Comments on: Manga reacts to Eisners

By: Jamie Coville

Jamie Coville — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 01:08:47 +0000

I think the switch to Global Manga had to do with TokyoPop hiring creators who didn’t speak English as a first language.

Kinda silly to call a book OEL (original english language) when the creator speaks Spanish.

I’m not certain of this, but there may very well be original manga coming from non-english speaking European countries as well. If that gets translated and published in America, then what do we call it?

Global Manga fits all of this.

By: Joe Williams

Joe Williams — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 23:16:44 +0000

And unfortunately I think it’s sad that we’ve lost what was, besides the Xeric Grant, one of the best ways for young creators to get wider recognition.

By: charles foster kane

charles foster kane — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:24:52 +0000

I’ve had a couple people ask me why they got rid of the “Wider Recognition” category this year, not knowing about the name change.

By: Kiel Phegley

Kiel Phegley — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:14:15 +0000

I’ve completely lost track of who exactly companies like Tokyopop are marketing thier comics to anymore. If I’m understanding this correctly, “global manga” has been lifted up as the preferred label simply because OEL wasn’t sexy enough, and OEL was only chosen because hardcore Otaku’s or Japan-o-philes over here resisted labeling anything not created in Japan as actual manga.

Then again, if we’re to believe that the vast majority of manga sales are driven by “non-traditional readers” (i.e. countless thousands of teenage girls), it seems like all this name changing would be the promotial equivelent of spinning tires. I know there are a lot of people both in the creative community and online who have strong opinions on what we should call American comics published in the Tankobon format, but I’d really love for someone from one of the American manga publishers to explain how they think solving that debate effects their bottom line.

And on the subject of the Eisners:

Changing the name from “Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition” to “Special Recognition” seems kind of useless to me.

By: Jennifer de Guzman

Jennifer de Guzman — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:34:03 +0000

Wait… are Cloonan and Campbell’s work “global manga” just because they’re published by TokyoPop? The Abandoned is in the same art and storytelling style as Wet Moon, which is published by Oni. Does that mean Wet Moon is “global manga” or does it mean that the term “manga” just is a hip label without any clear meaning to give graphic novels right now?