Siyavush Saidian - Careers for People Who Love Comics, Animation, and Manga

Published in 2021 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010

Copyright 2021 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

First Edition

Portions of this work were originally authored by Sherri Glass and Jim Wentzel and published as Cool Careers Without College for People Who Love Manga, Comics, and Animation. All new material in this edition authored by Siyavush Saidian.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Saidian, Siyavush.

Title: Careers for people who love comics, animation, and manga / Siyavush Saidian.

Description: New York: Rosen Publishing, 2021. | Series: Cool careers without college | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781499468700 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781499468717 (library bound)

Subjects: LCSH: Animated filmsVocational guidanceJuvenile literature.

| Computer animationVocational guidanceJuvenile literature. |

Comic books, strips, etc.Vocational guidanceJuvenile literature.

Classification: LCC NC1765. S26 2021 | DDC 741.5023dc23

Some of the images in this book illustrate individuals who are models. The depictions do not imply actual situations or events.

Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica

CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #BSR20. For further information contact Rosen Publishing, New York, New York at 1-800-237-9932.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

C omics, animation, and manga are three entertainment industries that have a lot in common. They all involve drawn (or computer-generated) figures moving around similarly drawn worlds. Each medium also commonly features distinctive color palettes, visual styles, and unique stories. However, there are also major differences between these three fields. Comic books have deep roots in the United States, while manga is almost exclusively created in Japanthough both have worldwide audiences and incredible popularity. Animation, of course, involves moving pictures and is found on TV and movie screens.

If youve picked up this book, you probably knew all that already. However, if youre a fan of these entertainment genres, you may be surprised to learn that its possible to forge a successful career in these industries without a college degree. Whether youre interested in writing a TV show, inking a comic book, or directing an animated film, there are positions available to you even without an advanced education. Instead, its more important that you have creativity, an eye for detail, and an undeniable passion for the genre.

Though comics, animation, and manga are most easily defined by their visuals and designs, you dont have to be an artist to make money in these industries. Comics need scriptwriters, who cook up interesting ideas, map out the plot, describe the action, and compose dialogue between characters. The animation business needs show and film creators to come up with fresh ideas, directors to supervise the development and production of series and features, and producers to tie everything together. Manga, meanwhile, would never have found popularity outside of Japan without talented letterers filling in the mediums iconic speech bubbles.

However, if you do have artistic talents, youll find yourself right at home in any of these fields. Comics rely on pencillers to sketch out action, inkers to fill in bold lines, and colorists to make characters and settings pop off the page. Creating an animated TV show requires the work of dozens of artists, including voice-over actors, background painters, andof courseanimators themselves, who increasingly use digital tools to make figures move in a 2D or 3D space.

No matter your interest or talents, if you love reading the latest adventures of your favorite comic heroes, watching the incredible detailed movements of big-screen animated films, or catching up on the complex story of the latest striking manga, theres a place in these industries for you.

COMICS

S uperhero movies like the Avengers series and Spider-Man have become some of the worlds most popularand most profitablefilms. As you probably know, most of this multibillion-dollar industry has its roots in the paperback comic books of the 1930s. The Big Two comic publishers, DC and Marvel, have been around since the mid-20th century, and their characters have become legendary in the decades since. However, comics are more than just superheroes and villains plotting world domination. This genre also includes comics in the Sunday paper and richly illustrated graphic novels.

At their most basic level, comics are a collection of illustrated panels laid out on a page. Theyre meant to tell a story by combining pictures and words in a particular sequence. Theyre commonly rendered with black inked lines and sometimes colored for a more vivid, dramatic, or realistic effect. Comics have the ability to use dynamic and imaginative imagery to enhance a written story, creating a visual experience that rivalsand inspiresfilms in its sense of movement, excitement, mood, and action.

The history of comic books can be traced all the way back to political cartoons, late-19th century comic strips, and science fiction stories from the 1920s. They came into their own in the 1930s with the appearance of Superman and Batman. Over the years, DC, Marvel, and countless other comic publishers have created comic series and, most recently, some series have been turned into record-breaking movies. Today, an enormous industry has grown up around the merchandising of comic characters, including toys, video games, and action figures. Comics, the characters in them, and their creators have inspired othersmaybe even youto let their imaginations free as they follow the adventures of their favorite heroes.

Marvel and DC are some of the oldest and most respected comics publishers.

THE YELLOW EARLY DAYS

Cartoonist Richard Felton Outcault created The Yellow Kid, a late-19th century comic strip. The comics charactera street urchin who mocked New York Citys upper classes was named after the distinct yellow gown he wore. The character eventually achieved such widespread popularity that he increased the sales of newspapers carrying the strip. In addition to belonging to the first color comic strip, the Yellow Kid was also among the first comic characters to be profitably merchandised. The Yellow Kid appeared in newspapers between 1895 and 1898. Outcault is today considered one of the earliest successful comic writers, and The Yellow Kid is one of the oldest examples of the power of comics.

Because the industry has experienced so much success in the 21st century, comic production has become a wide-open field. Many artists are publishing their own work without major publishers. Digital distribution has allowed writers and storytellers to release their passion projects to the wide world. There are more tools and career avenues open to an aspiring comic author than ever before. Even though it can take a lot of practice and discipline to draw as well as the established artists, many great comic artists of the past and present never earned a college degree or trained at a formal art school. Instead, making it in this industry is based on your own creative vision, tireless persistence, and hard work.