In regards specifically to storytelling methods, the two most noticeable elements of manga are its decompressed pacing and its facility at rendering motion through static images. Beginning with the second element, I believe that this facility has, in fact, already begun its incorporation into the American comics vocabulary, probably beginning with the works of Frank Miller but continuing with a strong tradition of manga-inflected action scenes that runs all through the modern superhero books. This influence is not always as obvious as having two ninjas battling it out over the soul of the last Emperor, either. Good examples of well-considered (and tasteful) approaches to incorporating manga lessons into western comics would be David Mack’s KABUKI (though obvious with its many Japanese themes), Paul Pope’s HEAVY LIQUID, and Scott Morse’s SOULWIND (which actually brings the thing full-circle by alluding to both manga and early American animation styles).
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