U.S. Papers Adding Japanese-Style Comics

Stuart Levy, chief executive of TOKYOPOP Inc., responds to a question during an interview with The Associated Press beside a rack of 'manga' comics in Tokyo Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005. From January next year, the Sunday funnies of major American newspapers will be adding a comic style that's slightly different and far heavier in its use of doe-eyed women in skin-tight outfits, a manga trademark. "Manga is the core of this kind of lifestyle and culture, which is becoming a global trend," he said. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) (Shizuo Kambayashi - AP)

Both cartoon strips are by Americans _ evidence of how far manga has come in the United States.

"Van Von Hunter," by Ron Kaulfersch and Mike Schwark, is a horror spoof about a warrior and his female sidekick who dress in Gothic-inspired costumes and are on a mission to fight evil.

The quirky "Peach Fuzz" explores conflicting views of reality. It depicts 9-year-old Amanda's desire to become friends with her pet ferret, Peach, who harbors delusions of being a pampered, veil-donning princess.

The manga rage is spreading.

Papercutz, a New York company, bought the rights to The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries to bring out comic versions inspired by manga. Major bookstores in the United States now devote rows of shelves to manga.

CosmoGirl, the No. 1 teen publication in the United States, began running manga produced by TOKYOPOP in August. And the Harlequin Romance books are coming out in a manga version _ something that's already available in Japan.

Manga is more a storytelling style than a genre, spanning the range of novels or movies _ including romance, horror, science fiction and comedy. Manga tales also tend to be more psychological and less action-oriented than its U.S. counterparts, such as Marvel's superhero comics.

"Peach Fuzz" co-author Lindsay Cibos says she found manga "deeper and more fulfilling than cartoons on TV."

Cibos, 23, is a self-taught manga artist who has never been to Japan and speaks no Japanese but grew up on the manga classic "Sailor Moon."

Manga stories "touched upon girls issues, emotions and romance, that sort of thing," she said in a telephone interview from Orlando, Florida.

Takashi Nakagawa, executive managing director of Softbank Investment Corp. in Tokyo, a financial backer of TOKYOPOP, says he saw a good opportunity five years ago in the company's attempt to translate manga into English and offer it to the American market.

Founded in 1996, TOKYOPOP has operations in the United States, Japan, Germany and Great Britain, has an annual revenue of about $40 million and sells as many as 10 million books a year, according to Levy, the CEO.