American Manga... Generation Huh?

[doronjosama]

Over at AnimeNewsNetwork, there's an article about a new book coming out called Mangaka America. Basically, a who's who kind of book, featuring the new generation of American manga artists. Seems like a good idea, right? Well, yes, and while I am delighted that my friend Adam Warren is writing the foreword and that veterans like shutterbox and rikkisimons are finally getting some good press (despite their last name being misspelled, again, sheesh), I have issues with the comments on the article. In particular, one comment where someone says, and I quote directly, (all original spelling, punctuation and grammar preserved):

"i glad american manga-ka are getting more in the spotlight.

the first generation of manga ka!"

Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up there, Tex... FIRST generation? Oh, I don't think so. To be quite technical, the first generation of American manga artists (or "manga-ka", as they are so trendily being called now, though the word "manga-ka" just means "comic artist" if you talk to a Japanese person, so even Greg Land would be called that if he went to Japan- he would just be an amecomi manga-ka...) hit these shores in the 1980's. Artists like Ben Dunn, Lea Hernandez, Adam Warren, Ted Nomura, Tim Eldred, Stan Sakai, Rikki & Tavisha, Colleen Doran, Reggie Byers, Barry Blair, Greg Espinoza and even Frank Miller all worked with a manga influence back in the 1980's. They are the First Generation of American Manga-ka (and honestly, I only use this term because the book does... some of these artists I list would never refer to themselves as such). The 1990's brought the Second Generation of American Manga-ka, with Fred Perry, Joe Wight, Pat Duke, Robert DeJesus, Tyrone Ford, Dave Wilson (and the rest of the Antarctic Press crew of the 90's...), Bruce Lewis, Joe Madureira, Humberto Ramos, Chynna Clugston, Will Allison, and Dean Hsieh. I'd say the Third Generation would include people like Josh Lesnick, Diana Sprinkle, Michael Vega, Locke, Eddie Perkins, Ferdinand Poblete, PMBQ, David Hutchison, Rod Espinosa, Susan Meyer, ET and Elizabeth Bryan, Jo Chen, Skottie Young and John Barrett. The current TokyoPop/Webcomic Generation is at least the Fourth Generation of American Manga-ka. It's hard to divide everyone up into strictly defined decade-based generations also, since so many of the people from the First Generation continued to work in a manga-influenced style from the time they started until now- it's just now they're perceived as "bandwagon jumpers", instead of "people who worked really hard for a long time in a style that was incredibly uncommercial in this country until just recently". I remember when you could not get arrested if you drew in a manga-influenced style- now, it's all the rage.

Anyway, there's my curmudgeonly two cents. I wish the current generation of American manga artists and their fanatical supporters would stop acting like they just invented the wheel. People have been doing manga-influenced comics storytelling in this country since the 1980's. Or the late 1970's, if you want to throw Wendy Pini into the mix. I just wish the people who came before would get their "propers" every once in a while.

ETA: Added links to as many people as I could find.

Comments

[jeepersjournal.livejournal.com]

Most kids are too lazy to fact check, or even Google. They just accept what they hear on a message board, usually one of dubious repute :) [this applies to tons of older folks as well, mind you. People are lazy ^_^]. You think most folks'ld take advantage of all the info, but they often don't :(

[shutterbox.livejournal.com]

Oh good~ its not just me who has noticed this ^___________^*** And I've also noticed how this computer generation of people seems to think their mere opinions can outweigh the hard truth and facts. Also~ the competitive factor boggles me to no end. I never had the attitude that I was ever competing against my fellow artists in what I was creating. As a Japanese American, I always had a great respect to those who were inspired to create because of manga and anime; for me, it was a way of sharing and bringing cultures together. But never to out-do someone. There is plently of room on this earth for *all* artists. I just wish there was more comradery between all the generations.

[jeepersjournal.livejournal.com]

I do love that so many people are getting into art and comics through manga and anime, and I'm usually not so bitter, but gah, foolishness abound. I think a lot of the competitive-ness is in peoples heads, and it seems much of it comes from amateurs, or younger pros [I remember some folks on TokyoPop's message boards demanding to know the sale stats or payment rates on some titles..... I think you or Rikki were involved in that thread. Rude, rude behaviour]. Most experienced pros I've watched don't exhibit this behaviour, though I could see there being some who do [and notice a lot of "fans" who try to impose sorts of grudges between creators, like those who tried to make fights with two creators over LJ posting disagreements]. The community would be a lot happier as a whole if this stuff wasn't an issue.

And if everyone read more about/by Osamu Tezuka ^_^

[jeepersjournal.livejournal.com]

[And by Rude Behaviour, I mean the antagonizers, not you and Rikki. I appreciate Rikki's ability to calmly pick apart/explain stuff to those kind of people.... wish I had that kind of patience]