Just curious in which comic type that you guys prefer more? Western Comic or Japanese Comic (manga)?

I personally prefer simple art. It used to be more of a manga convention to draw simple characters with detailed backgrounds, but it is more common in western art now too. I don't like ultra detailed or realistic renderings. For me, the beauty of visual storytelling is capturing the essence of a scene, of emotion, of action. Simplification and exaggeration do that better for me than realism. So give me simple faces and cartoonish proportions, even for the dramas and the grown-up stories. (But the super-deformed, giant-eyes no-nose stuff creeps me out. There is a certain degree of moderation required. lol.)

I prefer “western”-style comics, with the exception of the super-hero genre. The super-hero genre doesn't interest me in the least bit.

My sentiments for manga echo those of Used books: I think some drawing conventions found in manga are creepy. Drawing very skillfully rendered realistic bodies, and then sticking highly distorted cartoon heads on them is very disturbing to me. “Akira,” Katsuhiro Otomo, is one of the few manga that I have enjoyed, specifically because he avoided the distorted-head drawing convention.

Definitely Western. There are plenty of toony/simplified styles of Western art out there as well. But Japanese comics are too “in-jokey” for me. Like, why are you drawing a giant water droplet on the character's face? Don't you know how to do expressions? Why are the characters transforming into chibis when they're happy? Why are the girls wearing Japanese schoolgirl outfits when your comic is set in the United States?

There are a lot of Japanese style comics and animated movies that I enjoy, but I find that it's in spite of the style, not because of it. I suspect a lot of the times when (especially Western) artists choose to draw in a Japanese style, they're trying to replicate things they like from Japanese comics which actually had nothing to do with the art style.

I'm in it for the story telling. Every medium and even individual artistd have their conventions and style. Might as well consider whether you prefer Asian cinema, versus European or American or a Russian novel versus Japanese or American

I appreciate the differences of approach and style in each and if it's a story I want to experience, I will.

But prefer? I prefer to be engaged, challenged and entertained.

I prefer European comics, the stuff that goes in Heavy Metal.
“Western” here just means “non-japanese” which is a bit silly.

ozoneocean wrote:
I prefer European comics, the stuff that goes in Heavy Metal.
“Western” here just means “non-japanese” which is a bit silly.

Presumably from the wonderful French “Metal Hurlant” comic series, that ran mid-70s to late-80s. Yeah “Western” to me means gunslingers - a category I was never into. I had trouble slotting my B.E. into a category set - what art style, what genre… was it romance or..? I shifted it about, several times.

BearinOz wrote:

ozoneocean wrote:
I prefer European comics, the stuff that goes in Heavy Metal.
“Western” here just means “non-japanese” which is a bit silly.

Presumably from the wonderful French “Metal Hurlant” comic series, that ran mid-70s to late-80s. Yeah “Western” to me means gunslingers - a category I was never into. I had trouble slotting my B.E. into a category set - what art style, what genre… was it romance or..? I shifted it about, several times.

Exactly.
It brought together a lot of comics from around the world, but mainly Europe, that didn't fit into the style of American comics…
Even the US version did the same thing.

Comics are dumb.

But to be serious, I don't enjoy most comics very much. I like fantasy and sci fi, but I don't enjoy long series (so there goes most manga) and I don't enjoy superheroes (so there goes most western comics). That leaves indie western comics, but these are usually slice of life stuff like Fun Home and Blankets, stories that take place basically in the real world about sad 20 somethings learning about themselves. That's booooooring.

Here's what I've found: Uzumaki, Saga, Maus, Black Hole, Berlin, The Incal, Little Bird, Tank Girl, Paradise Kiss, Dear Creature, The Sandman, Ojo, Sakuran, Persepolis, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, and Tokyo Ghost.

I'd love recommendations, since there's so much out there, but man have I had a hard time finding things that cater to my specific tastes. Of course I don't have hard and fast rules. There's manga in this list, but it isn't about teenagers killing God with the power of friendship, isn't sexist, and doesn't have a significant financial commitment (like Berzerk holy Jesus it looks great it's like a hundred volumes long!). There's slice of life stuff in my list as well, but it's got a fantastical bent like My Favorite Thing Is Monsters.

The important thing is it isn't trashy and disposable, and it isn't trite and saccharine.

quinn o matic wrote:
Comics are dumb.

But to be serious, I don't enjoy most comics very much. I like fantasy and sci fi, but I don't enjoy long series (so there goes most manga) and I don't enjoy superheroes (so there goes most western comics). That leaves indie western comics, but these are usually slice of life stuff like Fun Home and Blankets, stories that take place basically in the real world about sad 20 somethings learning about themselves. That's booooooring.

Here's what I've found: Uzumaki, Saga, Maus, Black Hole, Berlin, The Incal, Little Bird, Tank Girl, Paradise Kiss, Dear Creature, The Sandman, Ojo, Sakuran, Persepolis, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, and Tokyo Ghost.

I'd love recommendations, since there's so much out there, but man have I had a hard time finding things that cater to my specific tastes. Of course I don't have hard and fast rules. There's manga in this list, but it isn't about teenagers killing God with the power of friendship, isn't sexist, and doesn't have a significant financial commitment (like Berzerk holy Jesus it looks great it's like a hundred volumes long!). There's slice of life stuff in my list as well, but it's got a fantastical bent like My Favorite Thing Is Monsters.

The important thing is it isn't trashy and disposable, and it isn't trite and saccharine.

The world of “Western comics” is wider than that :D
Which is why I mention Heavy Metal, it opens you up to a lot of what is out there. 2000AD is another great source.

Due to the Comics Cod Authority and the WW2 it changed the landscape of American comics so they just focussed on Superheroes but the rest of the world never had those pressures. Trouble is that not much is in English except the British ones and a few that were translated.

The comics of Moebius are lovely. Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese is a fave.

Comics are dumb.

Due to the Comics Cod Authority
The comics of Moebius are lovely. Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese is a fave.

What a wonderful Freudian slip, the CCA was a ‘dead fish’, especially once Stan was persuaded to do an anti-drugs issue, dropping that oh-so-bloody- familiar logo off the top…

I loved a lot of the Metal Hurlant comics covers… maybe I should've brushed up on my ‘le crap’ level of French and bought & read some ! B-)

Definitely western, but there are always exceptions. As others have stated in various ways, it's all about the story.

I definitely thought this was going to be about genres when I clicked the title, haha.

I like both.
Pretty equally.
I also like superhero comics as well as indie books in the west. Mostly I just want interesting stories and characters, and I'll take it where and however it comes. Honestly, while there are definitely differences between western comics and manga, the things that draw me to both are pretty much the same. Some things are universal.