These funny Japanese right-to-left panels

An edition about an egocentric Inktober and the Second Golden Age of manga books

Sep 25, 2023

HI AGAIN AND WELCOME TO A NEW EDITION OF MY NEWSLETTER!

October is almost here and when you blink, Halloween and Christmas will be Past History. So use your time wisely, like reading this newsletter!

LINKS

With two oncoming books on the oven, there are links to share! I did an interview for promoting the pre-order of my newest INFINITY GRAPHIC NOVEL (the video it’s in Spanish but with English subtitles)

The book is in pre-order and you can get the book in Spanish and English.

I have these two links for the oncoming PROJECT MONARCH (this October in the best stores)

Multiversity released an exclusive preview:
http://www.multiversitycomics.com/previews/project-monarch/
I also did an interview with Comicon:
https://www.comicon.com/2023/08/31/from-ufos-to-secret-societies-discussing-project-monarch-with-artist-victor-santos/

VICTOBER!

Inktober is here! My rules are the same: One (traditionally) inked drawing every day until the end of the month, not spending more than 30 minutes in a drawing on a 21x29,7 cm (8,3x11,7 inches) Bristol sheet.

I remember last year I commented in this newsletter that I often felt uncomfortable about drawing characters I don’t own… So I decided this year I’m going to draw characters I have created and own (there will be some little exception and of course, some of these characters have been co-created but you get the point).

And it’s also a way to celebrate my professional career. I have been working professionally (when I say professionally I want to say “internationally”) for almost 20 years, and publishing comics for almost 25… So I’ll use this event to draw some of the characters that have been important in my development as an artist. And this time I’ll do something different and I’ll follow a list instead of drawing every day without planification.

SO WELCOME TO THE #VICTOBER

I hope you enjoy it! Like past editions, I will be uploading them in my facebook, twitter, bluesky and Instagram accounts (links at the bottom) and selling them in my big cartel store:
https://victorsantos.bigcartel.com/

And if you want to see all my scanned drawings of this edition and the editions of previous years you can find them in my blog/site:
https://victorsantoscomics.blogspot.com/search/label/inktober

SECOND GOLDEN AGE OF MANGA

I read all kinds of stuff. If you want to be a true author you must read all kinds of stuff, not only the style of stories you write/draw. And besides, I love all kinds of comics. But recently I noticed I read more manga than ever right now. I actually never quit reading manga because I was part of that first generation who began to read manga with Akira and Dragon Ball. I had read superhero comic-books and European albums (BD) during my childhood but manga aesthetics and powerfull storytelling blew our minds in our teenage years. The first wave of 90s manga readers.
But when I attended college I returned to read American books. And I discovered Miller, discovered Eisner, and Steranko, and more and more.

Some examples of American books I have been buying and reading recently: Firepower by Kirkman & Samnee, Moonshine by Azzarello & Risso, Wonder Woman: Dead Earth and Murder Falcon by Daniel Warren Johnsson, Dave Cooper’s Crumple, the final arc of Matt Wagner’s Mage and a Spanish new edition of all the DC Question 80s series.

But when I finish a day of working on comics the kind of books I love reading before supper is manga.

The manga books I’m collecting right now:
A good amount of them are collections of the 80-90s, like Kenichi’s Sonoda Gunsmith Cats, the Evangelion Manga by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the Saint Seiya new remastered edition and just finished the Fist of the North Star collection. Finally DragonQuest: The adventure of Dai is finally being published in Spain in a complete edition.
(I don’t know if consider Dragonball Super a 90s book or a new book)
Classic stuff like Go Nagai’s Getter Robot, Shotaro Ishinomori’s Gorenger (the origin of the Super Sentai/Power Rangers genre), Osamu Tezuka’s Don Dracula…

And of course, I can’t live only in the past so I’m regularly buying Yukinobu Tatsu’s Dan Da Dan and Yuto Suzuki’s Sakamoto Days, Boichi’s Sun-Ken Rock, and recently the first book of Sato Hirohisa’s miniseries of three volumes, Suzuki just wants a quiet life.

I’m also reading weekly magazine series on my phone using the Shonen Jump app, Manga Plus.
I love stories about hitmen, and there are a lot of manga series about it there! Mostly comedies like Kill Blue and Kindergarten Wars, and of course the over-popular Spy X Family.
My latest addition was the first chapter of the recently released action-supernatural Kagurabachi, and looks pretty cool.

It looks like manga is living a new age of popularity after this 90s first wave and a new generation of readers have discovered the format. Right now the 20 best-selling graphic novels in the US lists are only manga books. I don’t know how to explain this new peak of popularity. Some people say COVID lockdown created a lot of new readers (I heard the term “Corona Otaku”), or their visual language connects with the way young people process visual language in social media… I don’t know. I think one important point is that European and American books (especially here in Spain) have become luxury articles with 40 or 50 bucks editions, which is a crazy thing.

But the irrefutable question is these books connect with the readers in a way humble creators like me only can dream. And I’m not sure it’s something we can replicate from Western markets because manga is a consequence of its own social-economical and cultural environment. You can’t separate the format, its storytelling and its multiple genres from the Japanese factor and how they create and work.

(If you have your own theory about this popularity the comments section is at your disposal)

Discussion about this post

Tito W. James

Sep 25, 2023

It's funny that you mention the post-2020 Anime Boom Victor,

I'm drafting an article about it. I'd be curious to know your thoughts-- especially if it differs from the Anime Boom in the 80s and 90s.

Real Reason Anime and Manga Are Selling

According to NHK Japan the size of the Japanese animation market was 2,426 billion yen by 2020. More than half of that amount came from overseas sales. The manga market is also expanded, reaching 675.9 billion yen in 2021. We are already deep into our third year of the post-2020 Manga Boom.

There are many articles online sating that manga is selling but few are diving into why manga are selling so well. I've talked about what indie comic creators can learn from the Manga Boom. However, I'm still seeing too many indie comics being pitched as if it was Vertigo in the 1980s. That's why I'm going to break down what manga's strengths are and what I would like to see from more creator owned comics.

Appealing to Underserved Audiences

Manga are more easily accessible to new readers. Fans of an anime can jump into a series from volume 1 rather than superhero comics with convoluted continuity and numbering systems. Manga have the Shonen and Shoujo categories that cater to young boys and girls. Too many comics both superhero and indie are catering primarily to middle-aged men.

Manga have a long history of excellent female characters and successful female manga creators. It’s not unusual to see a manga series with a compelling female lead or a cast of all female characters. Furthermore, these success series are relatable to female and male readers equally.

Manga have a greater exploration of queer themes and identity. Yuri (girls love) and Yaoi (boys love) are popular genres and gender-bending is an anime staple. While there is more Queer representation in contemporary comics, in manga the queerness isn’t always the focus. There are plenty of action adventure and fantasy series where the lead characters just happen to be gay or questioning. This makes the stories accessible and entertaining to everyone.

Greater Genre Variety

Marvel and DC have superheroes covered, Image, Darkhorse, and other indie publishers still primarily publish books that are centered on nerdy genres like Scifi, Fantasy, and Horror. While there are Scifi, Fantasy, and Horror manga series, they also explore genres like Comedy, History, Sports, Romance, Slice of Life, Food, and Erotica.

Kakegurui is a successful series centered around gambling and Blue Period is about a bunch of students trying to get into Art school. There are indie comics that explore more niche topics but they tend to be niche comics. Manga creators have managed to create series that explore niche topics and bring them to a large audience.

Illicit Appeal

There was a time when comics used to be contraband. Comics were what you hid under your bed from your parents. American comics both superhero and indie are about as violent as they've ever been-- And yet, I've never felt the need to hide an American comic book when the guests are arriving.

Now manga on the other hand...

Virtually all of the manga I love contain material that would look pretty suspicious out of context. Even mainstream manga series like Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia have certain scenes or characters that would never fly in a Marvel or DC superhero comic.

Manga is more subversive then its Western counterparts and even the manga aimed largely at kids doesn’t pull any punches. Manga fills a similar need that Heavy Metal Magazine and 2000Ad filled when they first debuted-- Giving adult material to adolescents. The controversy surrounding the provocative material within manga only adds to its popularity.

It’s Sexier

Piggy-backing off of the illicit appeal of manga is the sex appeal. Who are the attractive characters in American comics? Nightwing? Emma Frost? In manga you get a new flavor of Waifu or Husbando with every season. When done correctly these characters become incredibly popular and the favorites among cosplayers and fan artists.

However, sexy characters by themselves aren’t enough to endear themselves to readers. I was very skeptical of ecchi series until I encountered Ranma ½, Urusei Yatsura, Stravaganza, and Mysterious Girlfriend X. They’re not just good erotic comics they’re just darn good comics. When you have sexy art combined with a great story and characters it’s unbeatable.

More Bang for your Buck

A single manga volume may average 160-180 pages for just $10-12 USD. Meanwhile the American floppy comic has gotten pricier with a shorter page count. Manga’s thicker page count means readers more action, atmosphere, and story per volume all for an affordable price. When you couple this will illicit escapism a manga title gives readers something they won’t get everywhere else.

Solid Sequential Art Formalism

In Making Comics by Scott McCloud he outlines formalist techniques that make manga storytelling unique.

• Iconic Characters

• Genre Maturity

• Strong Sense of Place

• Wide Variety of Character Designs

• Wordless Panels—Silent Storytelling

• Small Real-World Details

• Subjective Motion

• Emotionally Expressive Effects

It’s amazing how much a difference these techniques make. A 50-year-old comic like Kamen Rider still outshines many contemporary superhero comics because of its pacing, cinematography, action choreography, and iconic character designs.

New Contemporary Characters

While there will always be room for Batman and Spider-Man stories new readers also want new characters and worlds to explore. It’s more relatable and engaging to have contemporary characters that reflect the lives of their readers. These new characters maintain singular vision of the original creator and can grow and change overtime with their readership. There’s also the excitement of jumping onto a series on the ground floor and watching it grow—rather than diving into a series that’s already big.

Great Storytelling

Comics are an art form as valid as literature and manga creators have known this for some time. The adult works of Osamu Tezuka explored themes of discrimination, societal change, sexual taboos, spirituality, philosophy, war, history, and future speculation. Tezuka was doing all of this revolutionary in the 60s and 70s in Japan while still being as mainstream of a creator as Walt Disney.

Whether they’re making seminal classics like Nausicaa, Akira, or Berserk, or fresh new series like Chainsaw Man, Spy X Family, and Dandadan, manga creators continue to prove that comics have no narrative limitations. Not only are the stories excellent but the mastery of the comics form is superb, the dynamic panel layouts, cinematic pacing, and creative character designs enchant in equal measure.

Whatever you think of the Manga Boom remember that great storytelling is king. I hope that people learned something from the article and feel inspired by the Manga Boom. Manga’s success is not a threat to American comics but the creative shock we need to do our best work and revolutionize the medium. I hope this sheds some light on the current phenomenon and emboldens aspiring comic creators to push the envelope and create stories that have never existed before.

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BROKEN ENGLISH Victor Santos’ Newsletter

These funny Japanese right-to-left panels

An edition about an egocentric Inktober and the Second Golden Age of manga books

Discussion about this post