There is =______= It's just released today. And it's not manga, it's graphic novel. It's BORING because too many of the original flowery prose from the book is in it and it makes me SICK. Comics are supposed to be short and concised, not word-infested. It's all-serious like a classic American comic, with absolutely no manga-like hyperbolic expression, but it's not a manga anyway so I suppose it's fine.

Yeah, some western publishers just can't tell the difference between Manga and graphic novel. Remember that bible by Siku which was supposed to be Manga, but in reality is very FAR from manga

So what IS the difference between graphic novels, comics, and manga? I get that manga is from Japan and all, but is that all?

Also, I SAW THE TWILIGHT GRAPHIC NOVEL AT MY SCHOOL'S BOOKSTORE. Ugh. How horrifying. A nightmare has become reality. Well, I'm exaggerating just a bit, but really, I didn't even want to look through it. I just couldn't believe they actually made one of those, it was actually published, and it's on mainstream bookstore shelves.

there's no real differences between any of them. Managa just refers to comics from Japan specifically, though now its getting to the point of encompassing any type of asian comic. *Points to korean comics under the manga shelf in borders*

I think Graphic novels is just a fancy word for 'big comic' since graphic novels tend to be bigger then the typical 10-20 pg. comic issue.

So:
Ouran host club = manga
The Crow/V for Vendetta= graphic novel
Batman issue 448484= comic

@Rogue: Well, it's listed as "graphic novel" in the first place, not manga.

@Aeternus: As I said before, it's not even finished yet. Said travesty only encompasses Chapters 1-13. There's a second book to finish off the story.

@KTC: In this case it would seem like the publishers want to blend graphic novels/comics and manga. Why else would they go and hire a Korean artist? Manhwa art usually tend to look more realistic than manga, since realistic-ish style is something that comics and graphic novels use, but is still somewhat "prettier" and more stylized than a traditional American graphic novel or comic.

Am reaaaally tempted to buy it just coz the drawings are actually kinda nice. If you treat them as separate images rather than a whole comic, that is.

"Why else would they go and hire a Korean artist? "
^ i'm not getting this point as the comics i'm talking about are comics from korea translated into english. Like how comics from japan are translated into english.

Though some american made 'manga' is also leaking into the manga section too. Those look like a blend of japanese comic characteristics (big eyes, no teeth) + Marvel realism (face is less pointy. harder lines generally. muscles emphasized).

as for stylized vs traditional american comics: what is traditional? cuz even DC/Marvel have their very stylized artists even before the advent of manga.

Bleh, my wording is weird. "Stylized" = prettified, not too dead-realistic.

About the manhwa thing I mentioned, it has nothing to do with what you said ^^; Just mentioning that it might be what the publishers are going for. They hired this particular artist just for the art style. Because... IMO this artist is not a very good comic artist. An illustrator maybe, but not comic artist. The pictures are good as stand-alone images or sketches, but the page layouts are not so good

And be careful about buying mangas/graphic novels/picture books/etc just because the cover seems nice. I've seen plenty of mangas which looks nice in the cover, but the real sketches inside isn't half as good

Thankfully the manga here are always free for reading, except those that contain smut or naked people. I saw a rare one in which the cover art sucks so bad, but the pics inside are pretty good. Still somewhat amateurish, but better than the cover. And in the case of Twilight, the inside is definitely better than the outside. I pitched a fit when they posted a cover preview a few weeks ago. It's still the same one as what the actual cover ended up being, and it SUCKS.
The inside sketches are good, and I like semi-realistic drawings, but they don't work well as a comic. They are more suited to be images in a sketchbook or art album.

Quote:
I'm not in the publishing industry or anything (far from it, lol), but I'm sure they hire artists for other reasons, too. The artist's ability and style are most definitely a factor they'd take into consideration, but there's also other factors, such as cost, time, accessibility of the artist, etc.

I'm sure that if the factors lined up right, they could have hired an artist from elsewhere.

Quote:
Isn't this with anything you buy, though?

I mean, I've bought a few novels that I thought would be great based on their cover/jacket summaries, but when I read them, they weren't very good at all. Or I bought this soup mix brand that was slightly cheaper than this other one I liked, but found out that it was disgusting and not worth the $0.20 I saved. Point is: you never know until you try.

Although, it goes in the other direction, too - don't judge a book by its cover. You can't judge a manga by its looks alone. Obviously, due to its medium, it is taken into consideration but it's not everything. For example, Clover by CLAMP is the most beautiful manga I've ever read, but it falls short in terms of story and characters. On the other end of the spectrum, Beck doesn't have the greatest art, but the story completely hooked me and is one of my favourite manga series I've read to date.

@Aeternus: I think she's just talking to me. As people who really care about the manga's art, me and my sis (theAdept_Rogue) pretty much ditch the manga with crappy art, regardless of the story, because we aren't even interested in reading it. I do say that I'm more forgiving in terms of the art, though, but only if the story is truly interesting.

@d_a: That's right. Even if the story is nice, what's the use if all you see are characters that looks terrible because the artist can't draw properly? And for some reason, some put much more effort in drawing the cover than the manga itself that the picture in the cover looks much better than the drawings inside.

@Rogue: Because the cover art is one still image and it's easier to do. Almost the same deal with anime and anime posters. Sometimes the CD/DVD cover or poster is better than the art in the actual anime *glares at Saiyuki anime*

And the story won't even LOOK interesting if the art sucks. We get stomach ache (or eye-ache) from looking at crappy pics --> can't even begin to be interested in the story --> manga not worth reading. Yeah?

OMG. Bishies galore! The official website of Kiniro no Corda 3! And I love it!

Check it out:
http://www.gamecity.ne.jp/corda3/

Man, the new girl has such a big harem. Lucky kid.

>__< MARY SUUUUUUUUE~~!!!!! LOL, can't help saying that every time La Corda/Kiniro no Corda is mentioned... Pointless fanservice if you ask me, as pointless as my sig is.

@daeva: you mean fanservice actually has a point besides servicing fans? O_o?

Don't like the characters I want the old people back lol XD

Now I'm watching Saiunkoku Monogatari 2nd season and I'm enjoying ♥

I love ...well I cn't spell it right so I'll just call it by its English name: Color Cloud Palace!
If you noticed, my cottage name is similar to 'Color Cloud Palace'.

I hope nobody minds if I post something here. I like to read manga and watch anime ,but I prefer reading over watching though. I like some of CLAMP's works, Full Metal Alchemist, Axis Power Hetalia (Current favourite), Naruto, D.Grey Man, Shugo Chara, Code Geass, Kitchen Princess, Detective Conan, Mahou Sensei Negima!, 1/2 Prince, Gakuen Alice, Usagi Drop, Chii's Sweet Home, Cardcaptor Sakura, Hamtora, Air, Rozen Maiden and Higurashi series.

@KTC: Told ya my wording is always weird... But you get my point... I hope?