Manga - Help!

[ivyfic]

I have the opportunity to (possibly) review graphic novels so I'm trying to educate myself on the subject. I have a friend who's given me a reading list for comics (mostly of the super-hero variety), but I realize I know absolutely jack about manga. As this is the biggest thing in comics today, anyone have suggestions as to where to start? What series? What are the sub-genres? Are there any truly groundbreaking books?

So far all I've read is "Oh My Goddess!" which I admit was fun. You do get a lot more stares on the train when you're reading comics, though. I caught one guy looking at my book, and when I told him it was manga, I don't think he had a clue what a meant.

Comments

[nyias.livejournal.com]

I know I have some manga fans on my friendslist-- do you mind if I link them to this post? Personally I don't know anything on the subject but I think that some of them would be glad to help.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Sure, go ahead. Anything is better than randomly picking books in Barnes and Noble.

[suyari.livejournal.com]

The Mecca of Manga gathering: TOKYOPOP (http://www.tokyopop.com/). I'd post more, but my Internet Explorer is down, and so my favorites list is inaccessible at the moment. I'd suggest looking through the Manga listed here, and look to see what you may be interested in. There are of course, manga classics, as well as infamous manga. It depends on what you're looking for, actually. By the by, I got here via nyias. If you need anything more indepth, don't hesitate to seek me out. I'm a Mangaholic. ^~