On AlterNet, an article on shoujo manga from the marketing point of view. Not much new here, but it’s a good introduction to the market, using the launch of Shojo Beat to discuss the success of shoujo titles in the US. Key quote:
U.S. comic books are owned by corporations and their major franchises, with characters like Spider-Man and Superman treated more like trademarks than fictional characters. Their appearances, personalities and storylines are carefully monitored by the publisher and their titles are expected to maintain their status quo indefinitely: no deaths for major characters; no retirement; no reevaluation of priorities.
“Japanese comics are creator-owned and the creator makes sure that their characters evolve and change over time,” Sebastian says. “With manga there’s a beginning, there’s a middle and there’s always an end. It’s story oriented rather than franchise oriented.”
This reminds me of an anecdote I read on the blogaround (sorry, I can’t remember where and now I can’t find it) Peter David’s site about a kid who was a huge Spiderman fan—he had the game, the video, the action figure—but had never read the comic. On the other hand, my 12-year-old is angling for extra chores right now (a first!) so she can buy volume 11 of Kare Kano. But she has no interest in getting a Kare Kano lunchbox.
Shojo Beat reminds me a lot of the British girls’ comics I read as a kid. Like Shojo Beat’s stories, they were printed in black and white on cheap paper, and the plots were similar, tales of plucky orphans, misunderstood schoolgirls, mysteries, space aliens, etc. We lived in the U.S., but my aunt in Ireland used to send me Bunty, Judy, Diana, and Jackie, in big rolls wrapped with brown paper. I still remember how excited I was when they arrived and I could settle down for a few hours with “Pip at Pony School” and “The Four Marys.” Now my kids are the same way when Shojo Beat hits the newsstand or the next episode of DN Angel comes out.
(I note with despair that Inu Yasha is up to volume 41 in Japan. If the series my girls read go on for that long, I’ll have to figure out a way to make this manga gig pay.)
Those who have been complaining lately about the way the mainstream press writes about comics will be pleased to know that the author manages to avoid mentioning “big eyes” and never once pontificates that “comics aren’t just for kids any more.” The only whisper of a cliche is the word “Gadzooks!” in the second graf.
UPDATE: Thanks to Alex Scott for steering me to the right site for the Spiderman example.
That blog entry was on Peter David’s website.