What got you into Manga/Comics

[kazukitakamura126]

I was wondering how did get to introduced to comics and/or manga? How did it influence you to make your own comic.

What got me interested in manga reading my first Shonen Jump magazine back in 2004. I never knew manga existed before that point. The detailed art and the interesting stories reeled me in.

When I made my first comic Darkness Within in 2006 I wanted it to be cool and have a great story just like the manga I read. I learned it wasn't easy to make a good story and make good art to accompany it. The stories I wanted to aspire to were written to a professional level and the art drew you in. As I grew as an artist I started to emulate these characteristics into my own work so someday people will be inspired by my work.

[jmhenry]

The first time I ever read manga was back in 9th grade(Samurai Deeper: Kyo, followed by Naruto, S.CRY.Ed and one volume of Rave Master). Manga actually helped revive my interest in making comics, which was something I wanted to do as a kid before the usual 'starving artist' scare that pops up anytime highschoolers talk about art and the future...

At that time, though, I didn't know it was something you could do in the states until a classmate pointed me to Tokyopop's RSOM(back when it was alive). Unfortunately, that opportunity died before I was skilled enough to create something that could compete, so now I'm doing webcomics! ^^;

[BitStrange]

I wasn't really into comics of any types till my boyfriend mentioned to me to turn my obsession I had of my couple of characters I kept drawing. Ever since then I wanted to learn more and read everything comics, manga and webcomic I just can't get enough.

And now I am working on my 2nd comic. I really can't see my life without this stuff =D I even tried for a year and now well I am back to creating another comic.

[TristanJensen]

Six years I found "Calvin and Hobbes".
...
simple as that

[keii4ii]

I've been a fan of animation for longer than I have been of comics. I think I probably started watching animation when I was an infant. But comics... hmm...

The first comic I've ever read was actually a children's encyclopedia set that my parents bought for me when we were living in Korea. In Korea, it's very common for children's educational material to include comics to explain the concepts with recurring characters. This encourages kids to read, even if they don't like reading prose.

That was in first grade. Then in third grade, Dragon Ball and TMNT became super popular in my area, and that's how I got started reading non-educational comics. And before I knew it, I had crossed the point of no return...

[getsuart]

Hhhhmmm...
From my childhood, i think.
for manga, it started with anime when I was little, then continued with mangas like Card Captor Sakura and Pokemon. I already had a sort of habit of manga. i was like... 9 or 10 when I got my first manga? Maybe younger, it started really early.
For comics, well, I was surrounded by it when I was little (maybe 4!) : Tintin and Asterix (which were my favourites), Spirou, Boule et Bill, etc, etc... So naturally, we had a lot of comic books of those stories at hme. Also, the Smurfs! Got some books about the Smurfs too.

Manga influenced me pretty much, but I think I have a mix between french and japanese comics for paneling.

[ConradComics]

I read American Comics (primarily Marvel over DC) in the '80s and early '90s, when I was in High School-College. Unfortunately, I grew tired of all the crossovers, recycled stories, recycled characters; etc, so I quit reading them around '93. I returned to comic reading with Manga around 2008. I was brought to it through Anime, specifically trying to find the source material of them. Everything just felt fresher, exotic and disconnected. Both types inspired me to flesh out and draw my own comics/manga.

Honestly, I didn't seriously try to publish my own works until the webcomic-verse hit this level of plug and play. I dabbled with it around 6 years ago; but even that short time ago, it seemed to require a high level of webpage hosting/building skills to do it right, and I simply didn't have the expertise. That's why I love this site.

[Kayke]

I was into DC comics when I was a kid. Batman, Robin, Teen Titans... I'd read whatever I could get my hands on with those characters. I also read a few manga, but I never really got that into it.

It wasn't until high school when I started reading web comics and indie comics that I realized it was what I really wanted to do. I think seeing the different range of stories people could tell on the web and in small press really got me excited about the medium. Like Octopus Pie stands out for me as a comic that made me say "WOAH, I want to do THAT when I grow up."

[carloswebcomic]

Back in the early 90's comics meant American superhero comics and frankly they've never been my thing. Somehow or other, I picked up a magazine called Heavy Metal which was a collection of European adult comics(as in subject, not porn) and was blown away.
In there, they advertised graphic novels and they look interesting enough that I started to look around for comic shops.
Shortly after that I was reading Usagi Yojimbo, Battle Angel Alita, Caravan Kidd and Ranma 1/2.

These days, I don't really have the time to read comics anymore, but a friend of mine gave me 2 new books called Nailbiter. It reminded me why I started reading comics in the first place.

[mg78]

to introduce me in comics:
i started as kid with the Mickey Mouse digest-sized comic series (the most famous comic for kids, here in italy). later, asterix & obelix.

while i was reading them, i was watching most of the anime in TV in my country, but i didnt know anything about manga...

to introduce me in manga:
hokuto no ken - vol2.
i was 11 or 12 years old.
that volume, it was worn out before the 3rd volume was released, lol. it was like to move from a kart (Mickey Mouse & co) to a formula1, ahahaha XD .
it was the real push to move in to the comics not only for fun but also to learn.

[kazukitakamura126]

I see that animation's biggest mascot helped you get into comics, that's quite interesting. Someone must have loved the manga if it were worn out or they forgot it under their. The transition for mMickey Mouse to anime was quite a change in taste.

[kazukitakamura126]

It's funny that you mentioned the TokyoPop contest. I actually submitted something to the contest but, I didn't get a letter or anything. The story I made didn't make sense and my amateur comic comic self was able to poke plot holes in it. Webcomics is the best option for me as well because I don't of any places where I can sell a comic book. I also decided to go digital so I can add color without the expense of color printing.

[BraveHeartTatsumaki]

I would say since I was around 8, I was already drawing random comics. What got me there was the amount of anime that my big sister showed me and she explained that most of anime were made based from a manga. So I always wanted to draw comic as the ones I admired.
I would say one of the few I first read was Versailles no Bara and Angelic Layer, but like few pages of them and they were in english (english is not my native language)

[kazukitakamura126]

Your are like me, where comics has been integrated into your life you can't really imagine your life without it. I took a hiatus from my comic from May to July, I swear everyday it felt like something was missing like I am missing a part of my soul. So at the end of July I picked comics back up.

Did you finish a comic series? I have never finished a comic series but I was able to get 3 of my comics published but they didn't sell very well.

[kazukitakamura126]

I believe using lovable characters in your products can help encourage kids to read because the character is so fun to read about. I also see you have read both American comics and manga, I think if you read both it gives you some perspective to the style of story telling and art in each country.

[kazukitakamura126]

It's always interesting to incorporate two different country's comic style it makes for an interesiting comic. I was exposed to manga in 8th grade when I got my first Shonen Jump, the art felt like it was out of this world. Something about the manga just drew me in, now I make my own comic for the future readers to enjoy. That's if I market it properly.

[kazukitakamura126]

Manga had the effect on me too it felt like something I have never seen before when I read manga in 2004. I didn't bring my comic onto the internet until 2011, I was waiting to publish it first but that took too long and I wanted to see what people thought of my work. Before Tapastic I was at another comic hosting site called InkBlazer. The community was friendly and the layout of the site was pretty neat. I stayed there until it shut down. I manage to make a friend and we still are friends. His name Peacuch. Tapastic felt foreign to me for the first month but, I got the hang of it felt easy to use and the community is just as friendly as InkBlazer.

[kazukitakamura126]

I didn't get into the indie comic scene until 2011 so I didn't join for quite awhile. Seeing the comics that other indie comic artist do and the professionally published one made me feel like making comics is what I want to do.

[kazukitakamura126]

I was blown away but manga as well when I saw in it my first Shonen Jump magazine I got in 2004. I didn't know it existed until now so it was like it was from another world.

I am like you these days I don't have time to read comics, however I read plenty of indie comics because I feel a connection with those, they are people just like me.

[kazukitakamura126]

I started drawing comics in middle school, during that time I was making gag comics so nothing too serious. The anime I watched did also influence me to make a more serious comic and that is when my first comic Darkness Within was born, that was in 2006. Despite the story being an utter mess I enjoyed making the comic it felt so great to make my own comic.