In a recent, DC-funded ad campaign, a comic book store urges people to “buy American”, offering “US citizens” (only! no immigrants!) the opportunity to trade in one volume of manga in exchange for an issue of DC Comics.
Setting aside the incredibly problematic racist slant that this ad carries, with its language harkening back to the “anti-Jap” jingoism of the 1940’s and its visuals sending the message that all people of color look alike (presenting their African American character Cyborg as “Robama”), they manage to miss a very important point: buying translated manga is still buying American. Americans license manga, translate the books, do graphic design for the books, edit the books, distribute the books - perhaps we’re not apple pie like Superman, and perhaps we pay royalty to Japanese companies, but the industry still gives jobs to Americans and puts products on the shelves of American stores for Americans to buy.
Next time, DC, I urge you to think twice about what you use your money to endorse.
…why, DC.
DC….
it just keeps happening
and happening
and happening
I….what….fuuuuck
I think the “one per American citizen” line is supposed to be decidedly tongue in cheek. If it’s serious then it truly is ridiculous.
Obviously since everybody in the U.S. comics biz swears up and down that Manga doesn’t sell at all in the U.S., they must not be expecting to have to give out any comics anyway.
#why would you trade in 200 pages of delicious manga for a flimsy little comic book?
Yeah, p much.
DC, no, stop that. uuuggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ;fjsaklflkasdjf
First off, WOW DC. JUST. WOW.
And second, while I could understand people trading in manga for a tradeback (entire storyline of a comic), why in the fuck would you trade one in for a single issue. And furthermore, why the fuck would you trade it in for DCnU?
DC is legitimately a gross gross gross company.
Wow. DC. Holy hell.
I wanted to get into the new comics and read Batgirl because Xtra! was on about the whole lesbian thing, but I can’t support any publisher this hateful about… everything.
