Manga and comics: two words that immediately draw two very different pictures in your head.
With manga, you will most definitely imagine an iconic character like Goku or Naruto. With comics, you will tend more toward Superman or Spider-Man.
And while this is not wrong, these associations could change in the coming years.
But before that... what’s the difference between manga and comics anyway?
A few decades ago, manga, which is basically just the Japanese word for comics, made its way to the West. At that point, it was still very clear that, although both media tell stories through words and pictures on paper, they felt very different.
And no, it was not only because one uses color while the other sticks with black and white.
It was mostly because both regions told their stories and portrayed their characters in specific ways, inspired and influenced by their cultures.
However, from the 2000s to the 2020s, a bigger shift happened. Manga increasingly overtook comics in the West, while characters from the Western world also found their way to East Asia.
This then resulted in collaborations, such as Japanese artists working with U.S. comic labels and European artists starting to produce their own manga.
The lines between the regions started to blur through mutual fascination!
But wait... what do you mean European artists started drawing manga and Japanese artists started drawing comics? Aren’t comics just a Western medium and manga a Japanese one?
Well, yes, but also not entirely.
While this definition still holds to some degree, it is no longer bound only to the author’s origin.
These terms are starting to shift toward stylistic choices and specific storytelling devices, which has resulted in artists and storytellers choosing a medium foreign to them instead of sticking to their regional traditions.
A shift that especially excites me!
For me, all stories, no matter what medium the author or team behind them chooses, are kind of the same.
I have always wanted to convey that feeling, but couldn’t...
Especially when I am not even able to sell comic readers on the concept of manga and vice versa... although both are so similar!
Both are printed stories with beautiful art and incredible storytelling...
Both fanbases love to collect their favorite stories in beautiful editions...
And both groups of fans just love to geek out whenever an adaptation hits the big or small screen.
So, hey! We are not so different from each other after all! :D
With this article, I want to build more bridges and thus present to you three books that bridge manga and comics.
This means I will show you the best manga for comic readers, the best comic for manga readers, and a hybrid that both groups could enjoy!
These three picks were curated very carefully, based on my experience with what may deter one group from exploring the other medium and the foundation on which one could build the perfect bridge.
Additionally, these books all move away from the stereotypes surrounding each medium. So, no superhero comics and no classic battle shōnen manga like Dragon Ball or Naruto, but rather good stories that highlight the best features of their respective media.
A Manga for Comic Readers
While I do think that comics and manga are not so different from each other, there are still differences. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be two terms.
Nonetheless, in my opinion, the most obvious difference, the lack of color in manga, shouldn’t be the biggest problem for most comic readers.
I always remember my first manga after growing up as a comic reader... What really hooked me was not always the color, but rather the designs or the story itself, although manga has its own characteristics as well.
So, what was important to me when I started choosing my picks was finding something that was truly manga but still wasn’t too hard to understand, despite cultural differences in scenarios or jokes.
And finding something like this wasn’t that difficult after all.
I present to you what is, in my opinion, the best manga for comic fans...
Alice in Borderland!
This psychological thriller has everything you would want from your first-ever manga!
A thrilling survival scenario drags unique characters into iconic death games, revealing the truest nature of humans. This is accompanied by fast-paced and deep conversations about the meaning of life, while you can be in awe of the beautiful art by Haro Asō.
Let me catch my breath for a second here. I wrote this in double time...
Okay... so, what does this mean exactly?
Meet Ryohei Arisu, an 18-year-old who is failing school, suffers from a miserable social life, and for whom love is not a topic either. While that is all a bit rough already, his parents and his successful brother set unreachable expectations for him.
Arisu feels lost and not part of this world, which results in him wandering around Tokyo whenever his few friends have time.
Their latest meet-up is then suddenly interrupted when a firework transports them into a parallel world.
This new world looks and feels like Tokyo, but without any humans at all, which is also reflected in the giant vegetation all over the city.
The question thus stands... Is this really a new world? Did they maybe travel through time? What is going on at all?
Although all the expectations on Arisu’s shoulders are now gone, this world is no paradise either... To survive in this world, they must now face dangerous death games and prove that they deserve to live. Refusing to do so would bring death either way.
These games target all aspects of humanity: intelligence, physicality, teamwork, and psychology, bringing out the darkest corners of the human mind...
Will Arisu and his friends survive this world, or will it break them mercilessly?
What makes this manga the perfect entry point for comic readers is the fact that its scenario and pacing are just perfect for any reader!
I mean... there is a reason why its live-action adaptation became so popular.
The stakes are clear, and everyone can relate to at least a few characters, all of whom have a different relationship with their lives.
Additionally, almost all the death games are familiar or transformed classic games you may know from your childhood or later years. Even when a concept is unfamiliar at first, it is explained wonderfully, which is quite a talent in itself!
What really hooked me from the first page was the main character, Arisu, who is definitely the heart and soul of the story.
Although all the characters are interesting, he is a person who acts as a mirror for both the characters within the series and the readers.
We can all relate to his nihilistic view of his future in one way or another. I am almost certain that high expectations and the impending doom of an uncertain future stress us all from time to time.
However, although he is faced with these dark thoughts and expectations, he overcomes his obstacles. He does so not through unrealistic power scaling, but by bringing out the abilities he buried beneath his fears.
And while his character does not realize how inspiring he is, the cast and the readers can feel it from page one, making him one of my favorite fictional characters ever and one of my biggest inspirations.
And although Arisu is great, I do want to take a quick moment to put the spotlight on the rest of the cast as well.
It becomes very clear that even the story’s mangaka found it important to highlight different perspectives and stories.
This results in phenomenal side stories that are sprinkled in whenever a short time skip is needed in Arisu’s story.
However, they are not mere filler, nor are they skippable.
They expand the universe and the cast so that whenever Arisu meets these characters, the reader already knows who they are and what they are capable of.
Additionally, these side games, especially those surrounding the characters Chishiya and Akane, are so incredibly clever that they outshine the main story from time to time.
Which is fine, too :P
Aside from the writing, the art style is also something I regularly gaze at in awe. Additionally, it is the perfect way to get into manga, in my opinion.
I understand that coming from comics with more realistic character designs, well, most of the time, I would say, can make the transition a bit tricky.
Manga does tend to feature bigger eyes, pointy chins, and spiky hair. I cannot deny that.
But Alice in Borderland does tend to play with these borders a bit, presenting a really interesting blend of manga-esque drawings and more realistic depictions that you, as a comic fan, would love to have on your wall!
Like this one from earlier in the series!
So... if you are a fan of death games, survival, or psychological thriller stories... if you are someone who would try a manga only if it were dark and more mature... or if you just want a really thrilling story that you cannot put down...
Then you may have found your perfect first manga, dear comic reader! :P
Read the mentioned books
Alice in Borderland reading option
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A Comic for Manga Readers
So, we have now established a way for comic readers to get into manga, but we also want it to work the other way around.
To do that, we need to establish the core reason why a manga reader might be a bit scared to pick up a comic.
The main reason I can think of is the fact that comics still convey the image of printed superhero stories set in large universes...
Although almost everyone loves them, the idea that these characters are part of bigger universes with overarching stories and a whole legacy behind them can be a bit scary.
Especially when you come from a medium that basically runs from volume 1 to volume 20, with no spin-offs in between, mostly, at least.
Thus, something non-superhero with a short run would be good...
Just one book with one full story that represents the full force of comics from the West.
And for that, I picked one that will not only change your perspective on comics, but also on life... and death!
The best comic for manga readers, and definitely a graphic novel that feels like a manga, is...
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr!
In this world, different concepts from our world are managed by godly entities inspired by Hinduism that operate within... an office building?
YES! You heard that right!
And one of the hardest-working individuals there is, of course, the concept that is busiest: Death.
The avatar of Death has been there for a while, and she has always dreamed of a promotion to the higher floors.
When she is suddenly called to the CEO’s office in this godly workplace, she really expects that her time has finally come.
However, there is bad news waiting for her. Humanity is on the verge of discovering immortality, and thus Death is no longer needed.
In short: Death is fired!
In this godly office building, being fired means being sent down to Earth as a mortal to live out a life and then vanish into nothingness.
But the avatar of Death cannot accept that! She is hardworking and a day one...
Thus, she uses her influence at the office and manages to be sent into the body of a dying woman in her twenties, formerly known as Laila Starr, near the newborn boy who will invent immortality.
Thus, an incredible journey begins, with Death trying to stop her own... death, in a way. This results in one of the most life-changing stories I have ever read.
And no... I am not trying to sell something here! I genuinely mean it when I say that this story spiraled me into a short but helpful quarter-life crisis, making me rethink my dreams and ambitions...
I always jokingly say, coming from a more manga-focused background, that I am genuinely sad this is not a manga because my manga friends would have eaten it up if it had been released as one.
Now I am cursed with the knowledge of a true masterpiece that I need to spread...
A truly blessed curse!
But other than this life-changing experience, there is much more that makes this comic truly special.
This time, let me begin with the incredible art.
I have to be honest. I am a bit biased after meeting the artist behind The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, Filipe Andrade, personally because meeting an artist always gives the art even more depth.
However, I was also very honest with him about how I had fallen in love with his art even before meeting him. Because... at first, I was actually a bit thrown off.
If you are used to very clean lines, strict proportions, and precise coloring from other comics or even manga, a rather sketchy and fluid style can seem odd at first.
But if you give Andrade’s art a bit of time to conquer your eyes and heart, you will notice that there is much more depth to it.
Not only is the art style unique and special, but it is also something that will probably never be recreated by anyone or anything else.
The lines, the colors, and the overall composition of each panel are just so human and thus pure art in my eyes.
Although it has been a while since I read this story, it is one of the few comics I keep within easy reach because I open it every other week to gaze at the art in awe...
Additionally, the interesting proportions of the characters’ faces and bodies, accompanied by stylistic devices inspired by Hinduism and the culture of India, are just perfect for this story.
It just wouldn’t feel the same if any of these creative choices had been made differently.
It simply is perfection.
This doesn’t mean that the story is beautiful only in terms of its visuals.
Ram V’s writing is out of this world, which you immediately feel once you notice that gods work in an office complex.
It is a simple decision that does not take up too much space in the rest of the story, but it does make the initial conflict very relatable, despite being godly.
My personal highlight, which I do want to take a moment to showcase, is the third issue of this five-issue run. It truly proves that this is a well-written philosophical comic with emotional stakes.
While Laila Starr is the protagonist, this chapter takes a moment to give the narrating role to a cigarette.
I can see you either furrowing your brow or smiling in disbelief.
However, this is one of the best things I have ever seen across any medium and conveys everything that writing should be...
During this issue, the cigarette narrates Laila Starr’s current situation and also comments on the meaning of life.
While this is not something new, the concept becomes special once you realize that the cigarette has a rather short lifespan, enabling it to have a unique perspective on life and a perfect send-off.
I am not a smoker, nor do I think smoking is good. However, the moment you realize who is narrating, you just think to yourself, “Ram V... you genius!”
It is a concept that can only truly be thought of while going through all the stages of writing, with all of its ups and downs and all of its fun and painful moments.
It is an idea that truly can only come from someone who is so engaged with their idea that it doesn’t leave them, even when they are taking a quick cigarette break.
At this point, I do not want to discuss the story further because you need to live it to understand it.
But please... do not miss out on this one, my dear manga friend, or anyone else who hears these words!
Read the mentioned books
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr reading options
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A Hybrid That Bridges Both
If my wishes are granted by winning the death games or being heard by corporate avatars, then perhaps the worlds of manga and comics are already closer.
However, I do not want to end this article in a way that makes it feel like there are no bridges yet... because there are already some that should get the recognition they deserve!
There is one story in particular that truly feels like both a manga inspired by comics and a comic inspired by manga.
It is a book that blurs the line between what manga and comics could look like in the future and shows what happens when regional or stylistic differences combine instead of branching off from each other.
This is...
Monstress!
Monstress is a graphic novel by the U.S.-American author Marjorie Liu in collaboration with the Japanese artist Sana Takeda!
This dark fantasy graphic novel takes us into an alternate reality set in a matriarchal version of 1900s Asia filled with steampunk elements.
And although this may sound awesome, this world and its people were broken by a devastating war between the Arcanics and the Human Federation, which is led by a group of sorceresses called the Cumaea.
The reason for this conflict is the fact that Arcanics, magical beings who can pass as humans, are hunted by the Cumaea, who consume them to become more powerful.
In the middle of this conflict is Maika, a seventeen-year-old girl who is an Arcanic passing as a human.
And although this alone means a life of fear and constant danger, she is also connected to a powerful monster that severed her arm and sometimes emerges from within her.
One could assume that this gives her a bit of a chance to survive in this world, but the monster is difficult to control and takes its toll on Maika.
This doesn’t stop her from trying to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death and avenge her.
However, she wouldn’t have expected this to lead her to uncover buried truths about the war and her own family.
What really makes this a perfect hybrid is how two visionary people took all their inspirations from their respective origins and blended them into something special.
For our third fanzine issue, which focused on the same goal as this article, I had the chance to talk to Sana Takeda about Monstress. It became clear that a story like this was only possible thanks to this duo.
Takeda grew up in Japan, while Liu was heavily influenced by American literature and comics.
Both of them had an idea of how stories could be told and blended those ideas to create something that is a Western comic but takes inspiration from manga and East Asian culture, especially in its art, both of which Takeda has a strong connection to.
Thus, Monstress is a kind of story from the West that visualizes itself through both Western and Eastern artistic influences, which, in turn, influence the writing and make it an even deeper blend.
This results in beautiful art and writing that both parties can connect with without one overshadowing the other.
For me, Monstress is the perfect example of how art can transform when we overcome borders while still respecting where different elements come from.
It shows that although there are differences within East Asian and Western art or storytelling, there is common ground and even opportunities to mix them.
Sometimes, they can even complement each other and enable new ways of telling stories.
Read the mentioned books
Monstress reading options
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What Makes a Book Work for Both Manga and Comic Readers?
In the end, these are just recommendations for how one could approach the other medium.
Nonetheless, each side has so much more to offer, maybe even something I wouldn’t think of that would make you appreciate the other side.
What is important is that you approach this exploration of another world, which is not so different from yours, with a few tips in mind.
1. Small steps!
Do not pick up the largest ongoing series or something that requires a lot of prior knowledge...
2. Pick something you like in the other medium, too!
Perhaps you love fantasy within comics. Then, you can also stick with fantasy in manga.
This makes the transition even easier and further shows how vague these borders are.
3. Have an open mind!
In the end, exploring another medium can be very fun. I do understand that it can be a bit tricky to get used to different stylistic devices or art styles, but I am certain that everyone will find something to appreciate about the other medium once they give it a chance.
The biggest obstacle when trying a new medium is always high expectations or prejudice.
Of course, some elements that you may fear or find odd will appear, but maybe give those elements a try or look beyond them.
Trust me... there is so much to explore, and you will only miss out on it if you force yourself to see the world in a smaller way.
Happy Reading!
Daniel
