David Carus - Author
  • HOME
  • BIO
    • PHOTOS
  • BOOKS
    • SAGE VECTOR AND THE BOOK OF SPACE
    • SAGE VECTOR COMPLETE SERIES
    • SUPER ARTIST
    • ARTISTS RUN THIS PLANET
    • HIP HOP WILL SAVE THE WORLD
    • X-RAY VISION
  • SPEAKING
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT

Are We Driving Japanese Cars Because Of Manga? Why America Needs to Read Comic Books Again.

5/21/2012

7 Comments

 
Picture
It may not be apparent at first, but I know there is a strong connection between the fact that so many Americans are driving Japanese cars (and using Japanese electronics of course) and so many Japanese people reading Manga (the Japanese word for comic book) and so few Americans reading comic books anymore. It is my opinion that comic books play a very strong role in the development of imagination because they literally transport one into a completely different reality, into a world which sometimes looks like our world but where anything is possible. And I truly believe that it is the imaginations cultivated by comic books that yield forward thinking, future-minded individuals which produce innovations such as better cars and electronics which push mankind forward. If Americans are driving Japanese cars it is because they are currently emerged in a culture which calls comic book fans nerds and losers, tells the artist he will starve and struggle and calls crazy anyone that does not tow the line.

What about Japan? Well, it is said that over 40% of all printed material in Japan is manga. When you ride the train in Japan you see people of all ages, business professionals as well as young people, reading manga. They show up every week excited for the new manga releases and their entire manga industry far out produces the United States and every other country. It is the number comic book consuming country on planet Earth. Manga artists and writers also significantly out produce their American counter-parts, creating a culture where artists are highly respected and admired. And while American comic book reading continues to slip, Japanese manga sales continue to climb, especially in America and Europe.

To give more understanding of the current American comic book scene, let's examine the title "Batman" by DC Comics, long used as the bar in which to judge all title sales because it is one of the most steady sellers. Well, a typical issue of Batman, released once a month, will usually sell 50,000 to maybe 80,000 copies in the United States. Not the sales figure you were expecting right? In a country of 311 million people you would think the number would be higher. If only 1% of all Americans read comic books that would be 3.1 million people showing up to their local comic book shops each week, but sadly the actual number of comic book readers is tiny. And this from a country that invented the comic book and super heroes. This is from the country that created "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight" and a slew of Hollywood blockbusters based on comic books.

I'm an American. I drive a Honda. I read comic books but I also read manga. I want to be where imagination is and follow those that nurture and encourage it. We let the automobile slip away from us and the comic book too, but it doesn't mean we couldn't reverse the trend and reclaim our top spot. As I write this Elon Musk at Tesla Motors out in California is building one the greatest electric cars on Earth and great American comic book writers and artists are creating the stories that will be the next big Hollywood blockbuster. Rethink what is happening in our world and figure out how you can play a part in creating a more ideal one: filled with better technologies and better art. Let's make a world where our imaginations are let loose to create so maybe one day there will be less need of doctors and lawyers and more need of artists and writers. After all, nothing heals or helps more than art does.
Join my mailing list to receive new blog posts and updates.
7 Comments
    Picture

    David Carus

    I'm David Carus. From overcoming one of the most dangerous cities in the country and graduating from one of the most prestigious colleges in America to leading an educational movement as a teacher and running for Congress at the age of 25, I decided the best hope our world has is through art.

    From my days at Georgetown University performing spoken word poetry to later recording hip hop music under my own record company to writing books such as "Hip Hop Will Save The World," I have created this website and blog to help positive-minded artists and creators be successful.

    JOIN MY MAILING LIST

    Archives

    June 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    Categories

    All
    2 Year Old Street Performer
    9/11
    Amazon Kindle
    An Artist's Approach To Parenting
    Anyes Greene
    Apple
    Arcane Insignia
    Artist Marketing
    Artists
    Artist Self Confidence
    Artist Self-confidence
    Artists Run This Planet
    Automobiles
    Avengers
    Batman
    Beatles
    Being An Artist Dad
    Biggest Movie Star In The World
    Blogging
    Bob Dylan
    Building A Fan Base
    Challenge
    Clerks Story
    Communication
    Copy Machine
    David Carus
    Decision
    Digital Publishing
    Disneyland
    Doubting Yourself As An Artist
    Edgar Allen Poe
    Elections
    Elvis Presley
    Emily Hagins
    Fahrenheit 451
    Famous
    Filmmaking
    Frida Kahlo
    George Lucas
    Giving Up
    Greatest Rapper Of All Time
    Guest Blogging
    Heartbreak Hotel
    Hip Hop
    How To Build Confidence As An Artist
    How To Handle Critics
    How To Make A Living As An Artist
    How To Use The Internet As An Artist
    I Created
    Inspiration
    Inventor
    IPod Marketing
    Japan
    Jay-Z
    Jeopardy
    Joss Whedon
    Kanye West
    Kevin Smith
    Lana Del Rey
    Large Crowds
    Manga
    Marketing Is An Art
    Marvel
    Matt Damon
    Merchandising
    Merv Griffin
    Michael Jackson
    Miley Cyrus
    Movie Review
    Musicians
    My Sucky Teen Romance
    Never Slow Down
    Obama
    One True Fan
    Overnight Success
    Parenting Tips
    Pathogen
    Philo Farnsworth
    Politics
    Purpose
    Quitting
    Ray Bradbury
    Reading Books
    Rock N Roll
    Rocky
    Sage Kal-El Carus
    Save The World Being An Artist
    Science Fiction
    Screenwriting
    Sixto Rodriguez
    Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs
    Social Media
    Spider-Man
    Stan Lee
    Star Wars
    Steve Jobs
    Story Of How They Did It
    Superheroes
    Superman
    Sylvester Stallone
    Television
    The Amazing Spider-Man
    The Avengers
    The Beatles
    The Future Of Reading
    Theme Song
    The Road Of Life
    The Wright Brothers
    Tom Cruise
    Tone Scale
    Vma Performance
    Walt Disney
    What He Did To Make It
    Why Everybody Needs A Blog
    Why Famous
    Writing
    X-Ray Poetz
    Youth

    RSS Feed

PURPOSE

"My purpose is to uplift mankind using art and help other artists do the same."

MAILING LIST

Join Now
Picture

FOLLOW ME

  • HOME
  • BIO
    • PHOTOS
  • BOOKS
    • SAGE VECTOR AND THE BOOK OF SPACE
    • SAGE VECTOR COMPLETE SERIES
    • SUPER ARTIST
    • ARTISTS RUN THIS PLANET
    • HIP HOP WILL SAVE THE WORLD
    • X-RAY VISION
  • SPEAKING
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT