From: geoffb@coos.dartmouth.edu (Geoff Bronner)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: RFD: rec.arts.manga
Date: 12 Apr 92 19:23:49 GMT
Reply-To: geoffb@Dartmouth.EDU
Organization: Amos Tuck School

In <ku926cINNetj@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> jkim@jingoro.Eng.Sun.COM (Jun Kim) writes:

[ ">>" lines are from a previous post of mine]

>>Well, I live in a house with 10,000 comics which I don't own so I guess
>>I'm uninformed. 

>If, for the sake of argument only, manga was noticeably different from comics,
>then 10,000 comics wouldn't help in the understanding of manga. Now, since
>that premise is under discussion, we might not really agree on whether
>a normal or even devoted (10,000!) comics reader really understands the 
>nature of manga.  I guess I could liken it to how someone who reads tons
>of novels/magazines would not be an expert on the world of comics. (I know
>it's not a perfect analogy, but stick with me here).

Like I said. They aren't mine. I don't read comics, I read comic strips.
My roomates read comics. LOTS OF COMICS.
So since I am uninformed and have no bias against manga or comics since I
read neither I can safely say my interest is in a coherent and consisten
hierarchy. This is why I supported rec.arts.comics.strips and why I WOULD
support rec.arts.comics.manga.

>>The _charter_ for this group refers to manga as a type of
>>comic book. 

>This was addressed in a previous post, so I won't repeat it, except
>for saying that comics was probably easier to swallow than
>"sequential art" although the former term might have been a bit
>imprecise.

Well, I don't accept the explanation given. I repeat. If the charter can
only use the word comic then it is a comic. Re-write the charter to
eliminate the word 'comic' and I'll probably stop caring.
Probably... some of the outrageous email I've received is starting to
convince me that the only acceptable vote for any manga group is "No."
I don't post email... I wish I did. This discussion would turn into a real
flame war if I did.

>>By accepting this charter proposal the supporters of the group
>>are telling us (the uninformed) that manga are comics.

>"Uninformed" might have been a tough word... maybe "underexposed"?  Seriously,
>if you knew somebody who was "underexposed" to comics, would you truly 
>expect them to understand why you're so devoted?

Well. I'm underexposed to comics and I understand exactly why I'm so
devoted. Watching people sort comics does not an comics collector make.

>>And as for 'telling you' what you group is and is not. I get a vote even
>>if I don't read the group. And I think that manga, judging from the
>>description in the proposed charter, are comic books. 

>Please take the time to really find out if your experience with manga ends
>with the charter.  If you don't know what you're really voting on, it seems 
>that you're just voting out of spite.  If you take the time to find out
>and still feel the way you do, no one can say anything.

As before, the issue is not (for me anyway) what manga IS. The issue is
how it is described in the charter.
Based on the _charter_ which is usually what I base my votes on (and which
is my only source of information on what manga IS) I can only come to the
conclusion that manga is the Japanese word for 'comics.'

Since a comics hierarchy exists a group devoted to comics of any kind,
Japanese or otherwise, belongs there.

-Geoff
--
geoffb@Dartmouth.EDU  -  Computing Support Consultant, Tuck School of Business

  "Right now, I am trying to overthrow the Government of the United States."
		-Patrick "Hatrack" Buchanan