I'm wondering why it seems like everyone who's got an idea for writing a comic needs an artist to draw in some sort of manga/anime style? There's too much of that stuff out there already. Try something new.

This is painfully not WTH.

Um... I want to know why. I've searched through all sorts of forums with everyone wanting a manga artist for their comic idea.
If I caused you any pain, good.

You've searched the forums, but obviously never read the rules. WTH is for "interesting" pictures, videos, and stuff like that. Not a place to complain about magna.

Cthulhu is right. This is a wrong section for your topic. You'll want to put it under General and I think Comic Discussion works as well or if you're into serious debate about that thing, try Debate and Discussion.

And please read the rules before you post to ensure that you're posting correct topic in the correct forum.

regardless of weather or not this is the right forum or not its a question that needs answerd. basicly anime style is more collorfull than the normal style. also it allows you to draw in chibi form (and chibis are awsome) mainly its just more appealing to the eye for most people. (at least this is why i like anime style).

I agree that this isn't the right forum, but vgman's answer is too silly for me to just let go. Saying "Because it's awesome" insults everyone's intelligence. I think that if you look further than the Drunk Duck community you will find that manga is not as overpoweringly popular as it might seem around here. I have no problem with manga, but I can tell you that my illustration professor in college, who works in comic books and children's books, advised us not to concentrate on manga. There is no money in it. Manga and anime is overwhelmingly drawn overseas for very little money.


And there is pleanty of western style art that is both cute and colourful.

The reason they all want a manga artist is because loads of teenage boys watch some anime or play some game or read some comic and are like 'COOL! I could totally make something like that! ...but I can't draw. Okay! I'll go on a forum on the internet, 'cuz there are loads of manga artists there, an they'll see my awesome idea and want to draw it for me!'

If somebody wanted to make a gag strip, they wouldn't ask for an artist. They'd just make a gag strip to the best of their ability, even if it was with stick people. If you see a manga and think it's great and want to make one, but can't draw, it's more of a problem, since manga is highly visual, often more reliant on images than words. Rather than deciding 'oh, I'll learn to draw then' or 'hmm, I guess maybe I should write stories/make films/do another kind of comic instead', they're in love with the idea of manga and anime and determined to get an artist to draw their idea (until they get bored). What they really mean when they ask for a manga artist is usually 'I want somebody who can make my idea look like that cool anime/manga I saw!'
...It'd be okay if more of them had some comics writing skill.

And yeah, we're viewed as the hacks of the comic making world. People think we grow on trees, will draw any old crap you throw at us, because we're ONLY interested in what's 'kewl', and we have NO career prospects and it ALL looks like Pokemon really.
In other words, we find it just as annoying as you do.

Well Darth Mongoose is right, most of it is simply a ton of fan boys and girls who just watch NARUTO and want to make a total rip off of it. Sadly they cant draw worth crap because they never cared until anime so they hop on the internet for one.

Also Manga style has a much more wide variation of stories you can tell with it, while other styles usually tend to be more restrictive towards what story you can tell.

DemonSaintDante
Well Darth Mongoose is right, most of it is simply a ton of fan boys and girls who just watch NARUTO and want to make a total rip off of it. Sadly they cant draw worth crap because they never cared until anime so they hop on the internet for one.

Also Manga style has a much more wide variation of stories you can tell with it, while other styles usually tend to be more restrictive towards what story you can tell.

Not really. You can tell any kind of story with any kind of art drawn in any medium. Manga just traditionally embraces a wide range of subject matter (though we get a very narrow range of it shipped outside Japan). There's no reason not to do a comic about ninjas that's painted in he style of Vincent Van Gogh, or a comic about troubled housewives in the style of Mike Mignola.

Manga is the new "thing." I can't honestly call it a fad because it's been around since American print comics and European adventure comics (although it didn't really get popular in Japan until after WWII) but right now American publishers finally got over the stigma the manga aren't books, they're cheap, disposable comics. In Japan, manga is incredibly cheap and it's often printed on recycled paper. People buy them and read them everywhere and you can often find random manga as well as "ashcan" (9-12 page short stories) littering the garbage can because it's seriously worthless unless you're a collector.

Style is completely up to the artist. Jhonen Vasquez uses a style that encompasses bold lines, gritty hatching, and onomotopoeia filled dialog. Jeff Smith's style uses traditional cartoon style art. Ted Naifeh uses expert spotting blacks as well attention to eyes and facial expression.

What do those three artists have in common? Their stories cover a wide range of genres from comedy to drama. Style directly reflects "tone" and manga can cover both action and comedy.

Yeah, it's just a fad. It'll pass... or maybe not. Why should you honestly care if people only want big-head, large eyed characters in their stories?

Alexis
I have no problem with manga, but I can tell you that my illustration professor in college, who works in comic books and children's books, advised us not to concentrate on manga. There is no money in it. Manga and anime is overwhelmingly drawn overseas for very little money.

That is so so true, for some reason, people like to try and rip us off.


As far as wanting a manga artist, thats what most popular on cartoons now so most kids see an anime/ pesudo anime and wants to make one just like that. And thats what seems to be left now for the kinds. More and more comics are for older audiences but most people get into this entertainment as a younger kid. and we all know that younger kids have more time on their hands to do random stuff.

Ho-ho-ho. Ask me that question a year ago and I would be flipping out.

Let's be blunt. Most of these people who want artists that specialise in manga are probably young teens looking to emulate their favorite shows. I mean, if someone was an adult, I would suspect that they don't mind what kind of style it would be in. I agree with the notion that it is all a fad, however, I would be more eager to put that connotation to anime. Television is a more popular medium for the lil' 'uns, and they'll probably want to, like I said before, emulate them.

Why their desire of manga artists? Partly television.

Darth Mongoose
And yeah, we're viewed as the hacks of the comic making world.

The sweatshop blueprint of the manga and anime industry might have something to do with that. And that's not something a western artist can really do much about, especially in today's global economy.

;)

Darth Mongoose
There's no reason not to do a comic about ninjas that's painted in he style of Vincent Van Gogh, or a comic about troubled housewives in the style of Mike Mignola.

Like most DD folks, I enjoy reading a post by Darth Mongoose...But um...A ninja comic by Van Gogh??? Seriously though, she's more than a manga fan - she's an deep on the topic. REAL deep! As my students say - don't try and see her (translation - don't attempt to debate her on it...you'll lose).

I think every where you turn, there is either a MANGA or ANIME influence. Remember when they brought back He-Man a couple of years ago? The battle scenes alone had anime/manga flavor. And let's not forget that blitz in the 80's with the G.I. Joe series, Transformers of course, Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, the Canadian/French American made Thundercats and Silverhawk...MASK (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) - produced mostly by Japanese artists (uncredited)...even Inspector Gadget. Even the Teen Titans series!

Anime and manga is just...out there. It has a nice visual appeal. I cannot imagine Naruto being done by Ruby/Spears like Thundarr The Barbarian - Mike Mignola doing troubled housewives...yeah...he can do it! So long as Hellboy makes a guest appearance!

It's like attempting to REMAKE a classic film and failing miserably. I was a bit upset when the tried to remake Jonny Quest in the in the early 2000's. NOTHING like that classic art from back in the day. And the series bombed.

Anime/manga is just the right spice for certain recipes...not ALL...just some.

blntmaker
Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends,

I'm not sure Spidey and his amazing friends was animated by eastern artists. I could be wrong, but I think it was done over here. Maybe you mean one of the other spidey cartoons? Like the one from the 1990s?

A lot of it is age... as you grow older you realize your art can effect the story just as much as the story line itself... thats when variation takes place... You don't want card captor Sakura style art in a show about misery and drama.

krrobar
I'm wondering why it seems like everyone who's got an idea for writing a comic needs an artist to draw in some sort of manga/anime style? There's too much of that stuff out there already. Try something new.

I'm not a fan of manga, you wont find any manga on my pages. I do have a manga story i wrote though. didnt realize it was manga until it was done. eh. itll never get made though cuz i dont know any manga artists.

AQua_ng
I mean, if someone was an adult, I would suspect that they don't mind what kind of style it would be in.

Really?

SteveMyers22
I'm not sure Spidey and his amazing friends was animated by eastern artists. I could be wrong, but I think it was done over here. Maybe you mean one of the other spidey cartoons? Like the one from the 1990s?

Hmm. Okay, remember G.I. Joe and The Transformers? The art and much of the voice talent was also used with Spidey and His Amazing Friends. And it looks like there's an anime influence there.

Really seems like the talent is similar - I know that it was a Marvel Production but still, the talent is similar and the anime influence was there - Sunbow Productions is American - they did G.I. Joe.

I also remember that series called Jem.

If you look at the MARVEL ULTIMATE UNIVERSE there is a huge influence of ANIME in it

blntmaker
Hmm. Okay, remember G.I. Joe and The Transformers? The art and much of the voice talent was also used with Spidey and His Amazing Friends. And it looks like there's an anime influence there.

Now you make me want to go back and watch some episodes of Spidey and his Amazing Friends. I never really felt it had much of an anime flair to it. It felt to me a lot more like Challenge of the Super Friends and other more western cartoons. (I used to, when I was little be really into Star Blazers and Marine Boy as well as The Super Friends ... I freakin loved Star Blazers. And that was definitely an anime, heh).

Transformers felt very anime inspired. But then again, it was about robots. Tranzor Z came on earlier in the afternoon on weekdays too.

I don't know. I mean, the anime influence in the latter Marvel stuff is really apparent. Like the new Ultimate Iron Man straight to video cartoon. But Iceman, Firestar and Ms. Lion just seemed like your standard blocky chunky american cartooning to me.

I also remember that series called Jem.

Jem is excitement!

;)

A friend of mine from my last newspaper job is a huuuuuuuuuge Jem fan. She keeps me updated on things like Jem conventions and what not.

Anime/manga is not a fad. It's existed in Japan/Asian since post-WW2. And as long as the East tells stories which resonate more with the readership/audience in USA than the stilted shoehorned stories of Marvel/DC, anime/manga will continue to prosper in the USA.

In the end it's not entirely about the art. It's about the human desire for experiencing good refreshing stories.

However, it has to be said that anime/manga art may have a more vibrant appeal for the younger viewers. "Realistic" art is not always what's best.

Manga art is prolly not dominant across all age groups. However, because of DD's open door policy and easy use/access, younger (aspiring) creators may choose to congregate here. And they like anime art. And from there you'll find the annoying "Draw my story in anime style!" posts.

Most webcomickers don't really care what styles makes money, I'd wager.

I don't know why others like it so much, guess cause it is popular now.

I started drawing my stuff manga-ish back in 1995 because I sucked at drawing people and it looked like the anime style would be easier for me to learn and build from.

And then it didn't help that there are SO MANY how to draw manga books. So many more than other types. And I have a lot of art books. Plus my story seems more anime-ish as time progressed.

Someone
sucked at drawing people and it looked like the anime style would be easier for me to learn and build from.

Hmm. I know you don't mean it that way, but when somebody says that it just ticks me off.

"Yeah I draw in manga style cuz it is easier."
"LOL try drawing American styles it requires more skillz."

"Yeah check out my art back in college, back when my skills was less honed. Look, American style. Happy? My love affair with American superhero style is over. I've moved back to manga/anime style since then."

mlai

Someone
sucked at drawing people and it looked like the anime style would be easier for me to learn and build from.

Hmm. I know you don't mean it that way, but when somebody says that it just ticks me off.

same here, I take for ever redrawing a page

blntmaker
Hmm. Okay, remember G.I. Joe and The Transformers? The art and much of the voice talent was also used with Spidey and His Amazing Friends. And it looks like there's an anime influence there.

Really seems like the talent is similar - I know that it was a Marvel Production but still, the talent is similar and the anime influence was there - Sunbow Productions is American - they did G.I. Joe.

I also remember that series called Jem.

You also have to remember that there was a time when outsourcing the cel animation to Japan was cheaper than producing it with a studio in the US, so some series kinda had that anime look to them, but they were ultimately American.
Thats not really the case anymore, so now you're seeing more done in the U.S., especially since computers have made cels obsolete, but a lot more is done now in S. Korea. Even Japanese studios now are shipping animation for completion in S. Korea.


Oh and yes, I do that "anime/manga" style hated so much. It what I like and that makes me happy, sooooo, if someone hates it so much that they cant enjoy a story, then thats their personal preference too and they can go and like what they like. (thats in response to the guy who started this thread)

And btw, just out of curiosity, how do you "write a manga" and not realize it? o_O
Since manga basically is just a foreign word that means a comic. Thats like saying I wrote a comic and didnt realize it >.>
(I also dont believe manga is a genre.)

I wrote a story that, when I reread it, had tons of manga expressions in it. The way the faces change shape to show emotion sometimes. The over the top cartoonyness of the personalities. Also the story just felt more manga to me.

Anyway, Manga is used as a style in the context of this conversation. "The manga style" is not my cup of tea, but the story I had been working on really would have worked best as manga-- which I hadnt intended -- and now will never get made.

mlai
Hmm. I know you don't mean it that way, but when somebody says that it just ticks me off.

"Yeah I draw in manga style cuz it is easier."
"LOL try drawing American styles it requires more skillz."

"Yeah check out my art back in college, back when my skills was less honed. Look, American style. Happy? My love affair with American superhero style is over. I've moved back to manga/anime style since then."

I should have said it looked easier for me to draw at the time. I was like 15 :P

It's hard to explain my logic back then, just the features and shapes seemed to be easier for me to try and replicate. Or maybe it was because it actually gave me a way to focus how I drew.

Here are some pictures to illustrate my growth

http://www.justnopoint.com/~devonlegacy/art/old/list/1stcrap.jpg
This is how I drew at the age of 12 until about 15. As you can see I had no general direction for the way I would draw.

http://www.justnopoint.com/~devonlegacy/art/old/list/1stfenny.jpg
http://www.justnopoint.com/~devonlegacy/art/old/list/1stsally.jpg
At 15 I started trying to draw anime style because I thought it would be easier and I liked the way it looked. In actuality the fact that I finally gave myself a direction to draw in and actually began studying how to draw in that style made it easier for me. And made the art look better. Now, 11 years later, it is hard to believe Fenny and Sally started from what I showed above.

So yeah, giving myself an actual direction to draw made it easier to draw, at the time I just thought it was cause I chose anime style =P

I took a very quick look at your past and current art. Well it took you 11 years but you improved a ton. I was much farther along than you when I was 12 and 15, so my improvements, while significant as well, still isn't as reality-show-dramatic as yours.

Looking at your 12-15 y/o art, I would've said "Look, little girl, why don't you go find a hobby you'd have a chance at, like soccer or something." Because I would've considered such a level at age 12-15 to mean "hopeless cause."

But you've shown that hard work beats even a late start! Keep improving, you've got more ground to cover yet!