Comic Genius

I’ve been very reluctant to try out the world of Manga. First of all–as weird as it may sound–I find it very disjointed to read in the opposite direction that I’m used to. And second, I’m haunted by the thought of Anime cartoons and how creepy they are sometimes, and knowing that they usually have their basis as Manga comic books makes it all the weirder for me.

But I’m going to give it a shot…kind of. When I went to the comic shop yesterday, I picked up the first issue of Batman: Death Mask. I know, it’s not exactly a full-fledged attempt to give Manga a try, but I figure that it’s a compromise to find out if it’s a style–both writing and art-wise–that I can live with and get used to reading. Not to mention, I have to find a way to enjoy the elements that Manga has to offer its readers.

I haven’t quite finished the first issue yet, but I’m not sure that it’s something that I would actively seek out past this miniseries. Quite possibly, it might have something to do with the story. Even though I’m not finished with the issue, it’s the kind of story I feel like I’ve read before. It has a darker tone to it, which might be because the art is only in black and white, but I still feel like the story has been told a hundred times before. Anyone who knows anything about comics knows that Bruce Wayne has issues and that those issues stem from the murder of his parents when he was a child. How many different stories do we need that rehash that fact?

I’m going to stick with the story though, and see where it goes. Maybe I’ll end up liking it, but at this point I feel like something extraordinary would have to happen for me to want to pick up another Manga story at this point. One of the things that draws me to comics in the first place is the coloring of the panels. I like to see the time that artists take to make the book look amazing, especially since I myself have no artistic talent.

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