The title is satire, but yes we do discuss a fresh take on this for 2024. Dont forget to check out our new channel! www.youtube.com/@BennyHasAProblem

I do think Manga generally has more conclusions to their stories and characters that age. Comics have an eternal second act with a sliding timeline.

This is coming from someone who's worked in book stores for years. Manga isn't killing comics. Comics are killing comics. From my experience, working in both Barnes and Noble and at Half Price Books, manga sells much more than both floppy's and trades. It isn't even close. At Half Price Books our floppy comics were $1 a book unless it was a special collectible. Our trades, even the hardcover, were usually either half the price of the book or sometimes even less. Manga was always half price. Never lower. When I tell you that our manga shelf would empty out over and over I mean it. We would fill it and in only a couple of weeks it would be emptied out. Meanwhile selling comics was rough. Even popular books. Walking Dead, Injustice, hell even Batman would sit on the shelf for months to even years before we either sell it or move it to clearance. There is no argument for comics selling better than manga. It's a losing battle. But the reason comics aren't selling isn't due to manga selling well. They have nothing to do with each other. The reason comics sell poorly is because they're marketed like crap, they're too expensive, and people don't know what to read. Manga is simple, if it says 1 on the cover you're good to go. Comics is very different. #1 may be the start but it also might be a spin off of a long running series, it could be a relaunch where there's still tons of history before that number 1. Comics is a much harder sell because they're steeped in continuity. Continuity is cool! I'm not against it, but it's the main cause for people abandoning comic books or being too disinterested in picking them up in the first place.

I love comics and manga but I haven’t read a full comic in maybe a decade. I think my issue is that with comics you got so many different stories and variations of the same character it starts to become a headache. I get the multiverse/elseworlds stuff but it gets frustrating. That’s where manga gets me because it’s one linear story that’s easier to digest in a lot of cases. Sorry for the little pamphlet lol.

I think the big issue is with the big two comic companies. Comics in generally can and probably are functioning just like manga. Follow one character and story. End the story. If the story is good then boom, tv series

I mean is this even a surprise? Lately comic book publishers like Marvel or DC have been screwing up HEAVILY with no pauses so yeah until someone ends up rehashing the ENTIRE DAMNED STRUCTURE OF WORK for these publishers considering their latest fuck-ups . . . So . . . Yep . . .

Manga is relatively cheaper and more entertaining for me to read then buying comic books. I also don't gotta worry about reading other comics to understand what's going on in the series of batman, flash, iron man, etc. It's just easier to digest (for me)

The problem with comics is that the stories never end. The only comics I read are short stories with a beginning and an end, they are usually Batman stories, the most recent Batman story I read was Arkham A Serious House and Dark Knights of Steel, it's a short story, but it has a beginning, middle and end. Comics need to be more linear, they need to have an end and be easier to follow. Dark Knights of Steel was meh, but at least it was a story I could follow, I just sat down one afternoon and read the comic. I'm not saying we should never have a Batman, Superman, Spider-Man comic again, but the stories need to end, the biggest example I can give is Nolan's trilogy, Nolan made his trilogy, beginning, middle and end, but after he left he left room for new directors to come and do their own Batman stories. Another example is the Arkham game series, beginning, middle and end, or at least it had an end, until DC tried to revive the story with Gotham Knights and finally Suicide Squad Kills the Justice League, what happened to the Arkham series is everything that is wrong with the comics, the story was over, but instead of leaving it dead, DC tried to continue and destroyed the universe. Hire a writer and let him tell his Batman story.

Anime style art people dont know how vague that is. Can range from Bleach to Jojo to Rankin Bass Rudolph and everything in between or more.

I still prefer manga why? at least they don't keep changing writer mid story which will cause confusion and some like to self insert themself in the story, if manga do it at least we all know that the mc is the self insert from the start and not magically appeared out of knowhere to marry the love interest😂

My big problem with Japanese manga has to be the overworking of the artists. Its genuinely brutal and has led to many artists getting ill or dying. That being said i do like how much easier it is to follow Japanese manga compared to the Big 2's superhero Comics since its not split upon like 500 books for character

One thing Manga will always have over Comics is that they don’t have to adhere to certain rules. Marvel and DC comics will have the same characters done by different people but the character will have the same backstory, friends, villains, etc. A Batman comic will have Batman stuff in it, even an elseworld story. Manga can have thousands of different concepts and stories without having to adhere to the same rules. It’s hard to explain, but I think Marvel and DC monopoly is a big issue

I just want to say that I seriously like these dives by Benny. I been following his other channel BennyHasAProblem, and listening to him speak now is just entertaining and thought provoking. I don't agree with everything he says, but he always comes at it in a fun and respectful way (he does poke fun sometimes). I won't watch it all the time, or the entire thing because I don't have tie, but I do really like it.

It's good to see Manhwa (Korea comics) getting more popular in recent years

The real problem with comics is that dc and marvel do everything to keep a monopoly of things and inage comics and other indie heavy hitters are okay with being second place. Thats first. The second and more poignant issue with comics nowadays is that most of the writers are genuinly shit at writing. They count on the art carrying the "wow" effect and they only write in superlatives ( the strongest, the smarts , the most this , the most that) and focus on events rather than stories. Essentially a literary version of empty calories. Lastly, dc and marvel cant let go. They forget that their poster heroes became world phenoms because they reflected the logos , pathos, and ethos of the time. Essentially the supermans and the spideys and the batmans are being rehashed over and over again, whereas there is potential for a whole new roasters of heroes, and to actually let the heroes die off or age ( and continue with one of stories about their glory days if they wanna keep publishing them) would actually make the legacies of their poster heroes much more potent. Instead of making johnathan kent the new superman, highlight his terran side and make him a whole different hero in the super family. Let spiderman actually age and let him have kids or mentor miles. Heck miles is old enough now to be his own stand alone spider based hero ( name him the fantastic tarantula for all i care but let him do his thing) etc etc.

I think you also missed a more fundamental issue: There's always another manga, anime, what-have-you protagonist or story to get behind. A new plot, a new perspective, a new message. Novelty. No matter how interesting or well written a new Batman or Spiderman is, it's still a character we already know doing things we can essentially predict from the outset. Without novelty, you can't win a new audience- you can only lose the one you have.

I think one of the issues I’ve seen, but rarely seen discussed, is a sort of cultural-exhaustion with characters who’ve been written and enjoyed for so many decades. There are literal lifetimes of work dedicated to some of these characters. New runs can’t really do anything with them that doesn’t run the risk of simply blurring into the general idea of the character instead of actually being a story that stands by itself, or risk being a drastic departure that the majority of fans will tend to reject bc it goes against the idea of the character (and often leads to future runs having to to do damage control or stories being canceled). Basically, there’s only so much Batman we can have, before any more Batman is just “oh, more Batman” or “that’s not Batman”

If anything the issue is about the price point per amount of comic sold. Japanese comics usually sell by the volume rather than a couple chapters at a time for relatively the same prices

I think you hit all of the major points. Manga has better marketing, better ease-of-access, better point of sale locations, better tie-in promotion with TV shows, better distribution, and better pricing than American comics; even comics that can have definitive endings. This does not mean one “outsells” the other in every category, or that one is better than another. It’s all just comics at the end of the day. But DC, Marvel, and all American comic book companies can and should seriously learn from manga’s success, and implement these sales related strategies to do better.

I think another issue with comics is the price and storage of floppies. Manga volumes and graphic novels you can just put on a bookshelf. But with floppies, you also have to buy sleeves, cardboard backing, and boxes if you intend to keep your comics in good condition. And that not only adds cost on top of the $5 comic, it’s also cumbersome.

Manga are easier to read and get into. Just pick up volume 1. Comics you gotta do homework to see which batman your following

Manga has anime to promote it yes. And Marvel has a whole cinematic universe.

I picked up the DC connect this month and there’s going to be a my adventures with Superman comic book. Same art style as the show and same head writer. So there’s some synergy there.

I like your research. Keep up your good work.

Says a lot that in a random ass Walmart, you’ll find several manga, not even strictly shonen but other genre stuff and Last Ronin for some reason, but I saw no DC or Marvel direct stuff on the shelf.

Manga is just comic books from somewhere else. This is like saying "films are beating movies!" all outraged total nonsense

9:22 is fucking painful dawg. I can't imagine arguing with people who don't believe in facts & data

The problem with Marvel and DC comics is because it’s too hard to understand wtf is going on. You have to read 10 different comics just to understand the plot and what’s going on to your favorite character.

I love these conversations. Try not to rush these things.

I agree on your opinion and they should definitely find a way to better organize comic books. I think they should have the year volume or chapter number on the comics to make it easier to track the universe story or individual story to make it easier to follow.

The thing with manga is that there's usually one single storyline with little to no tie-ins, nor crossovers. You don't have to read another volume, or chapter from another series to get the full picture.

Having read both Manga & Comics for 10+yrs I definitely can say manga been winning 😅. Like the highest grossing comics (not overall franchise sales just yearly) never even touched the top 25 & possibly top 50 manga sales if I remember right 😂. I love both but I feel this argument has to end , both can be great and offer good stories

How's the sales for comics that either received an animated adaptation or works as a spin off or continuation to an animated show? Do they get a decent burst in sales when that occurs?

I am German, my favourit Comic Book store at the city (one of two which is many for a German city thats not Berlin) says: "Yeah, Manga brings in the money that keeps us in the green zone. US comics dropped hard, since Marvel movie fatigue hit in" Manga is like 1/4 of their shop space. Everything else is US-Comics (translated into German, so you get DC/Marvel from the same publisher and the rest from some smaller publishers), European Comics (French, Belgian, Spanish, German). Since the pandemic, there are no efficent ways to get US Comics in Original anymore, cause so much distribution died in the US. The people here seem to by mostly tradepaperback issues, cause single issues besides working horses like Batman won't get translated. I think for the US point of view Comicstorian might be on point, overseas are entirely other discussions.

It’s hard for me to get into the local comic store, they’re a small business with weird hours and that’s the only place I can get a series of comics. But manga your right on. Super simple to track and easy to buy. Most my comics I get in the bundle packs now from Walmart

Happy Friday!

20:32 sadly I don’t have a local comic book shop because I live in a backwater in the UK 😢not like I’m able to go out anymore but still.

I was surprised when going into a comic book shop that selling individual issues is still a thing. its just something I never really thought about. adding into the what are you suppose to start with problem is comics are divided by issues and hardcover/full releases to various degrees. while on the American side we only receive the volumes of manga and chapters online, as far as I'm aware manga still isn't ever sold as individual issues in japan. my understanding is various issues will just be compiled together into something like Shonen jump magazine meaning you would be buy the most recent chapter for multiple ongoing series from a single publisher, which in my opinion sounds far more appealing that buying a single issue.

the one thing American comics need to do take away more then anything is they need to stop letting people fail up , alot of these writers suck but no one will tell them so they keep writing shit that's not working and because these companies are to scared to say this isn't working because they hired these people for there identity and not there skill and know they'll get backlash. They need to be like the manga companies give hard fail states and if you fail you fail no relaunch two months later no canceling some twice and then lying about how good it was they need to grow a pair balls or ovaries don't and start telling these people this isn't working so we aren't going to make it anymore and your going to move on to something else and if this happens again your we're gonna have to let you go.

That ad spot is very manic

One of my issues with comics is the huge volume of back catalog. It's so hard to go back and catch up. Sucks. I have read countless manga over the last decade. I can barely afford the cost of comics these days for the amount of content I read. Honestly I prefer manhwa to manga.

I would argue that the (possibly vast) majority of collected editions of American comics are sold from large online retailers such as DCBS, InstockTrades, CheapGraphicNovels, Organic Priced Books, etc. These outlets fall under the direct market, so their numbers don’t count toward the graphic novel sales of book stores, but they don’t qualify as a “local comic book shop”. I transitioned from reading monthly singles to collected editions a number of years ago, and the only way I’ve been able to collect what I have so far is on the back of the 30-50% discounts these outlets offer. Without taking into account these online storefronts and the single-issue sales from local comic shops and places like DCBS, I don’t hold much weight in the argument Manga (which I greatly enjoy) is trouncing American Comics in overall sales.

I will say, I just started working at a comic store kind of, and all they want is manga and kids books, i.e. Dog Man, so like graphic novels so been like it for a while.

I would love a batman manga where it goes from young Bruce, to Early-Late batman and into batman beyond. 1 story, 1 timeline, constantly aging and changing, with an actual end

17:48 also exactly how meny episode 1 do some comics titles have? If you are new or returning to comics that’s got to be confusing as heck.

Manga's focus on one story and see it to the end. I don't have to worry about 100's of Manga runs featuring goku in different timelines and shit. This means that each Manga author has to make something work without cruching on a past IP unless contracted to do so like with Dragon Ball Super or the various pokemon comics. It also means I get a lot more variety when it come time to pick something up & the number & title ordering is simple as mixing up storyline by accident is near impossible. When I start a new Manga I know I am getting a different story set in a different world set with new characters. They rise & fall on their own merits. American comics rely on the same rotation of characters. The last American comic series I bought that wasn't independent is Invincible.

It was only a matter of time.

As a kid I went more toward manga because in the bookstore American comics were difficult to follow. Even the comics associated with the shows I watched on tv felt like they were telling side stories unrelated to anything really important. On the other hand the manga section was easier to navigate with more linear stories. The transitions from show to book was also a lot easier.

Im 1000% with you about your Alex Ross point, amazing piece of art but it doesn't work with the comic itself, maybe it would work with another comic genre, with grounded clothes.

I read trade paperbacks because I live in a country with not western comic book store, its a pain, sometimes you have to wait for 6 months to almost a year for it to came out, pay for shipping, wait another 2 weeks, the only other options is to read the single issues digital, which I dislike. Americans comics companies have never cared about outside of the US market, very few comic books get translated outside of handful european languages like spanish or french. Marvel really missed a big opportunity considering how popular the MCU was few years ago.

Yo benny is in love with the silly lil elf grandma too? Frieren really is the goat

I've loved super heroes as long as i can remember, but I've never been an avid comic reader cause its so difficult to get into. I've just started now and that's because ultimate spider--man started this year and i heard about it.

This could not be anymore true and factual! Every time I go to the Barnes and Nobel near my mall the comic section is always more abandoned than a nuclear power plant after an accident. For context it shares the same section as the manga and light novel and RARLEY do I ever see crowds. The thing about manga is that for me, not only is it easier to read, you don’t have to sort through what series to start with first and it’s more straight forward.

DC Manga "One operation Joker" is an absolute heartwarming Masterpiece especially the part when Bruce being Babyfied & raise by Joker when back in Bruce young days when his biological parents murdered right in front of his eyes

I always go to thr nearest public library just to read manga. I'll just grab any volume one randomly and be whisked away. When it comes to US comics I'm too cautious.

Prices and just being in stock from my local Books a Million within the last I’d say 6 years or so graphic novels have shrunk from two long book shelves aisles I mean long to to one miniature shelf with manga literally taking like three long isle shelves so I see what people mean by manga out selling cause literally graphic novels are barley a thing from where I shop at.

Zero sugar on the hot sauce, does that mean you used an artificial sweetener? Or simply added no additional sugar but some of the ingredients naturally do have some? Or neither? Thx for the reply Benny (if you do)

Another thing to consider: How many DC/Marvel readers that used to buy weekly comics have (like myself) switched over to "Marvel Unlimited" and "DC Infinite"? Yeah, I don't get the latest issue on day one, but I can read the entire library of Marvel and DC history if I want, and I get new comics either 3 months (for Marvel) or 6 months (for DC) after they're published.

0:49 I just saw his other channel and I didn't need to watch the videos to know what the videos were about.

Had to pause and just say damn that spider punk number really shocked me

One thing I want to say is I like How manga have variety of genre plus anime shows are literally based on them on the other hand comic don't get better treatment there always be changed when it's adapt into animation some works some not but like Manga if Marvel and DC adapt their best series it will work for them

I'd like to see some indie comics on steam. If they get on steam I'd love to see people dub them.

Just want to clarify, the figures you mentioned are all for USA sales right?

It’s crazy to me how hard physical comics have fallen compared to manga When I started actively collecting comics monthly about 20yrs ago now, it was after I stumbled upon an issue from the Brubaker run on Captain America in my local Books-A-Million. After that I found the nearest comic book store to my house and began collecting comics monthly. Today, that comic book store is long gone and that same Books-A-Million has an entire section like you described for Manga while the comics are pushed to the very end of the row ironically behind the manga, not even getting just half of an entire row. Even worse, they have no single issues anymore and most of the paper backs are random volumes from different runs and even for someone in the know, it’s almost impossible to make sense of where to start or what is a good book to check out.

Benny can you do a problem with poison ivy video?

All the DC collected volumes being older stories is interesting. DC does keep their older books in constant circulation, and they market them pretty heavily compared to newer stories.

100% agree with the point that the Marvel/DC comics are confusing to read or know what to pick up. Spider-man is a great example of this as well as Batman. IMO, next reboot they do they should redo the entire naming/number convention to make it easier to track what you are looking for.

I actually tried to get into reading comics (As a kid I grew up with DC shows so I wanted to try to read some dc comics). I really did like some series that this channel had made videos on but the HOPPING was just...Argh! For a story to be consistent I had to jump from one comic to a different comic to another comic it was frustrating.

The problem with superhero comics from Marvel and DC is that it's hard to know where to start. They do "soft reboots" (or sometimes hard reboots) every few years. Also, the titles crossover with one another. They need to do "Vol 1", Vol 2, Vol 3" for each era, and spell it out. Something like "If you want to read "New 52" era Batman, here's Vol. 1, 2, 3 and 4", or if you'd rather start with "Rebirth era", here's Vol. 1, 2, 3 and 4, etc" And maybe in the collections, have a note put in right before a crossover issue saying "Superman is in the next issue, but for context on what's going on in his life, we advise you to read Superman Vol 1 and 2" (or something like that).

Comics is thriving in movies (MCU, Spider-verse) and series (X-men 97, Invincible, The Boys etc..)

Hell, comics having manga art styles is probably because the new artists are fans of manga and anime and grow up with them.

So after listening to the video, i have to say from a story prospective the problem with comics, is that they don’t end their stories, they redcon their series making changes, or undoing changes made when it fits them. But most manga series are short, they tell their story then they move to another story, thats why the long ones like one piece stand out for being so many volumes, because most of them are short sweet and to the point then their off to an entirely new adventure.

had no idea Waterson did anything besides Calvin and Hobbes, that's cool to hear

So far, the best Marvel Comics that are getting attention from comic fans are Hickman's Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Black Panther, and Miles Morales Spider-Man, because Zeb Wells's Amazing Spider-Man is flopping down hard. Overall, I understand why Manga is continuing to RKO Comic books out of nowhere in the sales because comic writers forget to do one thing: ignore the agenda, and focus on the character development and the story itself. Which is exactly why current comic runs in both Marvel and DC(Superman: Jon Kent, Zeb Wells's Amazing Spider-Man) are terrible because of bad story telling, bad plots, and bad elements. I agree with you, benny.

I used to get comics but stopped because of the constant hoping from comic to comic to follow a story. I rather just follow one story and the characters I like, instead of the constant merging and separation of teams and characters all over the place. You can make cool events, but they just happen too often and after so many resets it just here we go again.

There would need to be a lot trust to have a comic book writer and artist to make a series long enough to adapt into an animation, the way manga is adapted to anime

Why comics are failing... The creators and publishers' management cannot admit one thing... It's time for the heroes to end. And create something new. New heroes, new worlds. And they must have a beginning and an end.

i think The main reason Why Manga is Doing Better is because it has a Linear Storylines. There is a Beginning, Middle, and End. We like to call these things Arcs. and throughout all these arcs people are introduced to a main Plot, Themes, and Constancy Witch American Comics Lack. AMerican comic Storylines are much shorter then most. and then there is the fact that Manga is written by One Person mostly. and with that we see a vision of one Persons world which Most Comics also Lack. Their are a few exceptions to that. the biggest being Invincible. and you know what invincible and Manga have in common? They have an ending. a series without an ending give people no motivation to keep up with or invest in. and thats the issue with American comics. Most of them will keep going and going until all the creativity runs dry. So thats a huge reason why Manga is beating American comics

I know what you're getting at Benny as the Record Store that I Frequent sell many Geek themed things any where from Funko Pops to Geek Themed Board Games of your Favorite Classic Board Games. When it comes to Comics Books they Don't have Comic Books But They Do Have Manga Books a While Shelf Full of them in fact. Which sort of exploded from an entire Rack Set On Top of the Usual Music and even Movies and Shows. In Records and CD's for the Music and DVD BD and 4K for Shows and Movies.

There was the DCAU cartoon. I bought comic books set in that continuity. So maybe that is a good point.

On the art part, people are late. Anime has influence the DCAU and the Marvel cartoon universe since the early 90s. Most of BTAS was done done by outsourcing to Japan. That is also why you have anime like Big O that looks like BTAS. So anime/manga influencing comics isn't new even if we're talking about the animation side.

I like both manga and comic books. Here’s also an issue Manga has a single continuity unlike comic books. Also I don’t want to read a comic book from a character I don’t really read to find out about a plot point that’s happening in the current series I’m currently reading.

Whenever people speak of the quality of manga compared to the quality of western comics, they always use Marvel/DC as an example of why manga is “better”. There are so many creator-owned western comics that are some of the greatest stories that the medium has ever seen and people are either oblivious to them or just choose to only use Marvel/DC in order to maintain the narrative that western books are stagnant or confusing. Also, there’s never been a time where every Marvel and DC book was top quality. It’s the standout series that get remembered, which is still the case today. There are plenty of western creator-owned books that are much more cleverly written than much of the manga I’ve read and just as “easy” to follow but people seem to ignore that stuff to support their narrative that western comics aren’t good anymore.

Ppl forget that western comics are very Event heavy whereas Manga are more singular and cohesive. The characters in Manga are more than often in their own individual universes or timelines etc. whereas western comics have share a handful of universes. If each western comic had a cohesive story from their very Inception with no retcon, reboots etc. The number would be more similar, but like there's 25 different batman origins, 50 of his stories that may loosely be connected at best but usually only have 3 to 4 issues that connect so, divide if you want to do the math(I dont). And thats just Batman, this is for pretty all western comics. I love both and I'm drawn to the Manga medium waaay more but I dislike when ppl only think about the numbers and leave out the context of how they're made differently, sold differently, have different focuses when it comes to story, characters, settings, lore, production, etc. how each culture has different emotions towards each medium and how they will buy to support or thru their actual passion etc. Can't leave out the nuances with each but def a good talking point for discussions

I believe that one of the reasons why people say that manga is winning is that it is almost always adapted in the form of an anime, which increases its audience. However, when people think of comics, the majority will think of superhero stories. "Marvel n DC"when there are a large number of comics with other types of plots, especially outside of U.S

I got into comics really because Gwenpool's moe style interested me.

Personally, I think the main reason why manga is seen as beating comics is primarily because manga is easier to pick up than comics from start to finish on average. if I wanted to read something like Berserk or Chronicles of Tsubasa, it is very straight forward, I don't have to go hunting for the next story in a tie-in comic. HOWEVER, if i wanted to pick up a Batman story or a very specific story like Dark Nights, it is more convoluted, I have to select a specific batman story/continuity or even scavenger hunt across various titles for stories like Dark Nights -- and then google the reading order for because the titles of the tie-ins and all that are not always put on the titles or covers. Manga feels more streamlined and simplified to pick up and maintain. Sure, manga can get as complex to look for as comics, but it's not as common. It's not as much of a brain draining exercise to enjoy as it feels like with American comics. I understand the manga industry and comic industry are set up differently, but like damn, comics producers could do more to make it easier for the reader. Promoting comics would help -- more faithful adaptations would help more than butchered and bastardized versions of movies and shows too. Also more animations in general.

It would be so cool if they adapted these comics into animation. It would really help them attract new people.

so what ur saying is not only are comics not advertising properly, they also don't order it properly making it confusing to buy?

What I'm hungry to see is some connections among the superhero community, to me it doesn't feel like a living Universe just a bunch of unconnected stories that leads to major events that are loosely connected then usually reboot or something. As a general idea this is more of what id like to see. Justice Society: WWII era heroes, the surviving members now watch over and guide the superhuman community. I.e., as Politicians that support them, Financial Backers, or just as emotional supporters. Justice League: A group of the world’s greatest superheroes leaders. I.e., Superheroes that are not only powerful but also have their own Family of heroes around them they could call upon during a crisis. The Titans: Protégés of the Justice League members they serve as auxiliary support to the League as well as mentors and protectors of the next generation of heroes. Teen Titans: Young heroes that while lack experience more then make up for it with dedication and ingenuity. And maybe The Outlaws: A team of Anti-Heroes that have little qualms about taking lethal force when necessary. I.e., Redhood, Midnighter, Apollo

The one issue i have here is that comic books have franchises that do multiple stories, so its hard to follow all of them. Meanwhile, manga sticks to 1 singular story. Yeah sometimes you have a spinoff that comes out but its more as an accessory rather than a main part of the main story as opposed to comics where all the spinoffs are part of the main story. Thats what makes it so hard to follow. Also in today's terms even if you comine franchise comic book sales into one singular frnachise entity (example batman, nightwing, catwoman, joker, batgirl, birds of prey, etc) and put it all as a batman franchise sales unit then of course you'll have better numbers HOWEVER thats still competing with the fact that manga has series that are 1 singular entity (they dont have spin offs or even count the spinoffs) because there is 1 series starting from volume 1 ending until who knows when. Thats where the real discrepency lies and the real problem exists with comics. Lets take elusive samurai for example. A fairly new series but it does decent numbers. Its 5th volume (released april 2022) release sells slightly over 50k its 1st week (slows up around 75k its 4th week making it upto 80k sales a month). Those are good numbers for a manga. Then lets take a comic book series like the amazing spiderman issue 1( im using April 2022 numbers cuz thats the last time you can see sales numbers at all from comicchron or anything public with comic sales). This is a popular character that most people know, yet after 1 month, it is doing around 93k sales. Divide that by 4 and you get....23.5k sales more or less (mostly reaching this state due to multiple variant covers). Thats 1 issue of a popular character vs a series that's brand new (no previous knowledge of the characters, world, powers, etc). The fact that a new series that's not even among the top selling manga is competing with characters like spiderman is quite the feat and even a serious look at how far the appeal to american comics has fallen. Spiderman SHOULD be a series that sells in the millions per month range because of how well known the characters is but it doesnt. Now before people come at me and say why are you comparing single issues with volumes. 1. Because there are no single issue releases of manga series. 2. Because volume sales for comics vs volume sales for manga is an even more shitshow for comics. The sales for comic volumes just pale in comparison to manga. For various reasons. All in all its due to the nature that the american comic book industry does not want to change its approach to the consumers. Aorry for the long rant/ comment. Just tired of how the industry is right now.

Reading what intrests you in comics vs trying to read every story you think matters to a character is so freeing. i can read she hulk and Ms. marvel randomly bc they're fun and entertaining and then i follow Daredevil because its great and im invested in where it goes. the moment i lose interest i move on and that's that. people keep talking about being confused and overwhelmed and that perplexes me. just pick up and read issue one of a character you like and you'll naturally follow from there. you don't have to start at 1939 for Batman. i don't read manga anymore so i can't comment there and while i do agree and wish it was as simple as manga, i think people are underestimating how quickly they'll pick up in this stuff for comics. just read what intrests you, continuity be damned

Have you ever heard about Suicide Squad Isekai? An ultimate combination adaptation of Anime and DC. It releases July 2024!

you cant confuse people with facts when they refuse to listen in the first place. honestly, this topic reminds of the time i enjoyed a good debate. until i found out that few people will ever cede any point you make regardless of validity. most seem to hold SO firmly to thier points of view they effectivly have blinders on simply rehashing the same damn things over and over not adding anything new and flat refusing to acknowlage anything whatsoever that might disrupt that narritive in any fashion.

If we can't track it individually Why not... Track the annual sales of marvel, DC, and every US comic book company total. Then... Track all annual Manga company sales total. And compare.

Bruh I just got a KZfaq short about this, why is this an argument every couple months?

Will watch all the other problem withs but is there a specific reason these stories in the comics arent resonating with fans as much, repeating ideas, same thing over and over.

I personally like both comics and manga and honestly this whole argument between comics vs manga is just silly to me mostly because both comics and manga are technically speaking the exact same thing but from two different countries all together but that’s just my opinion.

I've been trying to get into comics, so i've subbed to dc infinite and its nice but I cant read the newest stuff on it, so i went to a comic book store to try to start a series i could follow, i told the guy at the store i'm trying to get into comics and I like batman, i thought batman should be very easy to get into because hes one of the premiere super heroes, the guy takes me to a 40 dollar book that has 15 comics in it from issue 120 to 135, and 2 other 30 to 40 dollar books about random story lines, I wasnt looking to spend 40 dollars to jump into the middle of a story, I wanted to start a story i could finish and not spend 40 dollars on a hobby that I'm just seeing if i want to get into. So i left the story with nothing and kept reading my dc infinite

I’ve always like manga better than comics because they actually end, I don’t need spreadsheet to know what what comic series to buy so I am up to date on the current storyline, and the heroes in manga kill the villains instead of letting them off again and again even after the villain killed and permanently injured their family.