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Hey, Answerman! - The Dying Breeds

RestlessOne wrote:

Runaways is slated to be getting a film, and it is by no means a long series.

I think citing runaways is a bad example, given that the series was canceled after it switched writers and neither than followed couldn't make the series as good as it was with it's original author. It even ended in a cliffhanger something that would be incredibly anoying for a reader who is acustomed to having endings.

Comics from the United States do not reduce to Marvel and Dc though, and even all comics from DC are neverending and constantly switching authors. But the most recognizable are like this, is not exactly bad but it is not for everyone.

And it's extremely close-minded to treat all American superhero comics as never-ending. Because they are not, and I don't consider it a valid reason to group all of the titles under that one label. The most obvious example is Watchmen, which is not only a wonderful comic but a deep piece of literature.

Runaways is slated to be getting a film, and it is by no means a long series. Also, listen to the artists of writers for the "never-ending" series like Batman and Superman; they want to create stories and they put heart into their works. No one should try to cut them down with statements about how their comics aren't telling stories, that they are simple cash-ins with little value beyond keeping the geeks happy. Rather than having a definite end, several superhero comics work in a series of arcs (a territory not unknown to manga). Each arc acts as a different story with a beginning, climax, and end.

Isn't that by a British/English guy? Also that was more of an 'original' tale. Not a Marvel/DC hero like Batman or Spider-Man. You'll never see Batman end.

I can't see how you can put genuine heart into something you don't own, and will more than likely be altered by someone else and reconnected away in a year.

And that right here is a problem. You admit that you don't "see" or understand how someone can when it's entirely possible to dedicate your life to it. It's about putting your own spin on it. The characters have probably had a deep impact already. Despite not being yours, they are handled with care because they are an icon, deeply ingrained, a high influence.

And your posts still do not acknowledge the several series that are either not about superheros or are but end nicely. Would you at least contend that? You can't cherry pick and call some "original stories," but they still count as titles that don't fit your broad blanket statements.

doctordoom85, who needs closure? If a concept can sustain itself for generations, is that so bad a thing?

As much as people whine about Spider-man 3, the final scenes of spoiler[Harry's funeral and Peter and MJ dancing] gave me a better sense of completion and satisfaction than any moment in the actual Spider-man comics. Because they actually had the strength to say, "this is all there is folks, you can go home" (not so much X-men 3, partially because I didn't care for most of it, but also the ending was an obnoxious cliffhanger since it was unlikely a 4th one would be made).

LordRedhand wrote:

You... have a very limited view on American comics and super hero comics to make statements like that. As they do tell stories the key difference is that we change writer/artist teams every once in awhile and it is more akin to how DC and Marvel market themselves, as the Marvel Universe and DC Universe. So while arcs and stories can and do end, the universes which contain them do not, similar to our stories we tell our peers and friends, we don't end when when we finish a story. But in Manga I find that universes tend to end when the main story is resolved... which is counter to how reality actually is...

So in other words, they have no goal or story to them, since each writer will do whatever they feel like. That''s why I never got into American comics. It's like if I just wanted to read One Piece, but I had to read Naruto, Bleach, Detective Conan, and Gravitation to get the whole story because of pointless world-wide crossovers and what have you. That's a terrible way to tell a story, creatively, but it's all American companies can do to make money these days to take advantage of the diehard fanboys who have to buy everything.

sokpupet wrote:

And to add to what LordRedHand and Nayu are saying, it's not like the lives of the characters in manga series stop when the last panel is sent to the printers. There are always more stories to be told with a character, and in American comics they are, but with manga the author feels they've told what they felt was most important and that's that. When Goku flies off to train Uub, Toriyama tells us his adventures will continue. We're not there for them unfortunately, but they're gonna happen. Even if it's not the characters, the world they inhabit will continue and even more fantastical stories, sagas and epics will crop up. As I said before, in American comics that world and and those characters are continually... employed (yeah, that's the ticket). I can't think of any specific examples, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find manga series that are expanded upon by other authors.

Good for them, and this is where I'd say that's a good thing manga ends. One writer, one series, all creator owned. Just because you CAN milk a franchise out 60+ years, well after the original creator is dead and has no input into it like Batman doesn't mean you should. That's the thing, manga CAN end, and that's why people all over the world prefer reading manga over comics. Manga is there to tell stories; superhero comics are not, and are just there to market timeless characters and stories that never change.