We have an abundance of graphic novels (GN); both in manga and western format.
MANGA: The simplified definition of manga is "Japanese comics", written by creators called "manga-ka".
It is read in right to left format in it's original state, though some companies have switched them around. An example of popular manga is "Fruits Basket".
These are often confused with Original English Language (OEL) GN's which are written left to right by western creators.
Other GN's that do get confused for Manga are Manwha, Korean comics.
I could go into a whole speech about Manga, the categories and sub-categories, but you can look that up on wikipedia
at your convenience. (^-^)
I do have to mention, sadly, that one of the major American distributors of manga, Tokyopop, is shutting down. What this means to the manga market in the US has yet to be known, but the economy has resulted in many losses of licenses for both manga and anime from many distributors. Let's hope that this trend reverses itself. There already appears to be some upswing; the Sailor Moon franchise, which has been unlicensed for many years in the US, has again been picked up by distributor Kodansha USA. Viz Media, and Del Rey Manga (Random House's Manga branch) seem to still be doing well.
I will briefly talk about anime. Anime are the Japanese cartoons that can be based on Manga, can spin off into Manga, or be completely standalone. Two of the most popular anime in the US right now are Pokemon, and Dragon Ball Z.. These are often morning cartoons that when watched by kids that don't know it is anime. Naruto, Death Note, Bleach, and InuYasha are also examples of anime that has crossed into American television programming; most often on Cartoon Network's late night block of Adult Swim.
Western Comics: The most familiar of these are the "Big Two": Marvel and DC. These are the superhero comics that make up the most well-known GNs. For example: DC has Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman as their flagship heroes; Marvel has Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, etc.
There is so much more out there than the "Big Two", however. There are many Indie comics that deserve just as much recognition as their more popular counterparts. Dark Horse and First Second are examples of two "Indie" publishers; and Capstone is noted for it's educational GN's.
Check out what we have at our Graphic Novels page!
MANGA: The simplified definition of manga is "Japanese comics", written by creators called "manga-ka".
It is read in right to left format in it's original state, though some companies have switched them around. An example of popular manga is "Fruits Basket".
These are often confused with Original English Language (OEL) GN's which are written left to right by western creators.
Other GN's that do get confused for Manga are Manwha, Korean comics.
I could go into a whole speech about Manga, the categories and sub-categories, but you can look that up on wikipedia
at your convenience. (^-^)
I do have to mention, sadly, that one of the major American distributors of manga, Tokyopop, is shutting down. What this means to the manga market in the US has yet to be known, but the economy has resulted in many losses of licenses for both manga and anime from many distributors. Let's hope that this trend reverses itself. There already appears to be some upswing; the Sailor Moon franchise, which has been unlicensed for many years in the US, has again been picked up by distributor Kodansha USA. Viz Media, and Del Rey Manga (Random House's Manga branch) seem to still be doing well.
I will briefly talk about anime. Anime are the Japanese cartoons that can be based on Manga, can spin off into Manga, or be completely standalone. Two of the most popular anime in the US right now are Pokemon, and Dragon Ball Z.. These are often morning cartoons that when watched by kids that don't know it is anime. Naruto, Death Note, Bleach, and InuYasha are also examples of anime that has crossed into American television programming; most often on Cartoon Network's late night block of Adult Swim.
Western Comics: The most familiar of these are the "Big Two": Marvel and DC. These are the superhero comics that make up the most well-known GNs. For example: DC has Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman as their flagship heroes; Marvel has Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, etc.
There is so much more out there than the "Big Two", however. There are many Indie comics that deserve just as much recognition as their more popular counterparts. Dark Horse and First Second are examples of two "Indie" publishers; and Capstone is noted for it's educational GN's.
Check out what we have at our Graphic Novels page!