I certainly read manga more than I do American or European comics. However I think it's a bad idea to discount them completely. Some of my favorite stories in comic form are American comics like Sandman, Bone, Preacher, and even The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck (seriously it's actually a really cool comic)

Heck I don't recommend reading every superhero comic or anything but there's also a number of good story arcs from both Marvel and DC. Injustice is a great example of a recent comic book series I started reading with very low expectations but it's turned out to be surprisingly fun.

I have a really difficult time relating to the characters in american comics. I say this as an american. I enjoy plenty of other forms of american media that don't exhibit the same issue.

I've read some, like Saga, Shadoweyes, and the Walking Dead, but manga's just so much more accessible it's easier for me to find something I like.

Plus, it's easier for me to suspend belief when I'm reading a manga, while I'm more critical of things coming from the States, largely because I'm far more familiar with the cultural background the creator had. For example, I can stomach offensive ethnic and LGBT+ stereotypes in manga (to an extent), but I wouldn't touch an American comic if it had that sort of thing.

I've definitely consumed lots of the media American comics have given rise to though, like cartoons and movies. Teen Titans was my favorite show as a kid, and I was also a huge fan of Batman Beyond, X-Men Evolution, and Justice League.

Comic books are hard to come by and kinda expensive, hence why I don't read as much as I would like. Also, comics have a harder story narrative to follow, whereas manga it's a central storyline and there might be spin-offs, sequels, but the stories are a lot more linear.
I only really read superhero comics tho.

My siblings have a myriad of graphic novels so I usually read theirs. Plenty of indie comics, classics (Baby Blues, Calvin & Hobbes, Usagi Yojimbo), (Jeff Smith, Gerard Way, and Neil Gaiman) comics, The Maxx, Shadoweyes, Black Science, Rat Queens, Mouse Guard, Blacksad, Anya's Ghost, and one of my favorites; Chew! And also Sky Doll.

...Then there's all those web comics.

In terms of Marvel, I used to read random Spiderman, Conan, and X-men comics, and have also watched the X-men cartoon series with the random pilot episode where Wolverine has a scottish accent.

Just recently started my own (tiny) comic collection, including the original TMNT comic, Samurai Jack, and a cute little series called Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things.

"American comics"

"this has to be a residentgrigo poll"
*checks* "yup."

Anyways, in terms of american comic books, I didn't start reading them until a few years ago. These I found much harder to read because
1. They aren't as easily accessible illegally online. I also didn't start visiting physical stores that had comics until a couple years ago. Our college library has a decently sized selection but semesters are always too busy.
2. I don't know of any way to track which issues I've read, especially since american comics are much more non-linear and there's a ridiculous amount of crossovers and the canon keeps changing.
3. I have no good way of finding new ones (for manga I search mangaupdates though genres and categories and ratings) so I never know what to read next (I don't know the genres of american comics either so I have not fleshed out what kinds of series I like)
4a. The amount of manga that has been scanlated into English is significantly smaller since English manga has only been a thing for the last 20 years. I can say with confidence that I've heard of most of the manga series that are popular today.
4b. 70+ years of comics is straight up intimidating. There are a ton of publishers and a ton of series. Where do I even start? Where do I go from there? Mainstream publishers? Indie publishers? I don't even know all the publishers. ...Web comics? And of course, since I wasn't exposed to these comics earlier and I can access an entire series more easily, I have a completionist need to finish an entire series if I start it. Trying to read 150 issues of a decently popular series plus the mini-series plus the annuals plus the various crossovers makes reading the entirety of one piece seem like an easy a walk in the park. If I walk into a comic store, I will recognize 90% of non porn/yaoi/yuri manga series while I barely recognize any of the american comics.

So I would say just a little, because I feel as if I've barely scratched the surface. After my initial binge of reading a lot of batman + some others I still follow a few series, but not that many. It's too hard finding new series to read without being overwhelmed. Tips for finding and reading comics are welcome . Good series that are standalone and completed are especially welcome. Free comic book day was today so I'm pretty motivated to read some American comics now.

I also read a couple web comics but not many of those. Too many irregular update schedules.

I've heard lots of good things about Captain America. Looking forward to seeing it!

________________


Recruiting:
https://quicksandscans.wordpress.com/recruitment/

I read and own a fair few, from Marvel & DC to independent comics. I don't follow any though apart from a series called Saga. I prefer to read contained graphic novels as well. Comics aren't as easily accessible as manga online, so I have to be picky about what I buy if I feel like buying one, hence why I have certainly read a lot more manga than I have comics over the years.

I've been a somewhat casual reader of american comics for the past few years, but manga was where I started and it's what I read mainly. but yeah I dove into american comics and found some awesome stories and characters. good stuff on both fronts.

Just a little. I tried reading some DC and Marvel comics, but the art wasn't to my liking and I found it a bit hard to get into the stories, since they've basically been ongoing god knows how long. I tried reading some Supergirl and there were some references to things I didn't get and I had to actually read the wikipedia page for Supergirl to really get to the same page with the comic. With manga you know that you just simply pic vol 1. You can't really do that with all american comics...

This poll really needed an option for "used to read American comics but now read manga"

Yup, I agree. Over expensive, fewer and fewer pages. American Comics are the Airlines of the art-on-paper world. Plus, so sick of needing a "Crisis" or "Deal with the Devil from a super moral character who would NEVER do so" - to reset things.

Superhero comics are so damn confusing. There are so many crossovers and then the dumb companies reboot the series.

Or there would be stupid companies who retcon important stuffs making the past stories useless. Like Wanda Maximoff being no longer the daughter of Magneto. It ruined the entire 50-60 years storyline.





________________

Pretty much why I've latched onto reading only Manga: American comics suck (for me personally).

I just can't get into any established series involving heroes of Marvel or DC, as they keep trying to change up the different backstories, important events, main characters behind the mask, etc. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that in the grand scheme of things, as that's how these companies have been trying to keep themselves relevant + engaging for today's readers. However, I much prefer reading series that have fun ideas coming from just one main author (and artist), and don't always feature action in them (which again isn't a problem, but some of my favorites are pretty much witty slice-of-life stories or goofy romcoms that). And while I've noticed how a lot of series are popular with action being the main focus, I rarely find good American series that lack it these days.

Otherwise, some popular series that come to mind include Bone by Jeff Smith and Scott Pilgrim Versus the World by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Both I liked, but also kinda wish were longer. Nothing else I can find these days that compare to those two as far as American comics go... :/

I should have selected "Lots, but I read more manga"

When I answered I was thinking DC/Marvel. But if I include all the webcomics I read wew lad

Aren't those who vote 'Does watching superhero movies count?' part of the never read any american comics?
I've never read any american comics, but i have watched some of superhero movies.
Frankly, they should have stopped producing more and more superheroes movies.

________________