The Truth Comes Out

So, I have been holding off on this entry for quite some time. I don't like to think about things that drag me down about the comics industry. For me, the positives far outweigh the bad, but this needs to be said. I hate Manga. Hate it.

Now, I suppose that statement can, and will be taken the wrong way, but stick with me. When I was a kid... comics could be found in your local grocery store, even one bigger department style store had a rather large assortment. I never stepped foot in a comic shop. I would go to the local Green Hills and pick up an issue of Marvel Tales (not aware at the time that this series was all reprints, only that it was the cheapest and most entertaining to me) and I would be regaled as it rarely, if ever, failed to not have it's touted guest-star Spider-Man.

Then I was taken in by a small event called Maximum Carnage, in sporadic doses, because one would be hard pressed to convince quite logical and money concious parents that every part was necessary in this 13 issue crossover. Quite suddenly, it was all over, seemingly overnight, nobody was carrying comics. I think I cried.

So, a few years went by where the comics I had bought were being reread, along with the occasional presents from family, and my brother's borrowed comics. I was still in love but my demand didn't have a supply. It was a Dark Age, where one had to find their favorites tucked away in dark places known as Specialty shops. I am not sure what was the bigger disappointment, the enviroment, or the prices. For the most part I was still just as stuck, even though there was a place to go.

Go even further in time, and out comes Blade, and X-Men, and Spider-Man, and Hellboy, and suddenly comics I had never heard of were in abundance in bookstores... going through several hands... getting tattered from being flipped through. It's a beautiful sight to behold, compared to the owner with a stick in his butt, and a bag on every comic. Add to that, the collected volumes that were popping up... growing from the immense interest. I suppose it is a bit hard to believe now, but tradepaperbacks and graphic novels used to be a rare occurance.

But all good things... I suppose I should have seen it coming. I mean I saw all the sugar-addled elementary kids jawing on and on about Power Rangers or Pok'emon, I even had a younger sister and brother to show me the proof. Anime and Manga... they were about to kick it into high gear.

And now? Well, now I can go into a bookstore, and if I am lucky find single issues, on occasion a modest selection of trades, on a rarity a fab selection. And for Manga... shelves and shelves and shelves along side and across from the traditional comics. I suppose some might think I am overreacting, but at some point I might post pictures. It is not as if I dislike Manga in a close-minded fashion, I dabble in it when a concept interests me. But this is not just some new kid taking the attention of the public. This is an infestation. And the only thing I can think to reassure myself, just as what happened with traditional comics (several times).

This too shall pass.