On Reading Comics and Serials

I've written many blog posts on reading and children because this is a new thing that I see these days: people quiet their children in public places by putting a device in front of them. It's so prevalent that, waiting at the dentist's clinic, our children were greeted with remarks like, "Really? No screens?"

We are a simple family, so we don't buy what we don't need, and kids don't need their own phones or tablets. Additionally, they have no screens because they have better things to do. They have each other to play (or argue) with. They can explore any new places (even waiting places) with curiosity. And they can read books. Sure, they watch K-pop Demon Hunters, Totoro, and Bluey, but they watch to enjoy, not to kill time. (Also, we like to watch together.)

The problem with the books these days is that they are just not as attractive as they used to be. And it isn't the fault of the book makers (writers, illustrators, publishers). There is a general decline in reading for pleasure because (surprise!) the content that you can access through the Internet is more enticing. After all, social media apps, streaming apps, and Internet-capable devices are designed to be very engaging. As many in the book publishing industry might have noticed, the competition for children's attention has just gotten stiffer.

Comics

Which is why this story from the BBC shows a silver lining amid all the poor statistics on reading for pleasure. This increase in reading comics shows that young people still do want to read. Comics, graphic novels, manga, and other similar reading formats offer a different way of enjoying the printed page.

I think this is what's missing in the reading landscape today: because of television and, nowadays, streaming (which has led to habits like binge watching), we have forgotten what it was like to wait for the stories. Do you know how the first Dickens stories came out? It's similar to how those old sci-fi stories became popular: people wanted to follow an adventure that came out weekly or monthly, in a magazine or a magazine section dedicated to stories. I say “stories” because Dickens or sci-fi authors like Clarke or Wells didn't write novels—many of their stories were compiled later and published as the novels we know today.

Reading serials

As a reader and follower of magazine stories (I read a few titles in Shonen Jump through Manga Plus by Shueisha), l see how such stories can create a following of readers. I enjoy the company of fellow readers who react along with me when each new chapter is released.

I'm sorry to admit that I'm not sure if there are still comics stories in Filipino magazines, but when I was young my grandmother would have heaps of them in her living room, and it was up to me if I wanted to arrange them by date and find out how the tales unfolded. The stories I came across were mostly drama, but I do remember seeing some with magic elements. They weren't alien to me because at the time, my dad used to buy the newspaper daily, so I read the comics section. Among the funnies, there was one serial drama that progressed three panels a day.

I bought issues of the defunct comics magazine Culture Crash, which attracted many local anime fans or otaku back in its day. Now that I have worked in a magazine, I can see why that magazine folded up eventually. It's a shame that such projects tend not to be sustainable because of a lack of support. Publishers only want to deal with creators who will surely sell (and deliver on time) because a project will only work if it makes money. And they can't do that if a) the authors/artists don't beat the deadline, b) the stories don’t fly (readers will not pay for stories they don’t want to follow), c) the issue doesn't come out on time, and d) the mag loses ads because of c.

The short of it is that the problem is a slew of factors that affect each other, which makes it doubly hard to get anything flying in the first place.

So, for now, what we can do is to keep an open mind—just because something is comics doesn’t mean it’s “low brow.” Honestly take a look at what comes out and follow the good stories—my three points to consider are that the story must: show truthful themes (even if it’s fantasy), appreciate real beauty, and promote goodness.

Teach the little kids to read for fun—they will be the readers of the future, who will teach those who come after them. And perhaps, despite the attractiveness of screens (and the future will see an increase of this somehow), readers can deliberately choose to enjoy the printed page—because it does have a charm of its own!

"This is what's missing in the reading landscape today: because of television and, nowadays, streaming (which has led to habits like binge watching), we have forgotten what it was like to wait for the stories."