In my long-ago childhood, comic books were frowned on by most parents and teachers. They weren’t “real” books. They were more pictures than words. The language level in them wasn’t challenging.
Kids loved them, but adults? Not so much.I enjoyed comics as much as the next kid. I didn’t read the adventure ones—Superman and others of that ilk. My tastes ran more to Archie, Henry, Little Lulu, and occasionally Donald Duck. My frugal mother wouldn’t let me buy too many of them, even with my own money, but her objections were strictly financial. She didn’t object in principle to my reading comics. An avid reader, I voraciously consumed “real” books in large quantity and way above what was considered suitably comprehensible for my age level.
I knew, however, that most parents frowned on comics, and the teachers in school made no bones about their disdain.
Things hadn’t changed much when I was raising my daughter. I hewed to my mother’s stand: Go ahead and read comics if you want; just don’t go crazy spending money to buy them. But the educators of the day were still harshly down on comics.
Fast-forward to now. There are still traditional comic books, but an offshoot, known as manga, is hot. Manga are, in a sense, comic books, though you’d never mistake one for a Donald Duck comic. And they’ve attained a serious level of respectability. The publishing industry “bible,” PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY, reports on manga along with regular books and never in a derisive or derogatory way. Manga are not second-class citizens. They have become mainstream.
I have yet to hear of a teacher assigning students to read manga for homework, but that day may yet come. Manga have crossed the threshold of respectability. And do I detect a hint of greater acceptance for old-style comics as well?
Curious about my views? I see nothing wrong with comic books. Sure, they’re more pictures than words, and the words are easy…but those very facts can coax some reluctant readers into reading, and getting a non-reading child to read is certainly an accomplishment. If a child becomes more comfortable reading, through reading comics, there’s a chance he/she will “graduate” to reading REAL books. And, as an author, I’m certainly all in favor of that!
So even though I’ve yet to pick up a manga book myself, I’m grateful to them for conferring a level of respectability on comics in general and helping instill in kids the desire to read. I’m all for anything that encourages kids to read. What’s not to like about that?
Go, manga!