Forum - View topicAmerican Movies/Books made into manga
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Elf474
 Posts: 100 Location: Behind You |
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I've been noticing a trend lately. A lot of books and movies, and especially books they're turning into movies, are getting manga made of them. Today I swung by Barnes and Noble and saw a few dozen includinf Labyrinth and The Vampire's Assistant.
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RestLessone
 Posts: 1426 Location: New York |
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Well, Labyrinth doesn't really count. It's American-made and a considered a sequel to the film. As a reader of Cirque du Freak/Darren Shan/The Vampire's Assistant, I can tell you the story behind that one which was explained in the back of book 1. There was a contest in which the winner, chosen by the author (Darren Shan) of the original series, would get their adaption of the books serialized. Arai won and wrote 12 books, and this all happened at around 2006, so it's been out for a bit. Labyrinth was also published in 2006.
So, it's not really a recent thing, though it does happen once in awhile. As for stuff like Labyrinth which are made in America, American comics based on American films isn't something too knew either. All that is new is what people are trying to claim it is, or what they were inspired by. |
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Elf474
Posts: 100 Location: Behind You |
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Well they've also done Witchblade, Star Wars, Star Trek, and the gods alone know what else.
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RestLessone
Posts: 1426 Location: New York |
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Witchblade was apparently released after an anime adaptation; however, the anime took place in Japan and with Japanese characters, so it's a bit like a remake in that aspect. The only Star Trek "manga" I've found is also American made, though it and Star Wars (which have manga) are both phenomenon in and of themselves, so it's not really surprising. I also know of superhero comics such as Batman and Spiderman having anime adaptations as well.
In the end, while more are being brought over, it's been happening for awhile. Some adaptations were created back in the 70's. Comics labeled as manga (Star Trek, for instance), seem more to cash in on the fad with something people are familiar with, and to bring in fans who don't read manga. My guess is that it's the reason the real stuff is being brought over as well; it attracts fans of the original, whether they read manga or not, and fans of manga who are just interested in reading manga versions of American media. I haven't read them, so I can't say much about it story-wise. But even manga adaptations aren't necessarily drawn with common characteristics people associate with manga; Batman: Child of Dreams has some wonderful, detailed artwork that most would probably confuse with an American/Western comic book. Comics may not be as popular as they are elsewhere, especially Japan, but America has done the same thing with movies. We have tons of remakes of films from other countries, some great, some bad, and some satisfactory. And now that manga is becoming a bit more mainstream (though still niche), you'll start seeing more renditions. This can be a good thing or a bad thing; at least this way, the companies can weed out poorly written series and focus on the better. |
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wizardz199
Posts: 112 Location: Hayward, CA |
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They have also turned Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal into a manga which I thought was pretty cool consindering that the Dark Crystal is truly an underrated film.
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Blackpeppir
Posts: 234 |
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Always really liked the film, don't think I'll pick up the manga however. While it may not be an american book I've seen the anime adaptations of Shakespeare, the bible and Homer's Iliad all cropping up in the Indigo book chain lately. I used to see them in the "World Manga" section with Megatokyo and a smattering of various other series in some comic shops before but now they're in the chain stores as well. I haven't seen some of the ones based on movies, but for the most part, anything that comes from movies or classic literature tend to be rather terrible. Especially the anime bible it's preachier than the real thing! |
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littlegreenwolf
 Posts: 4796 Location: Seattle, WA |
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I hear there's an Interview With The Vampire manga floating around in Japan somewhere by someone named Udoh Shinohara. I want it.
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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High School Musical was recently adapted into a manga in Japan. It'd be interesting to know what other American liscences have been adapted.
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The Xenos
 Posts: 1519 Location: Boston |
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Not to be that guy.. again.. but I really don't count stuff like TokyoPop's Star Trek or Laberynth as manga. (Though friends did use that to shoehorn their Laberynth costumes into an anime con. heh.) To me those are just more American comic adaptations or spin-offs of movies and TV shows. And really there are many of those out there.
Hell, IDW also has the Star Trek license and is putting out comics. I remember years ago when both DC and Marvel did. What interests me more is the actual Japanese comic adaptations. That means that something was noticed and adapted in Japan. It's not just some US cross promotion or someone trying to get noticed by readers in the US. I'm interested to see it re-interpreted by a Japanese creator for a Japanese audience.
Also, aren't the manga and anime totally unrelated and pretty much both reboots? Then again I never followed the US comics either.
There's also that Bat-manga book that collects and looks at an old and hard to find 60s manga that DC licensed back then. I ordered it but my shop didn't get a copy. Plus there are a couple of US comics that are by Japanese manga artists, Wolverine: Snikt! and Batman: Death Mask. That's really where the title manga really becomes blurry. Though considering the were produced by and for the US, I'd call them comics.
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Flame-G102
 Posts: 104 |
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Wasnt that the movie they made once with those puppet type things? there were those evil folks that looked like birds and the older good ones that looked like sloths or something? I have that on VHS! It is a really good story. though to be honest, when I was little, the bird looking people used to scare me. 
on the topic itself though, I think it rather hilarious. I really didn't know WHAT to say when I saw "Star Trek" at borders in the Manga section. I was taken so by surprise by that, that I just had to laugh. yeah. Things like Romeo and Juliet are also being Manga'd (though it isnt American, you get the point) I find it interesting, in any case, to see anime and manga adaptations of thin gs like maerican stories. Kinda like Gtham Knight. that was pretty interestingly made. I enjoyed seeing the different interpretations of the characters. |
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sailorsarah08
 Posts: 471 Location: Houston, Texas |
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I saw Maximum Ride (in bound comic book/manga form) at my school library and I was kinda shocked in a good way. I love the series of books and I am thinking about giving it a try. I want to see some of the scenes from the book drawn out, especially the spoiler[ box they put Maximum in to strip her of her senses. Will they just print a solid black box? ] I can see why it would be appealing.
I have also seen things like Meg Cabot books in manga form and I was flabbergasted. It seems like she is trying to just drain the bank because I can't see anything really gained from a new adaption. I keep seeing the Dark Crystal too and if I wasn't terrified of Fraggles and Muppets I would read it because the cover looks cool. Jim Hensons' creations scared me in childhood and I never grew out of it. It is sort of exciting to see American novels published this way. 
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