Are We Driving Japanese Cars Because Of Manga? Why America Needs to Read Comic Books Again.5/21/2012 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.
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I was there opening day for Marvel Studios' "The Avengers" and it was a flawless execution of one of the most anticipated superhero movies of all time. Joss Whedon, the writer and director of the movie did an amazing job establishing and introducing each character and putting them into situations that were believable and interesting. The story moves and flows right along from the very beginning and you're never, ever bored. By the time the Avengers team is really formed and the action starts, you realize that this is something never really seen on film, at least to this level of perfection. Never before have we seen such incredible action sequences and fluid camera shots of one superhero going to another and then another and then another and then another. It's extremely exciting to see the visual feast of what a real world would look like with superheroes in it, fighting to save the world.
Previous superhero movies mostly featured one superhero fighting one villain or one villain and his army but this is really the first time we get to see a real superhero team fighting together and what that would really look like. Ok, there were the X-Men films which were great, but the level of production and special effects that went into this movie are leaps above. Maybe it was Joss Whedon's ability to draw out the personalities of each hero and get them into just the right scenes but "The Avengers" is a special, unique, never before seen kind of superhero movie. It could not possibly disappoint and by all indications, appears to be on track to be one of the biggest movie openings of all time, superhero film or not. It's a great film period. Make sure to stay after the initial credits for a "hidden" scene and then stay after the full credits for a second "hidden" scene. Join my mailing list to receive new blog posts and updates. |
David CarusI'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. Archives
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