WHY DOES MANGA SUCCEED WHERE AMERICAN COMICS FAIL?
According to Frederick L. Schodt’s recent book, Dreamland Japan, “almost 2 billion manga books and magazines were sold in Japan in 1995, which means over 15 manga-related items for every person in Japan. The manga industry boasts $6 billion in annual revenues, which amounts to a staggering $50 spent on manga for every Japanese person.” That means that nearly “every Japanese person” is a consumer of Manga in one form or another. THE EXPERTS: -Frederik L. Schodt (www.jai2.com) is the author of two highly respected books on Japanese comic art — Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics and Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga — among other writings. -Tony Leonard Tamai (www.tonikoro.com) is an American Manga artist now residing in Nagoya, Japan. TAMAI is currently working on a project called Godland with Hollywood Comics (www.hollywoodcomics.com/leonard.html) for the Japanese market, and is a respected member of the PLASTIC ANIMAL STUDIOS collective (www.plasticanimal.com). -Keith
