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by sickofparadox 929 days ago
Manga's complete and total dominance over western comics has certainly been something to see, it's not even a competition anymore! A single issue of 'lower selling' manga can dwarf the entire run of a 'popular comic'. All this happening during what may be the peak superhero popularity (not today but past ~decade).
2 comments

I think it’s mostly because mangas (and related creative work) narrates a more complex story than the hero/vilain showdown. The best comics I’ve read were East of West, The Sixth Gun, Descender,… I struggled to find one Pixar/Disney animated movie that is not a moral and preachy story.
Definitely their skills at storytelling. Look at what is considered the top 5 comics of Batman for instance. Their stories are meh at best to forgettable and so far from what mangas offer. I think they work because the art is very good. I can’t wait to have someone who draws comics to coop with someone who does storytelling in mangas.
That is interesting, but all sorts of printed media have seen a decline in the U.S. at least. A lot of magazines have gone under or are going entirely digital. While books seem to be doing okay in printed form, I'm certain they've seen a decline too. Western comics were usually sold at newsstands and magazine racks. Newspapers are almost completely gone and magazine racks have been downsized everywhere from when I was a kid.