that time love art and collectability of comics more than story and genre variety. 25 years later, it's the anime/manga fans get the last laugh. Ironic, isn't it?

[@karekakeka4143]

Manga has way more variety and better art styles, you can go from ghost in the shell, to Osamu tezuka stuff, to death note, to dragon ball to the junji ito stuff, theres just more content and better content with mangas

[@V87]

@@karekakeka4143 Definitely this.

[@Rude_Boi]

Ironic indeed. I remember it being "weird" to like anime and manga except for DBZ, when I was in middle school in 2007-08, and now nearly everyone likes it.

[@IzzySarru]

I feel like the title is misleading. Manga isn't killing US comics. US comics is killing US comics. Manga is just doing its own thing.

[@mrcoules]

I'm old enough to have witnessed the failing of the American comic industry and the slow rise of mange (here). Manga has always had so much quality, but it never had much success breaking into our markets... until our comics became SO bad, readers were given little choice. Buy crap, or buy quality, the numbers speak. My kids love DogMan, and so do I lol The sales figures are so eye-opening, thanks for sharing, Wes.

[@DrewHLMW]

this is what happens when you tell good stories and don't force agenda's and identity politics down people's throats.

[@meurer13daniel]

Mind you, manga stories about lgbt charecters DO EXIST, they just know how to write them and what their target audience is.

[@nironagendram9501]

@@meurer13daniel as well they have great female characters without having to tell you how awesome they are

[@thechikuwa284]

Even "shōnen manga" magazines, whose readers are elementary school boys, feature many LGBT characters. Guts in "Berserk" was raped by a man in his childhood. "Neon Genesis Evangelion" depicts a kiss between 2 boys. In Japan, homophobia has historically been non-existent, so the presence of LGBT characters is not an issue. Many samurai were bisexual, and the Shinto bible(Kojiki) describes a deep love between men and the people who support them. In the U.S., the problem is probably the presence of Christians who are very aware that Christianity forbids homosexuality. When manga and anime are translated into English, even words like "he's sexy" between men are censored and removed.

[@aaronluisdelacruz4212]

@@thechikuwa284 Sailor moon showed a lesbian couple and in the US released made them cousins. Made it worst.

[@charlesharrison1907]

This is what happens when you let the fan fiction crew write the stories. Also the current writers are big on “diversity”. The fans have spoken with their money and we don’t like their politics so we aren’t buying books.

[@EvandroACruz]

Mangas are killing the U.S comic books.Better storylines,more diverse genres,definitive endings and always with new and exciting titles.The industry don't know how reinvent yourself.

[@himathegreat2987]

Actually US comics are killing themselves, manga need not give a shit about it

[@MrGabeHernandez]

Just imagine what would happen if Weekly Shonen Jump started showing up on supermarket checkout racks in the US. The direct market would get demolished.

[@Slitheringpeanut]

Not surprising. Manga has been outselling American comics for literal decades. This isn't actually anything new. It's a talking point used to bash American comics.

[@MattGarZero]

I worked in a gas station that had Shonen Jump years back. It sold out every month. This was 05 or 06, right before the US manga bubble burst. I don't know if Jump is still localized monthly here.

[@Slitheringpeanut]

@@MattGarZero It is.

[@MattGarZero]

@@Slitheringpeanut That's good to hear. I'll have to look for it. It's not really my thing these days, but my teenage son might get a real kick our of it.

[@togek1ss]

they used to have it when i was little in American stores... its a shame magazines are out of style in the US now, shounen jump and nakayoshi (series like sailor moon, and cardcaptor sakura started in this magazine) is still printing in Japan.

[@ComicBoomTube]

Manga has found that sweet spot of good stories, good price point, good variety, good accessibility and generally easy to find. Superhero comics have little variety, over priced by comparison, generally inaccessible and even assuming you can find the comic you are looking for there is a possibility that it is higher than cover price due to comic book speculation. I will defend the quality of stories of DC and Marvel as I do not believe that they are demonstrably any worse or better than other era, but that is small consolation given the other factors.

[@cryharddctard1355]

Lmao nah bro. Comic book writing either cater to the fanboys who jerks off to how "OP" their heroes are, or cater to the alphabet (LGBTQ or SJWs) society who doesn't even read comics at all. Either way, comic writers are 40yo midlifecrisis-ridden boomers who doesn't understand what real entertainment is all about.

[@cha5]

@@cryharddctard1355 Where do you get the idea that members of the LGBTQ community don’t read comics? We have a good percentage of that community that most certainly DO read comics along with our other customers.

[@francistein8409]

@@cha5 yeah they exist but his point is that these alphabet people dont really care about woke superhero comics themselves thats why its all a failure

[@cha5]

@@francistein8409 These "alphabet people” care about comics as a medium as much as other comic fans do, and members of the LGBTQ community in our store do read comics and have a fan base is my point and his point comes across as rather homophobic among other things, But then again I'm not that sympathetic towards Neocons and RWs as regards their griping about comics and “comics gate” in general and seemingly wanting to return us to 1956 and the “good old days” of the CCA. On the other hand as regards what constitutes a failure, The last time I checked Cyberfrog and Jawbreakers haven't been exactly breaking the Diamond sales charts so I wouldn't call them a success myself.

[@dominicansoulsbourne5456]

Way to increase sales: 1)It’s unfortunate, but the books need to align with the MCU as much as possible. 2) Do promotion for the great artist 3) stop hiring activist 4) have gay characters, but stop turning everyone gay. 5)Stop beating fans over the head with feminist ideology.

[@Reanimator999]

Nah, just fire everybody except business people and start everything anew.

[@blaketyler7447]

I just read one of my first mangas "Fist of the North Star" and my God what a fantastic read. Such manliness accompanied by amazing art and story. Such a blast. Definitely going to be looking more at manga from here on out.

[@larryjake7783]

Sounds interesting I'll check it out

[@RollingDodge]

I finished FOTNS and it's good and I also recommend Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

[@larryjake7783]

@@RollingDodge I've been watching the anime of Jojo, is the manga better?

[@lucianoemmanuelramirez1304]

You are going to love Berserk by kentaro

[@lucianoemmanuelramirez1304]

@@larryjake7783 usually the manga its better.. there are a few exceptions.. you get the truly Original creator intention in mangas.. usually anime are adaptations.. some good some bad some so so

[@swen1208]

Manga isn't killing US comics, Comics is killing itself, Manga fills the void left by Comics.

[@robertgray1365]

Manga has been steadily growing in popularity for almost 2 decades but Marvel and DC's recent decision to "break into a new demographic", consequently obliterating their long-time faithful demographic, was the nail in their coffins.

[@tooruoikawa8985]

I’ve been collecting Managa for decades. Never went to comic books shops because I would get scoffed at for asking for….manga. Recently the shortage has driven me to go back to some of those shops and let me tell you they are more receptive to me now but still kinda off putting. They reluctantly admit they will be carrying manga soon. DC and Marvel have done a great job of creating terrible salesman in the comic industry to gatekeep for them. The gatekeepers are finding out no one wants in to their club anymore… we made our own!

[@marisalazar1451]

Maybe you just need to change the store or put the guy in his place, or at least a complain with the boss. At the end you're a customer, and you're buying!

[@StratumPress]

Comic book store managers are some of the worst, unprofessional salespeople you'll ever meet. That's why they work in comic shops.

[@tooruoikawa8985]

@FoxRNG thanks for the advice but I go from state to state for one reason or another and I’ve had pretty much the same experience for the most part in several different areas of the country at a bunch of different locations. I like to collect OOP stuff so I have no choice but to go out of my way and go to new shops all the time because there is slim to no chance of the same store getting new old stuff I’m looking for every week. I honestly wish that my experiences were better and I wish I was complaining to complain. But the worst experience I had I remember I walked right out the store and said To myself “why is it so hard to give people my money?” So yeah, thanks but I’ve tried.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Maybe it’s time for Dc and marvel to finally get a reality check and just tell good stories and plus let there characters grow and move forward the same way like manga does also for the love of god dc and marvel seriously needs to lower the cost of there books because frankly a lot of there books are super expensive beyond hell.

[@Bolbi145]

Invincible does that and it didn’t sell well until the show

[@TevyaSmolka]

@warwik Xio i would be all for that because that story would be tons of fun especially to see both boyzarro and Damian wayne robin zarro teaming up and being the dark version of the super sons.

[@TheLonelyLurker1995]

@@Bolbi145 To be frank Invincible is...overrated and boring, its filled with CW drama type shit that was covered by violent action scenes. The reason why it wasn't noticed was because the violent scenes were well executed but if you ignore that you're left with some very mediocore Mexican telenovela-type drama...which is not everyone's cup of tea. Plus a lot of scenes there were looked like it was rushed, not even explained or elaborated further or weren't satisfyingly explained (Sorry for the rant.)

[@Bolbi145]

@@TheLonelyLurker1995 Agree to disagree, Invincible is fantastic in my opinion. I got plenty of more examples, like Hellboy is super easy to get into and that sells less than 30k per issue

[@vicenterivera2136]

If we have lucky, in 2025,more or less, the progresism will become unpopular, but the damage, and the continuity with much number ones,ignoring runs and resets. It better dc and marvel(unless only earth 0 and 616 ) reset from 0 absolute with element from other stories and runs cannon and non-cannon and new ones

[@francistein8409]

what DC and Marvel needs to do: 1. Get rid of woke culture 2. Stop recycling

[@Anonymous-x1x]

Elden Ring the game by FromSoft takes influences from the manga Berserk. Elden Ring getting mainstream attention is causing the Berserk manga to explode in sales.

[@analogcomics]

Thanks for the video! As a European(from Finland) I have had hard time understanding the US comics market. From here it looks like a heavily guarded fortress of superheroes. European comics - despite the vast selection - seems to be very small with just as few best known names present(Tintin, Asterix and Lucky Luke). Superheroes are not my cup of vodka, but in Europe stores are offering both Marvel/DC manga alongside the local comics. I feel this competition keeps the quality up and only the best survive. As it is the fans that in the end decide where the money goes I see this competition from manga only as a good thing for american reader(in the long run). I´m not an american reader so I might be saying silly things here. However if manga breaks that superhero fortress and collects the money, DC/Marvel have to adapt or... Just found your channel and it seems you offer deeper commentary on US comics scene. I´m still not very interested of superheroes but I do like to learn about them as it is still a very big deal within comics. It´d be great to see your take on why european comics are not happening in US.

[@InfamyOrDeath-__-]

And the thing about manga is that even though it’s so easily available to read digitally it doesn’t hurt the sales of the books.

[@turtleanton6539]

It helps. And the animes to

[@dominicansoulsbourne5456]

We’ll, now we know why some comic book stores are still surviving.

[@Rock-xn3sp]

You know what's really sad? Western comics *could* have been as popular as manga is right now, if they never went woke, continued to support the customer, and ride the massive tidal wave of momentum that comic book adaptations like the MCU had brought them. It has got to be the most wasted opportunity ever, right up there with Disney's thorough destruction of Star Wars.

[@Bolbi145]

You can thank Frederic Wertham for that

[@mitch4904]

@@Bolbi145 what does he have to do with inserting homosexual coercion and propaganda against heterosexual Caucasian Males?

[@Bolbi145]

@@mindandbody7971 The 90’s crash was caused mainly by over saturation of comic books, along with going all in on the direct market

[@Bolbi145]

@@mitch4904 He started the domino effect, if he kept his mouth shut the industry would be very different

[@Bolbi145]

@@mindandbody7971 well gee whiz, I guess two thirds of comic stores closing along with limited distribution decreases sales numbers

[@gqd1975]

I have purchased just about everything in that top ten manga list. Loved all of it. And all of it is black and white. Love the format. Love the art. Love the stories.

[@j2174]

If I were Discovery, I would be making major sweeping changes to DC Comics, in every single way.

[@Ultra_Light_Beam]

I think they’ll get there. But they’re going to focus on CNN first.

[@j2174]

@@Ultra_Light_Beam Yeah, CNN has even more pressing issues. Not to mention helping to fuel societal division.

[@abps9947]

Actually if they don't get money Also zazlav hates wokeism So definitely a change will happen

[@j2174]

@@abps9947 "AB PS Actually if they don't get money Also zazlav hates wokeism So definitely a change will happen" - Eh?

[@frankie418]

Most manga series have the start - the middle - the end already planned, it's not like super hero comics that run the same characters for over 50 years. It's not a fair comparsion.

[@Reanimator999]

That's the problem. Old superhero characters cannot end gracefully. Also Marvel/DC relying on decades-old existing characters, but never bring in fresh blood for new concepts. In terms of business, comic book publishing is too specific and inflexible. In Japan, "manga" publisher also publish dictionaries and non-fictions along with their manga line.

[@varenoftatooine2393]

@@Reanimator999 they're also terrible at creating new characters.

[@jjsamuelgunn1136]

@@varenoftatooine2393 It's not even new. It's just another same old same old superhero.

[@varenoftatooine2393]

@@jjsamuelgunn1136 they've made new characters, they just suck

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes

[@InfamyOrDeath-__-]

It’s amazing how Berserk sells so well because that’s an adult only book, it’s not going to have lots of kids buying it like My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer.

[@InfamyOrDeath-__-]

@warwik Xio Its just a breathtaking series, nothing compares with it for me.

[@meurer13daniel]

@@InfamyOrDeath-__- the manga had a massive popularity jump after Miura death. Also, the Deluxe Edition from Dark Horse was a complete succes, it's selling like damn water.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes indeed😊

[@turtleanton6539]

​@InfamyOrDesame !ath-__-

[@turtleanton6539]

​@@meurer13daniel4 sure😊

[@bobbygould1960]

Manga Rules Ultimately. I wish DC & Marvel will one day be saved by people who truly care about their customers and characters.

[@docblade3270]

Mangá is not "winning", in Brasil we are used to Mangá AND comics side by side since the 90's, the point is that USA comics are on a suicide pact and mangá decided keep living!

[@snakedogg402]

I love that manga has had a popularity increase in the US. I remember on the late 90s when I wasn’t into a lot of US comics and I was introduced to one piece and berserk I was hooked!! But I was in such a small group of people. Always outcast at school for being the weirdo with “those backwards books”. So much variety too. Keep pressing on Japan!

[@davidcatlett4052]

Jujutsu Kaisen also has an anime movie coming out this month or next. The Demon Slayer movie took the number one spot at theaters last year as well.

[@rodneysandersii6997]

Man of culture I see you are

[@abps9947]

Yes I'm seeing jujitsu kaisen season 1

[@davidcatlett4052]

@@rodneysandersii6997 Oh, I thought that phrase was only used for fans of, shall we say, elements of entertainment that are of an adult persuasion.

[@rodneysandersii6997]

@@davidcatlett4052 you phrase it in such an elegant manner.

[@davidcatlett4052]

@@rodneysandersii6997 Precisely. 😁 I'm actually new to this anime. I've only heard of it because I love movies and keep up with what's coming to theaters and, to a small degree, streaming. Based on your post, I didn't know if Jujutsu Kaisen had connections to material that, shall we say, is best known for its reliance on tentacles. Probably not since it's coming to theaters nationwide. I've gotta read up on it. Although, I forgot for a moment, the Demon Slayer movie was rated R, but I thought it was pretty tame compared to other anime.

[@KardboardKenny]

this has aged like fine wine.

[@Arassar]

Whenever anyone from Marvel or DC talks about how well graphic novels are doing, I would like to ask them: if you were working for Ford, should you be glad if Toyota sold ten times as many cars as you?

[@binchilling5768]

One Punch man is what Superheroes comics should be written

[@linusgustafsson2629]

Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen seem incredibly popular among women. Not sure what super hero comics are popular with them at all.

[@yeuuuiuup7714]

Young women love teen boy targeted battle manga nowadays. Shouen has great female characters

[@zurielsss]

I think it just had a good story and attracted more readers, there is no agenda to add female characters to attract readership. It’s just a good product

[@GartheKnightReturns]

As a long time comics reader of DC & Marvel I have no sympathy for them. Their poor stewardship of these once evergreen IPs are to blame for where they’re at in the scheme of things. But, manga is a slightly different animal with numerous different characters and concepts that are just worth the investment. Also, if you get the anime it is a one to one adaptation. It’s the books brought to two dimensional life. None of the ego and message pushing of their American counterparts. You liked Batman Hush the graphic novel? Guess what, you get a bastardized version with the cartoon. They can’t help themselves so why should we help them?

[@RollingDodge]

Batman Hush adaptation whole movie was ruined. Why did they killed off Thomas Elliot and make it the Riddler, was so dumb and beyond me. It made no sense at all.

[@GartheKnightReturns]

@@RollingDodge They wanted to subvert your expectations most likely.

[@davidschmelling1494]

Like I mentioned on the Discord, U.S. writers fail to understand how to write normal people, which makes manga stories relatable. And the companies (DC and Marvel) fail to understand the business on top of that. This is why it came to all this. They need to completely change their approach and the staff to even vaguely compete with any of the manga titles. Who would have thought that insulting customers, changing the writing of beloved characters, hiring writers that don't know how people function (and tropes generally), combined with a company failing to structure the business accordingly to customer demands, would lose a large amount of customers to a competition offering a vast amount of fun and entertainment as well as all the other aspects that they lack?🤔

[@MRSCT78]

Manga has bigger demographic across different age groups compare to American comics. Hardly know any younger generation has interest on DC/Marvel stuff. We should admit American comics is for older folks.

[@InfamyOrDeath-__-]

If you want a great American style superhero comic then go read My Hero Academia, it’s really good. I only buy a few Dynamite comics now, only reading Manga & there’s just so much brilliant books.

[@KnightWolfVT]

I remember when I first got the shonen jump app and I saw new series on it that I found interesting and started to read them . Eventually some of the series were dropped because they weren't popular I was surprised that marvel and DC never did the same if they want to do experimental stories why not make them digital and see if there's interest if not you drop it and move on.

[@meurer13daniel]

Jump + is a huge sucess in Japan. Spy x Family is a huge sucess, one of the best selling manga in the country, and it was never printed in periodic magazines

[@Justice4All1983]

I read tons of manga on the Shonen Jump app and I can't believe the enormous value you get for $1.99/month!

[@sometimesfriendly9839]

The popularity of Manga sales to the west may be its downfall. The same people who are drawing variant covers of Wonder Woman with a beer belly and mom jeans will start looking at Manga as their next target of Outrage.

[@Wes_From_TC]

I don't see Japanese pro's or publishers caring about fake outrage.

[@sometimesfriendly9839]

@@Wes_From_TC I see the US distributors as the weak link but maybe Barnes & Noble and Books A Million make so much money from Manga even they will resist the Twitter horde.

[@Reanimator999]

@@sometimesfriendly9839 Bookstores are too busy to look at Twitter.

[@Reanimator999]

I just went to Kinokuniya bookstore in San Francisco and their English language magna shelves are half-empty due to shortage. On weekends, the store is jam packed with people buying several copies of manga. Sometimes it feels like I have to fight against a fellow customer for a copy of certain manga title because the bookstore could not keep up with restock. LOL

[@MasticinaAkicta]

It was/is so obvious. So why didn't the bosses pick that up and adjust course. Even if that takes a year or two. Even if yes many comics are quite long ready before being published. ... Why? Why didn't they listen, why couldn't they accept that changing tides.

[@Slitheringpeanut]

Because American Comics were never competing. Manga has ALWAYS outsold comics by a factor of 10, because women collect it AND it sells worldwide, unlike American comics which barely breaks out of the Americas and teen boys.

[@ianavegnon856]

Just bought myself my first 2 manga books and I love it. Going to complete the One punch man and Jujutsu Kaisen run.

[@travismoore7938]

My Books A Million store has something like 20 or more sections for Manga and only one small section for DC TPB and half a section for Marvel TPB. The store doesn't sell comic books. You can tell that the book store doesn't really want to sell traditional comic books.

[@zjhome1257]

Manga is eating DC and Marvel lunch. Better stories and art. Manga respect it's fans and aren't writing stories for Twitter likes. I haven't bought a comic in 11 years when I used save a perctange of money for it.

[@cipriandinca1768]

I personally read the manga I like on a pirate site because I'm very curious and those sites publish the chapters (and spoilers) faster but I always buy the printed manga when is available.

[@Drake8195]

Funny enough, I started reading Manga when I was 12. That lead me to reading American comics (Geoff Johns Green Lantern) and now at 26 I’m back to only reading Manga!

[@zenvariety9383]

It’s stuff like this is why indies on Indiegogo and Kickstarter need to get their products into stores.

[@danieltinnirello2013]

Manga publishers are doing what DC and Marvel is not. Manga beats American comic books in every way possible. Both DC and Marvel have abandoned their core readers when they started publishing low quality stories. The writing is on the wall for both DC and Marvel. Their days are numbered.

[@brandonperlow9091]

Maybe the "Big 2" peaked, and now they are corporate owned, they really cant deliver the market. As far as IP is concerned , these characters have had a long lifespan, but their real popularity is recent, and only in alternate forms. The mass market doesnt care about monthy comics nor likely will. The younger audiences prefer scholastic style books, and eventually age up to Manga(or expanded that market depending on age). Is it possible that we are just in the decline phase of the big 2? In 10 years its possible that many of the Marvel and DC titles could be licensed and very unrecognizable from what we know.

[@Ante-Anima]

There is also THE question no manga reader has to ask : where do I start ?

[@stephanobarbosa5805]

American comics are committing suicide. This is the truth. Local publishing houses declined.

[@oldjoe2776]

The generally poor content of U.S. comics aside, I wonder how much of the shift to manga has to do with the overall glut of superheroes we've been seeing over the past decade. With Disney's purchase of Marvel Comics, we've been bombarded with movies and TV shows and all the merchandizing and advertising that goes with it. DC's attempt to keep up with Marvel's cinematic and television success only adds to the constant push of superhero product placement on even the most innocuous of items. You can't walk ten feet in a Wal-Mart without seeing Iron Man or some other Marvel superhero staring out from the front of some totally unrelated product. About a year or so ago I saw a Gillette (I think) shaving kit with the Avengers plastered all over the package. None of the items inside the package had the heroes on them, just the packaging. On top of the disastrous storytelling and woke politics pushed on us by the "Big Two", are people simply getting sick of seeing the Avengers and Justice League everywhere they look? Do they just want something fresh, original, and different?

[@jessen600]

Can confirm. Prior to 2014 I used to buy $120 of Marvel comics a month. Now I can't even remember the last time I bought a Marvel comic. I pretty much stopped around 2016. I think I been buying around 5 mangas a month lately.

[@LantanaLiz]

AmazonAU's been consistently shipping me my regular manga volume buys 3+ months late (one of them is currently 6 months late), as well as any other Japanese book I order. This has been happening for the last two years. I've had no such problems getting the odd comic release.

[@zakonogaming7439]

as a manga reader i tried getting into comics but where the hell do i start and its so expensive. I wanted to start spider mans original story and someone linked me a $90 Omnibus. How is the average teen gonna afford this

[@picknsave1110]

They know what manga is doing, marvel and DC simply refuse to do it properly. Having Damian read manga and occasionally keeping the girls attractive isn't enough.

[@janjoubert3225]

I have read several slice of life manga, even some I am far from the target demographic of. It's as you say, a manga survives off of merit. I almost exclusively buy digital because of ease of access and its cheaper than physical. My preferred store also usually has specials where you pay as much for a volume as you do for a floppy. I hope we see the sales numbers for deadpool samurai, it is published by viz and if it outsells the American equivalent it will be hilarious.

[@Reanimator999]

I saw stacks of Deadpool Samurai at kinokuniya SF bookstore other day and i think they're doing ok with sales. I'll come back next weekend to see if those stacks are sold out.

[@shimmyzviti8510]

95% of current Marvel and DC books are really bad, theres no question it effects sales. But i think alot of the manga readers are younger readers that know no matter what story they will decide to pickup they will get a begining, middle and end and it makes them go the manga route. With marvel and DC there's alot of history to each character and so many books and runs that if you are not a seasoned reader you might look at it as a convoluted mess. You wouldn't know where to start and and you never really get an ending since there's always the next story, the younger generation don't like that, they want a definite ending. And they really don't want to do research on what stories to read because then it becomes a chore first and a fun read second. With manga everything is numbered and in order and really easy to follow

[@sssspider]

Personally, I’m doubtful that younger readers (specifically in America) necessarily care about a story having a beginning, middle, and end, given that they were literally raised on episodic TV shows that aren’t really designed to “end” in the first place. As an adult, I definitely prefer stories that build up towards an ending, but I think kids are happy to just have a good time without ever seeing the ending of a story at all. More generally speaking, manga - especially Shonen manga, which is what most younger readers will be into - also isn’t a medium known for its concise, well-plotted stories. Having read a good amount of manga, I can say a LOT of it suffers from an extremely weak and meandering middle, where it can feel like nothing of importance is happening for a dozen volumes.

[@jjsamuelgunn1136]

Exactly. Based on your rationale, the younger the generation the less likely they will be motivated to pick up a Marvel or DC superhero comic, because they have even more history to dig up before they get what, where, how is going on. If you started getting into comics in the 1980s, you might need to go through 20 or maybe 30 years of a handful of comics. By the 2020s, you might have to go through more than half a century of a shitload of titles, spinoffs, reboots, crossovers, main events etc

[@QWERTY-gp8fd]

@@jjsamuelgunn1136 not just that. manga is cheaper and lack woke

[@anonnymous7009]

Here is why. High school boys. There is no other media actively pandering to them. The comic and games market have gone woke beyond recognition. If you want a hero's journey (which young teenage boys want) with cute female love interests (which young teenage boys like), you go manga/anime. There is literally nothing else for that demographic.

[@kingsleyokike97]

I think that as well

[@briguy_81]

I just rediscovered Anime after a 20 year hiatus. My favorite anime have been based on manga so I bought a couple volumes. It was like a lightning bolt! Manga is more naturalistic than American comics. Manga is successful doing what DC and Marvel have been failing to do, delivering diverse product to a diverse audience. I’m excited about comics again. Sadly, it’s not from America.

[@paultith3758]

Bro yo videos are always great u never disappoint 🔥🔥🔥

[@Wes_From_TC]

Thanks 👊

[@AL-ws5yi]

I’ve been reading Fairy Tale 100 years, Kona Suba, and Spy x Family. Previously I’ve read DragonBall and DragonBallZ, Inyuasha, and lots more in college. I was still reading Spiderman till OMD. That’s the pretty much the last time I’ve read anything from Marvel. I’m still reading manga.

[@AL-ws5yi]

@@mcbri7608 My daughter is reading it so I snatch the book from her. I like it.

[@choostopher5018]

I couldn't imagine people even bothering to read modern day DC & Di$ney Marvel even if it was free, printed and posted out to them with a voucher for Uber eats.

[@InfamyOrDeath-__-]

Wes I have no idea how you’re not reading some manga, just read Berserk, it’s an astounding story, best thing I’ve ever read. One of the most visually stunning & complex stories ever.

[@jds3k_616]

Berserk rules

[@Damackism]

In the early 2000,s( 2005 -2009) manga and anime dvds sells dropped so bad. That retail chains and comic stores reduced their inventory. Companies blamed piracy. It was just videogames blew up and anime while growing in popularity was still very niche here in America. Then things started to pick up around 2011 -2013. Hit anime shows started coming out back to back. Kill La Kill , Attack on Titan,ect blew up. Anime conventions starting popping up and becoming more popular. Kids and young adults were able to watch these shows via Toonami and streaming sites. Anime streaming sites like Crunchyroll and even illegal sites have made a lot of anime that would not see released or licensed to sale here to be seen. Which increased the number of people wanting to read the manga of these shows. After awhile Funimation and even a movie studio like Universal Pictures started funding and licensing anime to be dubbed and released in the U.S. Anime blu ray retails sales are meh. Because they are pricey. Even though you get half or the whole season on blu ray. Back in the late 90,s and early 2000,s you paid 19.99 to 29.99 and only got 2 to 4 episodes on VHS and DVD. Anime sales are solid on the secondary market though. Manga retail sales are crazy good. Even though manga has plenty of online sites where you can read them for free.

[@Sayajin3321]

Write good concrete stories and adapt them directly in some capacity and advertise them. That's what manga does.

[@Rock-xn3sp]

That's what common sense would dictate, of which they have none. But who ever would expect communists to know how to earn money in a business?

[@Slampty]

But manga stories are better than anything Marvel and DC which they have just been recycling stories and characters for 60+ years. Manga you get original stories with an definite end.

[@stephanobarbosa5805]

Because manga is more innovative. US comics committed suicide.

[@positiveproductions6699]

A point I would like to bring up is I feel like when a character is killed off in manga it actually means something and they character will not come back nowadays in comics in the American comics you can kill a character off and after a certain number of issues it'll be back no problem it's not like in the '80s or '90s when the characters stayed dead and that's severely lessons the impact of the story

[@LowellLucasJr.]

Manga IS Winning! They have been for years and while it saddens me that creators behind Powergirl/ Punisher lash out without understanding the medium. Me, I love both comics and manga. It's all about the art and story. America tends to be woke with a few exceptions like Red Sonja/ Vampirella and manga just does its own thing!

[@gesooi3334]

Remember when half of Best Buy's floor was cds and dvds? Replace "best buy" with "LCS" and "cds and dvds" with "marvel and dc"

[@chinyereugwu9431]

Manga has been killing Comics for over 20 years now dude. It's not dramatic. it's not news, it's just the norm and has been for decades. Just like Anime has been kicking cartoon arse for decades. It's nothing to do with Marvel or DC it's just trends and taste.

[@TravisX-wx9lf]

Manga/anime wasn’t that popular back in the 90s and 2000s of course we all knew dragon ball, Pokémon and naruto but most people thought it was a cartoon u see on Cartoon Network not all of people was fuckin with anime back in the day but like early 2010s is wen anime/manga started to get more popular that wen people started fuckin with manga/anime and in 2018 that wen they rose in popularity while cartoons/comics were going to the shitter and it literally is because they don’t put out they type of quality people want to see compare to manga

[@TravisX-wx9lf]

Think about it what was a good cartoon that came out in post 2018 besides invincible, Arcadia, and maybe hit-monkey or a good comic book post 2018

[@garycannon4644]

I believe I speak for everyone when i say...HOLY SHIT!!!!

[@Infinite_Guide04]

It’s sad cause where I’m from in london. Comic shops are closing down.

[@Wes_From_TC]

That sucks.

[@derekgreen7319]

I'm glad there are people out here speaking the truth. Maybe marvel and DC will eventually get there act together. Probably not. It's sad because there are so many great old runs and stories out there that people will never get to see because they've turned everyone off to it.

[@adamdenardis5438]

I love that Fist of The North Star is getting a reprint. If you want to see the original anime series, it's on Crunchyroll and also in a blu ray set.

[@StillOnly25c]

What about European Comics sales in the Us

[@commentarytalk1446]

I knew Manga was superior when I first read G.T.O some years ago. Today I picked up digital Spy x Family and it's absolutely brilliant quality entertainment in any medium: Film, Video-Game, Comic, Book etc, it's excellent quality and value for money and compliments the other types of medium of entertainment very well. The fundamental problem with US comics: Spiderman was already some decade or so old by the late 80s! "In Spider-Man's first story, in Marvel Comics' Amazing Fantasy, no. 15 (1962), American teenager Peter Parker,......." Fast-forward to 2022: Woke Politics uses DC/Marvel as a VEHICLE for PROPAGANDA that kills any remaining "vitality" in the stories... which aligns with the rest of Western Culture in thrall to a massive political operation in Films, Comics etc to promote woke politics and force it Top-Down onto people to try to change their value systems. Goodbye art, hello cheap and insulting propaganda that attempts to contort peoples' brains by the powers that be in the West. It's mind-blowing how manipulative it is: Star Wars, Lord of The Rings, Superman... they target all the big IPs... in their weak attempts to brainwash and change society... all from the United Nations' play-book too.

[@AL-ws5yi]

Spy x Family is my new obsession. Did you see that the anime is coming out in April? I can’t wait!

[@nevaladder]

I personally don't like how the term 'woke' is tossed around to the point where it's lost all meaning, but I don't disagree w/ you. You can be inclusive without resorting to pandering. The culture is moving in the right direction of acceptance, but you don't try to keep up by retconning old stories and characters to be gay now. That's just disrespectful, both to the fans and the LGBT. AOT has some pretty right-leaning views, but the story is so spectacular and front-and-center that people understand it's just one way to look at the world. And the very same AOT has a gay character, but again, is so integral to the story that nobody bats an eye. The stunts that Marvel and DC get to nowadays just to stay relevant are just comic equivalents of that cringey Pepsi commercial. Nobody wants to claim that.

[@agentorange7602]

Based on the sample, 6.45% is the best case for industry mal-practice on part of North American superhero comics.

[@kenkenshiro6779]

What do you think of dark horses manga?

[@nobodyknowsforsure]

I have binged manga books and I am yet to run out. It just....keeps....going. As a result I don't need to worry about comics for entertainment. If they insist on butchering characters I love, I have no reason to care.

[@ivanmalau4945]

amazing content!

[@OtakuLad999]

This is why the modern comic book spec channels absolutely kill me... Kids aren't reading DC and Marvel these days. In five, ten, fifteen years, they won't even want physical comics. And if they do, it will likely be the Tankobons they read when they were younger. Those are my thoughts.

[@Amelia_PC]

About the comics price. While Manga is black&white and nobody sees any problem with it, it's hard to sell a B&W comic book. The cost is cut in half. It's not just the comics' fault, but the audience doesn't help in many factors as well. There are a ton of smaller publishers releasing good stuff but people just stuck with the Big Two. And Japan is not the only country creating comics (manga, same different stuff). European comics have a huge variety too. Good old titles from Argentina, etc. (the comic book price doesn't reflect the writer and artist's life quality, this I can guarantee. +12-hour work shift, no holidays, no retirement, no health care plan. It's a miserable life for most of us. Please, if you want to be an artist and are reading this, think twice). HOWEVER... The major problem is the Big Two don't hire different artists and writers, they create a huge barrier to hiring. Even very good and creative artists have no chance because "they're not what they're looking for". They put everyone in a box and those who don't fit in are not allowed to enter. (My perspective from inside). Plus, they don't create new IPs, new stories, or new characters. They just want to cash cow what they have because it's easier to push to their audiences (And the audience doesn't look for anything, it has to drop in their laps).

[@Slampty]

Comics now a days are content farms for films and merchandise. I don't think the main focus re sales of the comic's by itself.

[@AlexBrown230]

Manga has continuity events etc matter and aren't handwaved. Characters in Manga grow and change with time, western comics characters don't etc. Comics did this to themselves

[@Ultimate_Hater75]

As Palpatine would have it: gooood. I remember when Manga and Anime haters all bash but now, it's payback time.

[@CynthiaJFinnegan]

Manga follows some of the same formula that Golden and Silver Age comics did. They have diverse genres, such as sports, romance, science-fiction, fantasy, LGBT+, spies, as well as superheroes (yes, magic girls are superheroes), whereas current American comics focus only on superheroes.

[@josephsclafani2386]

honestly they not wrong im trying to recollect manga I had watched as anime from high school years ago so yea its definitely been manga for sure. Half the list of manga on the list are series im buying now and gotten back in to collecting again even Deadpool has a manga.

[@sssspider]

The ONLY reason manga is as popular as it is is because of anime. It's certainly not a coincidence that literally ALL of the best-selling titles happen to have ongoing anime adaptations. And just like, generally speaking - try to think of a popular manga series that didn't get big in the West because of the anime. Anime is an excellent gateway drug not just to manga, but to the entire medium of sequential art as a whole. Many, if not most, manga readers started off with zero interest in the medium, and only started reading manga because they wanted to find out what happens next in the anime. But once you read ONE manga, you've sorta broken the ice so to speak, and become open to reading more. Ironically, despite the popularity and ubiquity of American comic book heroes, this is something that CANNOT be replicated by Marvel and DC, because what draws people to manga isn't the popularity of the characters, or even the quality of the story necessarily - there are a lot of manga with amazing stories that go completely under the radar because they never got a popular anime adaptation. The truth is, what draws people to manga is the desire to *find out what happens next*. The MCU is simply too standalone and too far removed from the source material (for good reason, comics continuity is a unmitigated garbagefire) for it to entice anyone into reading the original comics the movies are nominally "based on".

[@jeremyj5498]

An additional bonus manga to anime has is that the anime has a similar art style to the source material, making the transition easier for new readers.

[@sn5301679]

Current Marvel DC is like tumblr fanfict (doujin) Its rarely beat or at level with the original story. Are western lack of good writer and author? NO! There plenty of webtoons and webnovel by western author in the top chart. Its just Marvel and DC hire the wrong people.

[@tobluetoblack]

Admit it? We've known this for years. It's just everyone else who is failing to realize it

[@superman01950]

ComicHub was developed here in New Zealand. You should interview Stu Coulson

[@jordynfranciscojaramilloju2969]

Now that Marvel and DC Comics have lost the Comics Market in the USA, they are looking at Asia and Europe, but it is the Japonese impire, they will not show mercy, they rule there.

[@zurielsss]

Ironic since many legendary mangakas said they are inspired by Disney animation to start with.

[@cheehouchong1026]

Comics are just always focus on batman, spiderman, superman. The numbers of remake and rewrite are laughably too many

[@jjsamuelgunn1136]

That's what passes for creativity and variety in American comic books. Keep the same character, just tweak the origin or give him power upgrade or a new costume and voila. It's like churning out the same product they have been doing for more than half a century but just change the box and packaging.

[@IronDruids]

I think viz just came out with Viz Manga. It was $2 a month for full access to 10,000 different manga or possibly 10,000 chapters? Something like that anyway. 10,000 something lol. I'm not talking about shonen jump btw. This is a new different thing.

[@tonyfrickey9062]

Manga creators come up with a guy with a chainsaw for a head or a gun for a head, while America creators are heres another black gay character who's a badass....