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[Hsieh]

I actually do read American comics and like them, but I dislike how American comics tend to lack focus. This is inevitably a consequence of having long running superhero comics run continuously for decades and needing to be open ended to continue to run perpetually. A series will constantly change creative teams, have their stories interrupted to tie into a company wide crossover, have certain characters pulled from a series because the editors require them to appear in another series. The story will sometimes branch out into many different titles requiring to buy various tie-ins in addition to the main series to get the full story or a comic will reference a story that happened in some comic 50 years ago that you've never read before.

What I like about manga is how you can start from volume 1 of a series and then follow all of the volumes of the series sequentially and get the full story. The full run of the series will contain a complete story and have the same creative team on the entire run of series. The smaller non-superhero American comics also do this so it's not necessarily something unique to manga, it's just that the American comics that do this get a lot less attention than the big superhero comics. With manga almost all of the major series are like this.

 

[GAMEPROFF]

its something ive noticed with people reluctant to start with western comics. if you take it in the sense that you need to read it all, its heavy, but most comics have short synopsizes in them to help brand new readers

Maybe the high numbers are the problem here. I admit that it really can be a bit overwhelming, when you want to buy a Batman comic and you can choose between Batman 735, Detective Comics 874 and Batman The Dark Knight 699.

 

[MisterHero]

I am often turned off of American comics by how quickly they change artists and writers even within a single title. There is no consistency. On top of that you can have five titles covering the same character, all of which vary in art and tone. There are relatively few cases of one author and one writer having consistent control over a story for years at a time these days in mainstream American comics.

In a related issue, it is also hard to know where to start. If you are interested in a mange series, you can just start with the first volume of the series and read it in order until you reach the end. For American comicbooks, there aren't really start points or endpoints, just various disconnected runs and story-arcs to try and piece together.

Combining these two points, a lot of popular American comics lack a coherent form. A series like Batman isn't really one story, it is a huge amalgam of hundreds of completely different stories and even characters all mashed together. It is a lot harder to really get into. In comparison I am a huge fan of stuff like Bruce Timm's DCAU, since that dodges all of those problems. I actually like superhero stuff. But I can't get past the chaotic jumble of actually trying to figure out what to actually read.

Marvel and DC have been really good about publishing complete story arcs in collected form shortly after the individual issues have released. That includes stories that cross different series.

That kind of makes it worse for the regular comics though.

 

[Avixph]

I am often turned off of American comics by how quickly they change artists and writers even within a single title. There is no consistency. On top of that you can have five titles covering the same character, all of which vary in art and tone. There are relatively few cases of one author and one writer having consistent control over a story for years at a time these days in mainstream American comics.

In a related issue, it is also hard to know where to start. If you are interested in a mange series, you can just start with the first volume of the series and read it in order until you reach the end. For American comicbooks, there aren't really start points or endpoints, just various disconnected runs and story-arcs to try and piece together.

Combining these two points, a lot of popular American comics lack a coherent form. A series like Batman isn't really one story, it is a huge amalgam of hundreds of completely different stories and even characters all mashed together. It is a lot harder to really get into. In comparison I am a huge fan of stuff like Bruce Timm's DCAU, since that dodges all of those problems. I actually like superhero stuff. But I can't get past the chaotic jumble of actually trying to figure out what to actually read.

If you are planning to read DC super hero comics just save yourself the trouble and start with the New 52 line.

 

[Aquamarine]

Goodness, so much predjustice in this thread. I knew that people are easily swayed to put manga down, but comics?

First of all: both are big media with a wide range of genres. Yes, the US-market is dominated by superhero comics, but that doesen't mean that there are no other comics. Plus, what someone already mentioned, the west is far more than america. You should just care too look a bit into comics beyond DC's and Marvel's superhero universes.

Personally I'm a real fan of French comics. Some talented comics made over in Europe. Same with the French TV Animation scene...that has really surprised me over the years in terms of quality.


I also read a lot of Manhwa (Korean comics). Not all that much Manhua (Chinese + Hong Kong + Taiwanese comics) though.

 

[GAMEPROFF]

Of course not.
But you have 42 volumes that contain the full story.

So its the same as superhero comics?

 

[Soriku]

Hope I dont get shit for this but, whats so great about it? I read a little and it felt like any other shonen battle manga.

For part 3 at least, it has a lot of style compared to others, due in part to the Western influence (though this can be extended to the rest of Jojo) as well as the whole globetrotting aspect.

 

[Hyperactivity]

There are a bunch of comics
Don't know much about the DC MArvel superhero kind, so wont comment there

But I read a crap ton of Calvin&Hobbes and the like

 

[Earthpainting]

I'm not super big on Japanese comics, but I do admit I like them more than the typical American stuff. There are exceptions, but I usually find superheroes pretty uninteresting and lame, which takes a huge chunk out of that whole scene. This applies to movies as well.

I'm more into the old European style of comics. Stuff like Tintin, Asterix and Spirou, or similar things in feel like Don Rosa's work. They tend to be more playful and adventurous, and don't feel like they are trying to be cool.

 

[Kite]

What I like about manga is that they're willing to make one about any topic imaginable. I've read ones about the weirdest things like wine tasting, baking bread, making curry, playing obscure card games.. Right now I'm reading about about Japanese calligraphy and it is actually pretty damn interesting.. who would have thunk it? I remember skimming one at the book store about the history of instant noodles (lol).

I like American comics because they're deep and adult stories are more familiar and easier for me to pick up and enjoy, I'm not fighting weird translation and cultural oddities that get in the way. Now if only they'd be willing to branch out some more and explore new and fresh topics besides super heroes, horror and gritty crime.

 

[Riposte]

I more or less stopped reading superhero comics after getting burnout on a countless yet pointless crossover events where New York City got exploded and marketing/politics surrounding characters coming before world building and progression. The vast interconnected worlds of DC and Marvel are probably their most special quality, but it has its downsides. I don't really care to read non-superhero comics at this time. I'm even more willing to read manga I don't like, but have some investment in because it's fast and on the way to what I do like.

One thing I've thinking about just recently is how there's virtually no western comic I've read that can deliver fighting scenes a fraction as interesting as what occurs constantly the time in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, although that's picking the pinnacle of the style I'm talking about. Fight scenes among superheroes are usually just used as a means to push the plot forward, showcase a rather straightforward skill/power set (e.g., "Watch Batman punch these guys real fast because he's a master ninja") or demonstrate an advantage, or be the climax where the words being said is more important than the action. I could totally understand why someone may prefer the action superheroes of Japanese comics because of that.

 

[Parallax]

I am often turned off of American comics by how quickly they change artists and writers even within a single title. There is no consistency. On top of that you can have five titles covering the same character, all of which vary in art and tone. There are relatively few cases of one author and one writer having consistent control over a story for years at a time these days in mainstream American comics.

In a related issue, it is also hard to know where to start. If you are interested in a mange series, you can just start with the first volume of the series and read it in order until you reach the end. For American comicbooks, there aren't really start points or endpoints, just various disconnected runs and story-arcs to try and piece together.

Combining these two points, a lot of popular American comics lack a coherent form. A series like Batman isn't really one story, it is a huge amalgam of hundreds of completely different stories and even characters all mashed together. It is a lot harder to really get into. In comparison I am a huge fan of stuff like Bruce Timm's DCAU, since that dodges all of those problems. I actually like superhero stuff. But I can't get past the chaotic jumble of actually trying to figure out what to actually read.

capes comics are very carte blanche. you can pick up at a point and start there. all fans have had to do this, and transition with little problems. you get interested in a certain character? you can go back and read comics related to said character. they really arent that complicated. the art thing i feel. nothing worse than starting a series with an artist you like only to be saddled with greg land midway

 

[UltraGunner]

(I'm assuming you mean DC/Marvel stuff)

Manga is just much more easier to read than typical US comics. If your interested in a series you get vol. 1 and continue onward. If I want to read say, Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin, I'm gonna have to read Final Crisis, which means I'll have to Read Batman R.I.P, which means I have to read Infinite Crisis, etc. etc.

Canon stacked within canon like a Matryoshka doll is the best way I can describe the DC/Marvel universe. That is not at all appealing to people not already engrossed in the canon.

 

[KPJZKC]

Almost everything that came out of 2000AD is golden. Unfortunately most superhero stuff is absolute trash.

 

[SkyOdin]

Marvel and DC have been really good about publishing complete story arcs in collected form shortly after the individual issues have released. That includes stories that cross different series.

That kind of makes it worse for the regular comics though.

If you are planning to read DC super hero comics just save yourself the trouble and start with the New 52 line.

I'm not really interested in just story arcs, though. I'm interested in complete stories. Something with a beginning, a middle, and end that encapsulates a number of story arcs where the status quo evolves and dramatically changes. I know enough about Marvel and DC to not expect that from their superhero comics.

 

[Parallax]

(I'm assuming you mean DC/Marvel stuff)

Manga is just much more easier to read than typical US comics. If your interested in a series you get vol. 1 and continue onward. If I want to read say, Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin, I'm gonna have to read Final Crisis, which means I'll have to Read Batman R.I.P, which means I have to read Infinite Crisis, etc. etc.

Canon stacked within canon like a Matryoshka doll is the best way I can describe the DC/Marvel universe. That is not at all appealing to people not already engrossed in the canon.

you never have to read final crisis. noone does or should. but why would you have to read infinite crisis to enjoy that series?

 

[BigJonsson]

I am Groot?


I only like superhero comics

Manga never caught my eye

 

[sploatee]

Just to reiterate that Western comics are so, so much more than superhero comics. I have no interest whatsoever in superhero comics and there are mountains of amazing things out there to read - check out anything published by Drawn and Quarterly (my favourite publisher!) just for starters.

 

[MaschinenZimmer]

Thats what the internet is for.
Never understood this problem. Look it up on Wikipedia, it takes 5 minutes.

It takes more than 5 minutes. Carnage is a rather small character in the Marvel universe but just take a look at his wikipage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnage_(comics)

After reading this, you still have no idea what happened with Spidey. Then you read the Spiderman one, than the one from Dr. Octopus, then Venom...

So I can start in the middle of, for exemple, Dragon Ball and understand everything?

I don't read DB but you can still buy the first volume and start reading up to the latest volume. My local comic store always have the first volumes of the big series like One Piece for newcomers. Where do I start reading something like X-Men? It's just easier to get into Mangas than into Marvel/DC material. That doesn't mean that they are bad, they are just not very easy for newcomers to get hooked.

 

[Hsieh]

So its the same as superhero comics?

No, with Dragon Ball, there's only one series to read. You can start from volume 1 and read the entire series in order. There are no tie in mini-series, no company wide crossover events interrupting the series, no expansive shared universe going back to the 1930s, you don't have buy other series to get the entire story. There are no creative team changes, the entire 42 volumes series is written and drawn by one cartoonist.

Dragon Ball is actually a little bit worse than most manga series in this regard in that early on in the series there is a crossover in the main series which is rather rare for manga.

 

[Azuran]

Of course not.
But you have 42 volumes that contain the full story.

In the end, that's more ridiculous than comics. You can easily enjoy a comic book story without having to read 41 previous books. For example, you don't need to read any Spidey story from the 60 and 70's to perfectly understand Kraven's Last Hunt.

The big issue I always found with people that dislike comics is that they always want to start right from the beginning. What they fail to realize is that most stories tend to be self contained and you can easily pick up anything you need from the to follow and understand future stories.

 

[MisterHero]

I'm not really interested in just story arcs, though. I'm interested in complete stories. Something with a beginning, a middle, and end that encapsulates a number of story arcs where the status quo evolves and dramatically changes. I know enough about Marvel and DC to not expect that from their superhero comics.

Marvel and DC are both capable of doing what you ask for (Damian Wayne, Superior Spider-Man, etc.). They're just a little reboot-happy sometimes.

 

[Parallax]

In the end, that's more ridiculous than comics. You can easily enjoy a comic book story without having to read 41 previous books. For example, you don't need to read any Spidey story from the 60 and 70's to perfectly understand Kraven's Last Hunt.

The big issue I always found with people that dislike comics is that they always want to start right from the beginning. What they fail to realize is that most stories tend to be self contained and you can easily pick up anything you need from the to follow and understand future stories.

that seems to be the issue many capes readers argue against.

 

[Chariot]

Its unfair if we're comparing manga from only 1 country (Japan) with the whole Western countries.

Yes, it's a bit unfair too to deny the franco-belgian comics their own position. But even if you only look at the american comics, there is more than superhero comics.

 

[UltraGunner]

you never have to read final crisis. noone does or should. but why would you have to read infinite crisis to enjoy that series?

Just an example. If you're like me I read most of all of Final Crisis because I couldn't stand references to events I have no idea about I had to read all of the Final Crisis titles and to understand that I had to read countdown which meant I had to read IC. Of course no one SHOULD read any of those series since their crap but being the stickler for canon that I am (or was at least) I did anyway. But just seeing all the backlog reading can intimidate people despite most comic arcs trying their best to have a "jumping in" point.

 

[Finaika]

I don't read DB but you can still buy the first volume and start reading up to the latest volume. My local comic store always have the first volumes of the big series like One Piece for newcomers. Where do I start reading something like X-Men? It's just easier to get into Mangas than into Marvel/DC material. That doesn't mean that they are bad, they are just not very easy for newcomers to get hooked.

Read the 1963 X-Men #1.

 

[MaschinenZimmer]

Yes, it's a bit unfair too to deny the franco-belgian comics their own position. But even if you only look at the american comics, there is more than superhero comics.

And Spain! SPAIN! I LOVE Clever & Smart.

 

[Parallax]

Just an example. If you're like me I read most of all of Final Crisis because I couldn't stand references to events I have no idea about I had to read all of the Final Crisis titles and to understand that I had to read countdown which meant I had to read IC. Of course no one SHOULD read any of those series since their crap but being the stickler for canon that I am (or was at least) I did anyway. But just seeing all the backlog reading can intimidate people despite most comic arcs trying their best to have a "jumping in" point.

i dont get that intimidation.mainly because that has never been an issue for me. ive stopped reading comings for short bursts and have always been able to pick up and start again. no worrying about back stories(unless its something that im interested in) no worries about what im missing, but just enjoying the ride.

 

[sphagnum]

Mostly art styles.

edit: The only comics I regularly read are IDW's Transformers comics.

 

[Alx]

I read all kinds of comics, America, European or Asian. But there are common things I dislike in many American Comics :

• Composition It's usually all over the place, without any flow between the strips. It sometimes seems that the author just wanted to cut crazy shapes in his page or have his characters exit the borders just because it looks cool. A great composition can give life to a page, but a bad one will kill it.
• Graphical consistence Many series can switch from one author to another, and it is especially annoying when the visuals change too much. Sandman is one of my favorite serie, but the main thing I dislike with it is that the drawings can go from gorgeous to not that good.
• Colors Colors used in US comics are usually too vibrant and saturated, even worse when they're too obviously computer-generated.
• Continuity Many comics try too hard to tie everything together, adding cross-references to other series that aren't really required. Just focus on your own universe, unless you're specifically doing a cross-over.

 

[GAMEPROFF]

It takes more than 5 minutes. Carnage is a rather small character in the Marvel universe but just take a look at his wikipage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnage_(comics)

After reading this, you still have no idea what happened with Spidey. Then you read the Spiderman one, than the one from Dr. Octopus, then Venom...

Good. Then it takes 10 minutes.

Where do I start reading something like X-Men?

You should start reading X-Men, when a new Writer joins the serie. Seems pretty easy to me.

No, with Dragon Ball, there's only one series to read.You can start from volume 1 and read the entire series in order.

But, but there are Dragonball Z and GT! Its so strange an confusing!

(Can I start reading Dragonball Z without Knowledge of Dragonball? I think not, I think its way to hard to get the informations, why Son Goku is dead and all this stuff and why are there people with Ape-Tails and why are there so many Aliens so suddenly?)

There are no tie in mini-series, no company wide crossover events interrupting the series, no expansive shared universe going back to the 1930s,

I still dont understand the difficulty in using Google to search for a summary.

you don't have buy other series to get the entire story.

Then buy a paperback with all collected series for the event. They are pretty common.

here are no creative team changes, the entire 42 volumes series is written and drawn by one cartoonist.

I would say this a disadvantage.

Dragon Ball is actually a little bit worse than most manga series in this regard in that early on in the series there is a crossover in the main series which is rather rare for manga.

So people who pick up issue 527 of Detective Conan arent confused, why this little boy acts like a teenage dude? Or people who want to pick up Ranma 1/2 issue 787 why this girl can change into a boy?

 

[Aquamarine]

I would say this a disadvantage.

Well, it allows the creator to publish their vision of the characters and the plot and have that stand as the complete story.

Bob Kane and Bill Finger have absolutely no idea about the millions of different directions Batman has gone after their deaths...and I'm not sure they would have approved of many of it.

But Manga is always creator-led. The characters and stories are very unique to the creator who has a vision for their beginning, middle, and end. I like that integrity over many people re-using your characters in their own, countless storylines.

 

[ReiGun]

Hell of a lot of generalizing going on in here.

I just want an engaging read. I've got ghost in the shell next to Watchmen and some Deadpool collections. I buy what interests me, regardless of where it came from.

You winning out here.

Comics are awesome, regardless of country of origin.

 

[Grenouille]

This too.

Why do superheroes have muscles?

they are fun and easy to draw

 

[Diprosalic]

I've picked up many issues of superhero comics where people told me you have to know nothing going in but then there's always a guy who i don't know who has a power which i don't know where he has it from and other characters come in and that's supposed to be a big event and the hero goes to talk to people about something i've never heard off. Usually i read about 5 books until i quit because i have absolutely no fucking idea what just happened.

that's why i like the comic book movies, i know everything about everyone and if not, i'm not supposed to.

If i read american comics it's 100% self contained finished runs, there's a lot of good non DC/Marvel stuff.

 

[Finaika]

I've picked up many issues of superhero comics where people told me you have to know nothing going in but then there's always a guy who i don't know who has a power which i don't know where he has it from and other characters come in and that's supposed to be a big event and the hero goes to talk to people about something i've never heard off. Usually i read about 5 books until i quit because i have absolutely no fucking idea what just happened.

Wikipedia.

 

[ReiGun]

As someone who only started reading DC/Marvel comics about 6 years ago (and I'm talking coming in completely fresh; the only comics I had read before I was 19 were manga and some old Digimon tie in comics), seeing people say how utterly impossible it is to get into comics confound me. It really is as easy is finding some books that interest you and reading them. I liked Batman and Spider-Man, so I started reading Batman and Spider-Man and spread out from there. Nothing easier. I've had friends who have all had similar experiences (I was the one who got some of them into it). And we got in before Dc and Marvel started rolling out new universes and restarting series every week.

Comics nowadays bend over backwards to make things easier for new readers. Crossovers are much more infrequent outside of big events, which more and more are confined to their own books. All relevant information is usually explained in the books you're reading. I really do not see the difficulty here.

 

[Randam]

If you are planning to read DC super hero comics just save yourself the trouble and start with the New 52 line.

Where you still have 5 or so different batman series.

 

[Gintamen]

but most comics have short synopsizes in them to help brand new readers

Manga have synopsis too, you just have to buy the volume instead of reading an illegal scan.

 

[ReiGun]

Where you still have 5 or so different batman series.

You don't need to read all of them.

 

[Funky Papa]

And Spain! SPAIN! I LOVE Clever & Smart.

I never thought I'd see some Ibañez praise @ GAF

I think it's a bit unfair to reduce all American comics to superheroes, even if they are the most popular characters right now. There's also a great deal of exciting alt stuff out there. Hell, Ghost World may be one of my favourite comics ever.

And if we include Europe as part of the Western comic-sphere... Jesus. There's just so many incredible stuff out there, from Moebius' high space fantasy to trashier affairs like RanXerox, not to mention 2000AD if you want the European counterpunch to DC and Marvel.

Corto Maltese blew my away in my teens with its rare mix of old school adventures, history and politics, and Blacksad is one of the finest series in recent years.

 

[Bubble Metropolis]

I appreciate a lot of Western comics, particularly independents, but I think that in itself reveals why I prefer manga: many Western comics seem sterile and impersonal. For an example, Wonder Woman belongs to many different authors throughout the years, and everyone who takes over her character, even if its in the creation of a new arc, has certain rules and guidelines for that character and universe which they must follow. There are some occasions and authors for whom these sorts of guidelines are broken, and who are allowed to mould Western comic characters into something more uniquely their own, but it seems rare. But the system of comics creation in the West isn't an entirely bad thing—as I said, this is just the reason for my preference for manga—I still like Western comics, even of the superhero variety.

Manga can fall victim to similar faults of feeling impersonal and sterile (for example, in an attempt to catch onto popular tropes), but my number one gripe with manga is that it's certainly over-saturated. There's too much. Even in the English market, there was a point during the US anime boom where any-goddamn-thing was being brought over (Even as a teen reading Pulp I recognized that Heartbroken Angels is some straight garbage).* The amount of new manga that pops up all over the place is astounding. But I appreciate that the content of most of those manga are true reflections of the individual creating them, and I also appreciate that it's seemingly so easy to get your thoughts and creations out there.

*I'm willing to admit that that could be a fault in localization as people lazily rushed translations to hit the market to catch the boom in popularity.

 

[ReiGun]

I appreciate a lot of Western comics, particularly independents, but I think that in itself reveals why I prefer manga: many Western comics seem sterile and impersonal. For an example, Wonder Woman belongs to many different authors throughout the years, and everyone who takes over her character, even if its in the creation of a new arc, has certain rules and guidelines for that character and universe which they must follow. There are some occasions and authors for whom these sorts of guidelines are broken, and who are allowed to mould Western comic characters into something more uniquely their own, but it seems rare. But the system of comics creation in the West isn't an entirely bad thing—as I said, this is just the reason for my preference for manga—I still like Western comics, even of the superhero variety.

Manga can fall victim to similar faults of feeling impersonal and sterile (for example, in an attempt to catch onto popular tropes), but my number one gripe with manga is that it's certainly over-saturated. There's too much. Even in the English market, there was a point during the US anime boom where any-goddamn-thing was being brought over (Even as a teen reading Pulp I recognized that Heartbroken Angels is some straight garbage).* The amount of new manga that pops up all over the place is astounding. But I appreciate that the content of most of those manga are true reflections of the individual creating them, and I also appreciate that it's seemingly so easy to get your thoughts and creations out there.

*I'm willing to admit that that could be a fault in localization as people lazily rushed translations to hit the market to catch the boom in popularity.

Interesting that you used Wonder Woman as your example, given that of the major superheroes, she's probably the most creator-driven of the bunch. DC has always been open to letting people come in and, within reason, do their own thing with Wonder Woman. I see your general point though.

 

[Parallax]

Manga have synopsis too, you just have to buy the volume instead of reading an illegal scan.

that wasnt a dig at manga, but the notion that capes are impossible to get into

 

[mollipen]

As someone who tends to prefer manga, I don't like the open-endedness of Western comics. I want a beginning -> middle -> end. Reaching issue #563 or whatever just seems ridiculous to me, and I can't at all get emotionally invested in the story if it's just this continually-running thing.

To be fair, some manga titles run for ridiculous lengths, but I also tend to avoid those as well. And, to be clear, there are plenty of manga titles out there that don't have one solid, planned-out storyline, but I at least feel like almost anything I may pick up will make progress toward an ending as it goes along. If there's something that I really like, I want it to end—and not ending will make me not like it.

And, as others have said, I also tend to prefer things beyond just superhero stories—though, of course, it's not fair to say there aren't other types of tales in Western comics. And I've got nothing against Western comics.

 

[Ikael]

One person must be extremely close-minded in order to just shut off to a whole medium of expression just because of its origin.

I enjoy almost any comic as long as it is creative. The Boys, Sandman, Shikigami, The caste of the metabarons, Mother Sarah, Black Sad... they are all at my home, but I can understand what can put people off American comics:


- Some people simply don't like the "standard American comic aestethic". Far too muscled, too campy, too saturated for many people's tastes

- Other people are simply not into Superheroes. I know, I know, it is not as if every western or American comic is about them, but this is like the whole "manga = waifu" thing. When you have an overwhelmingly dominant genre, it becomes the medium's staple

- Also, a big part of the comic industry catters to a very specific, narrow nerd-ish market of young male adults. If you happen to fall out of that demographic you will find little to suit your tastes

- And finally, my personal pet peeve: multi-serial numbers with uber-continuities, paralel universes, 54 different authors, boatloads of background information required for their reading, ridiculous fixation on continuity, time shifts and 2933 issues per week are shit. Utter, unrepentant shit. It's not the lenght of the series itself, it's its very concept of not trying to tell a self-contained meaningful story but rather to just offer fan wankery material on a serialized form because apparently, super cool battlez and continuity are more important than plot, characters or aestethics. Just awful, yet it makes the bulk of some comic book stores

 

[Kurita]

Both Shonen manga and Superhero comics are awful. Beyond those two genres I have found stuff I like no matter where it comes from. Good story is a good story.

"Shonen" isn't a genre. You mean shonen action manga I guess.

Personally I can't get into super hero comics because it takes itself too seriously for what it is imo. Also, why the fuck do you have to reboot everything. At least most manga series are One series = One author (or a duo).
At least your average fighting manga knows its audience is kids and teenagers so it's still good fun.
I also think there are more themes in manga that I find appealing. You have sports stuff, lots of really great slice of life series...
Franco-belgian comics are great though, better than American comics imo

 

[dorkkaos]

I like both. My favorite western comic is calvin and hobbes and my favorite manga is yotsuba...

 

[Shaanyboi]

Where you still have 5 or so different batman series.

I'll narrow it down for you. Pick up Scott Snyder's Batman in trade, starting with Court of Owls, and you're pretty much fine. There.

 

[curlyfriski]

Good.

But, but there are Dragonball Z and GT! Its so strange an confusing!

(Can I start reading Dragonball Z without Knowledge of Dragonball? I think not, I think its way to hard to get the informations, why Son Goku is dead and all this stuff and why are there people with Ape-Tails and why are there so many Aliens so suddenly?)

That's the anime. Dragonball manga is just Dragonball.