ANTARA News brings tidings of British kids reading these strange comics called “manga.” How quaint. Oh, wait a minute:
Data provided by Nielsen BookScan shows sales of graphic novels and manga have shot up from just over 100,000 units ($2.8 million) in 2001 to nearly 600,000 units ($10.3 million) in 2005.
There’s not a lot new here, but I’m going to take issue with this:
By publishing “Buddha,” Harper Collins is hoping to give manga more literary acclaim and change the misconception that manga is only for children. At the moment, the vast majority of readers in Britain are children and teenagers. It is hoped though that in the future these young readers will continue their habit and look for more complex stories.
I would submit that Buddha is exactly the wrong book to carry that message. It will establish that manga is not for children, true. But I’m not sure how adults in a brand-new market will react to its peculiar combination of Astro Boy-like figures with graphic violence and nudity. It’s a classic, but it’s also dated and not particularly representative of modern manga. I would rather see them bring over a modern adult comic like Death Note, Nana, or Monster. I also think that josei manga might appeal to the women who grew up reading Bunty and Diana and Jackie, which were comics for girls and teens that had stories similar to those in manga. But Buddha? No. Save that for the advanced class.
I agree about the problems with Tezuka, but his stories also feel literary (once you get past the art and humor) in ways I’ve yet to find in manga (perhaps that’s because Phoenix has sold poorly, leaving publishers to avoid other manga stories that focus on the human condition?) that feel important the way Tezuka’s work does.
I love Nana and Death Note (my copies of Monster has been waiting to be read for a while now) but they don’t feel as significant as Tezuka’s work… to be honest, I’m not sure what I’d suggest.
I like Tezuka, but then I like spinach, too. They’ve got that Eisner-edifying virtuousness which can put folks off their feed.
I’d definitely agree about Monster, though I don’t know if it has the same sort of literary-style prestige as Tezuka’s work. Death Note, while still having a good deal of sophistication, is still quite a Shonen Jump book I’d say. Definitely for older teens, though I don’t know if I lend it to my cool uncle or aunty.
I haven’t read enough of Tezuka’s to form an solid opinion, but your point about his artwork was certainly true for me. His playful style made it difficult to detach from the visuals and accept the literary-lauding of the story. Maybe if I read more it would come together better, but I don’t think comics can be so far removed from their interiors. Seems too fundamental to the whole product to judge independently.
As far as the British market is concerned, I’d say we have a snooty inclination to automatically respect ‘the classics’. This would be inline with the publishers intentions with Tezuka, I guess.
Mitch H. Says:
>>I like Tezuka, but then I like spinach, too. They’ve got that Eisner-edifying virtuousness which can put folks off their feed.
[Rest of comment – got cut off by the HTML markers!}
*Some* of Tezuka has, yes. So far, though, it’s mostly his weightier work which has been translated into English – it’s as if publishers want to prove he deserved the title of God of Manga. Many more of the stories he wrote purely for entertainment (e.g. RIBON NO KISHI/KNIGHT IN RIBBONS/PRINCESS SAPHIR, UNICO) are available in French. So are several titles which might provide lighter reading for late teens/adults: BLACK JACK, or the stories collected in NANAIRO INKO/THE SEVEN-COLOURED MACAW/L’ARA DES SEPT COULEURS) – the latter is a sort-of detective story played out through theatre performances, and draws on Tezuka’s love of stage and film. As well, there’s a 4-volume manga biography of Tezuka himself, put out by Tezuka Productions: the beginning drags a little but once Tezuka’s career gets underway in immediately post-WWII Japan, it’s fascinating.