From: hades@coos.dartmouth.edu (Hades)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: Why manga is a world apart from comics.
Date: 9 Apr 92 20:33:25 GMT
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

smith@ctron.com (Larry Smith) writes:

>In article <axolotl.702784352@syzygy>, axolotl@socs.uts.edu.au (Iain Sinclair) writes:
>>Here's a clumsy, but hopefully helpful, explanation (pulled off alt.manga).

>[helpful description removed for the sake of the mythical net.bandwidth]

>>Manga differ in format, presentation, subject matter, approach to the
>>subject matter, history, availability, associated culture, technique,
>>and even things like authors' esteem.

    There are many different forms of subject matter to be found in
comics today. To suggest that manga and manga alone has its own subject
matter is fairly narrow minded. Just in terms of subject matter it is
probably quite easy to find a comic book produced in the west that
matches the same subject matter in any given manga.

>As far as the net is concerned, "comic" refers to any type of graphical
>story, from kiddie comics, to superhero, to graphic novels, and from
>your very own description, to "manga".

    I've been saying this from the beginning.

>>There is[n't] any doubt that manga and comics are sufficiently different
>>that manga readers would never read comics, and vice versa.

    The first part of this statement has yet to be proven to my
satisfaction, but that is only me; the last part of this is utter trash!
Who are you to tell me that I would never read manga, when in fact I
have read manga in the past. Obviously I have read western translations,
but the stories are the same.

>Which isn't the slightest bit relevant.  If someone wants to read rec.arts.
>comics.manga without reading rec.arts.comics, that's fine.

    I agree with this also. No one is forcing rec.arts.comics.manga
readers to subscribe to rec.arts.comics or r.a.c.misc whenever the name
is changed.

>Your real problem is you don't want to admit you read comics.  You want them
>called practically anything else just so they aren't called "comics".  If
>you object so very much, I submit the correct solution would be to call for
>a rename of rec.arts.comics to rec.arts.graphical and then to request the
>special newsgroup rec.arts.graphical.manga.

    A little harsher than I would have stated it, but it does have merit.

>>I guess if someone had created rec.sport.boxing before rec.martial-arts,
>>people would be clamouring for rec.sport.boxing.martial-arts.

    Well, martial arts aren't a sport, I'm not even sure I would
classify them as recreational. They are, ostensibly, a way of life for
many people around the world. Now if you want to talk about a group for
kick-boxing that's a different story.

>I doubt it.  They probably would have fixed the heirarchy.  I doubt they
>would have insisted that it is not combat of some sort, which is what you
>are doing.  You are insisting on creating rec.chevy and denying it's any
>kind of an auto.

    This is along the lines of the flak that was generated by the
rec.arts.sf-lovers reorg, when it included a name change for
rec.arts.startrek to r.a.sf startrek. Many regulars of the star trek
group complained that trek was somehow MORE than SF and didn't belong in
the SF hierarchy. This makes no more sense for trek than it does when
you are talking about manga and comic books.

--
-Hades  (Brian V. Hughes)   | Common Taxpayer Q&A: Q. If I use the 1040 how
 hades@Coos.Dartmouth.Edu   | do I indicate my preference for the Elvis stamp?
 Mac Database Developer     | A. You write THIN ELVIS or FAT ELVIS in the box
 Dartmouth Medical School   | "Spouse's Social Security #." -Dave Barry
Xref: sparky news.groups:10270 rec.sport.baseball:11662