Deb Aoki on making manga and selling merch
One takeaway from #ax2024 is how many people desperately want to draw manga, but don’t know how to get to the level where they’ll get published / can go pro. When i tell them that if they want to work in Japan, they should learn to speak/read Japanese, they’re so sad.
After talking with JP manga & US comics editors, I’ve heard a few common themes / tips for aspiring manga / webtoon creators:1. Start with one-shot short stories, and do a lot of them! It will help you build your storytelling muscles and develop your individual art style
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Biggest mistake i see from aspiring manga artists: making their first project that ambitious, epic multi-volume manga story they’ve been dreaming of drawing since they were kids. My tip: DON’T do this. Build skill with short stories first.
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It was just striking how many people stepped up to the mike during the Q&A time at manga panels at #ax2024 asking about how to become professional / published manga artists. But maybe i’ve become more acutely aware of the issue after teaching my manga class at @ccacomics
A common weakness i see in work from aspiring manga/comics artists is that they spend too much time drawing pin-up/cover art illustrations of characters, but not enough time really thinking about their characters’ personalities, backstories, and interactions with others
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Drawing comics pages is only one part of making manga — you need to also understand visual storytelling, pacing, how to write dialogue, create interesting characters, and how to engage readers to keep them coming back for more. It takes time & practice to master these skills.
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one problem is that some aspiring manga creators outside of JP expect to break into the biz based on the playbook they see in manga… but the publishing / talent nurturing ecosystem in US/EU is not the same as it is in Japan
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IMHO, In US, the pressure on aspiring comics/manga creators to make prints & merch instead of comics, + few opptys to get real feedback to improve their visual storytelling skills are factors that stunt/hinder their growth towards becoming pro comics creators.
This final comment on the proliferation of merch at shows prompted a spin-off discourse.
It was pointed out that it is increasingly expensive to table, and selling tchotkes seems to be a surer way to make back table costs than comics, alas.
Anyway a lot to unpack – as manga has become mainstream, even more readers want to create it, but as Deb points out, it’s not an easily accessible path.
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