Jim Lee, who serves as President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics, recently offered a compelling perspective on the dynamics between American comics and manga, highlighting the latter’s increasing prominence as a form of print entertainment.

In an engaging discussion with Nikkei XTrend, Lee delved into the distinctive appeal and commercial success of manga compared to traditional comics. “The narratives woven into Japanese manga and anime are extraordinarily captivating,” Lee remarked. He pondered, “What elements are Western comics missing that prevent them from achieving a similar allure? Manga holds a unique ‘advantage’ over American comics, which are predominantly centered around superheroes—a niche where most of our sales and readership are concentrated.”

Lee further elaborated, “In Japan, manga is akin to ‘literature.’ It’s accessible to everyone and extends beyond just heroic tales. They encompass a diverse array of genres, from culinary stories to soccer dramas, offering a rich tapestry of content. I’m genuinely pleased with manga’s success because it provides a ‘benchmark’ for us. The manga industry is larger than ours, prompting us to consider, ‘What lessons can we glean from this success?’

During the interview, Lee also emphasized the unique “sensibility” of manga and acknowledged its rise to cultural prominence since the 1990s. He noted, “In Western culture, comics and animation have traditionally been regarded as ‘children’s media.’ As audiences mature, they often shift to live-action entertainment. However, in Japan, this isn’t the case. Manga and anime cover an extensive range of genres, and adults engage with them just as much as younger audiences. In Japan, it’s seen as an ‘art form,’ unconfined by age restrictions.”

DC Comics’ president noted that there’s a certain “sensibility” about manga during the interview, and acknowledged that there was a significant growth in manga consumption success rates in the 1990s that allowed these comics to earn their popularity and pop culture prominence. “Another thing to add is that in the West, comics and animation have been considered ‘children’s media.’ As people grow up, they move on to live-action. But in Japan, that’s not the case. Not only is there a wide range of genres, but adults also read manga and watch anime. As a culture, it’s an ‘art’ that isn’t limited to a specific age group,” Lee said.

Image via DC Comics

Even when admitting that anime and manga may have a narrative advantage that some American comics are still building for today, Lee has celebrated the success of DC Comics’ presence in pop culture and entertainment media. When asked about DC Studios’s co-president James Gunn and the success of live-action media, Lee said that “that’s the strength of James Gunn as a writer and director: He can tell stories with any tone, from hopeful to darkly funny to completely crazy. He can do it all.”

Lee’s compliments on Gunn’s work continued to gush. “If I had to use one word in English, I would say he is a visionary. He has a very strong sense of story and is great at predicting what will look like on film. I’ve met a lot of creative people, including screenwriters, but Gunn is in a league of his own. When he comes up with an idea, he immediately gets to work and creates a story with the concentration of a machine. He sits down, an idea comes to him, and he puts it into shape. Before you know it, the story is already completed as a movie. He’s very focused and highly productive… But that can’t be summed up in one word.”

When reflecting on the state of DC Comics’ print offering, Lee offered insight into the brand’s initiative. “I believe the most successful stories are those that have emotion and ultimately create empathy in the reader. By telling a strong story, rather than simply saying ‘this is right’ or ‘this is wrong,’ the reader is able to understand both sides of the characters’ perspectives and empathize with them. That empathy is more powerful than any attempt at persuasion. It’s much more powerful to help readers understand the world through empathy than to force their opinions on what is right and wrong, and for me, empathy is a very worthwhile goal in fiction.”

The DC Comics President concluded, “A story needs to be a story. And ultimately, it is the power of the story that changes people’s perceptions, not a direct assertion. If you make it too obvious, the reader will have a negative reaction. That’s why emotion is so important. The emotion of a story moves the reader’s heart and mind. Emotion, not the content itself, is the key to opening people’s hearts.”

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