Art vs. Story (New Poll Question)

[Ashley]

(for once, even I was stumped where to put this...)

Ok, I'm conducting a opinion poll here. See, for those of you who didn't know, I'm leaving my first job this week. Since I had such a memorable time as a waitress with a ton of stories to retell, I wanted to commemorate the experience somehow. So I came up with the idea for a short, autobiographical manga about it that would also serve as tribute to my favorite manga-ka, Tanemura Arina.

Problem: I am no where near as talented as Tanemura-san. In fact, I have little artistic ability at all.

So my question is to you guys, would you be willing to read a manga with questionable art value if the story was good/humorous...or is art secondary to you? basically, what's more important---art or the story?

Either way, I will probably at the very least make some sketches and write out a script as my own way of catharsis...this is mainly to see if I should pour any real work into it (why bother if no one will care)

P.S. if you didn't believe me when I said I lacked artistic quality, here's a raw sketch

[inkhana]

Story over art! Absolutely. I mean, a well-written script has no pictures at all, and yet it's perfectly enjoyable. So by that logic, the pictures make it even better... As long as you can tell what's happening in the pics, it will be fine...^^

Edit: One more thing - this is from experience. Drawing manga is a crash course in rapid growth. Your ability will expand a thousand times before it's all said and done! A recommended trainer.

[ShiroiHikari]

Story over art. ^^ It's kind of like with X, the manga has like :O the most beautiful art, but the story...IMHO left much to be desired.

[Mr. Rogers]

I guess the story is more important than the art, 'cause there are lots of good books and stuff w/ no pics at all and their still good. It's nice to have some good art though too, guess there's gotta be a balance or something.

[Ashley]

Well, I thought about that, but the great thing about manga is, it's shorter, more concise, and usually more powerful. And the way I had the project set up it would be a series of vignettes/flashbacks that really work with a manga style. Prose/plays are a little harder to pull off...

At one time, I wanted to write a memoir about the whole thing...but hat took so much energy from me that it became more of a burden to write than it was a relief.

[Kat]

I'm not sure my answer would be appropriate here. Those of us in the comic industry have always held to the theory that comic readers will tolerate a bad story for good art; but they won't tolerate bad art for a good story. So far you all are disproving that theory; I'm wondering if it's because you're considering manga which is lightyears different than American comics.

I....wonder.....

--Kathleen

[cbwing0]

I think a good story is more important, although bad art could ruin a good story. As long as the art is able to adequately convey the message of the artist, then the actual quality is of secondary importance.

For example, if you look at the old Robotech series, the art was 80's horrendous, yet the story was compelling, and now it is a classic.

[wiggins]

Story... definitely. When I first saw one piece in a shonen jump magazine when I was in california, I thought it would be stupid because compared to naruto, its artwork just looked weird. But when I read it it was really good. So story over artwork.

[Lochaber Axe]

Subconsciously, no matter what you say, the first time you see anything (for lack of a better word) arty you will rate it by that artistic style. A Horrendous art style will lower even a good story until you reach that story, and then you reach a point of decision. Do you continue through the artwork, or just lay it down and never think of it again? That is what we all go through, maybe not consciously, but still no matter what.

I also have an option for you, why don't you do it in chibi? You can take a lot of liberties with chibism and people will respond favorably to it; definitely if it is humorous.

[Azier the Swordsman]

Nobody wants to read a crappy story even if the art is exeptional. (At least I know I wouldn't). But, hey, you have one thing going for you, you sure can draw a heck of a lot better than me. The only thing I can really draw are stick figures.

[Ashley]

Why don't you do it in chibi?

I did think about it...but:
1. Chibi is even harder for me to draw for some inexplicable reason
2. The story overy all has a serious undertone to it; even all the funny scenes are merely memories as the girl is debating about whether she should leave her job or not.

I really appriciate all of your input guys! It's been a real encouragement.

[Haibane Shadsie]

A friend of mine who is studying to become (she hopes, she dreams) of being a comic artist always tells me that the most important thing in a comic is story. This is something she heard straight from the mouth of a professional.

I agree... I read mostly manga, and what I read I do for the story more than anything else. I've gotten into some Osamu Tezuka mangas. I don't particularly like his art style - it's very cartoony, old skool cartoony, like old Popeye... yet his storytelling just blows me away! I've even learned to like his drawing of certain characters due to being drawn in by the story. For instance, I've seen better art/illustrations of mythic phoenixes, and I have a certain way that I like drawing a phoenix, but I've gotten to really like Tezuka's Phoenix - the way she's drawn, just because she kind of fits the story, even with her cartoony character design. The story is just so great that the cartoony art is "forgiven".

Sure, I read "Blade of the Immortal" because I love the art, but if the story and the characters weren't equally as compelling, I wouldn't have bothered past the first graphic novel. (I have several).


I've had that in my experience, too. I draw a webcomic/manga...er...thing.. I call it an "online graphic novel" just because I approach the storytelling in it in a similar way to how I approached the written novel I'm polishing up and hoping to get published in the near future. I'm less serious about my webcomic (though it's a serious-toned story), because I've never had any aspirations of entering the comic industry... I just do it for personal entertainment and some of the fans it's gathered...

My art style is caught somewhere between "realism" and "anime-ish". It's not quite like any art style I've seen... it's just weird. It's my personal style that I am most comfortable drawing in. Some people really love it, some people dislike it... even very greatly. Some of the fans of my comic are those who dislike my art style - folks who really don't like how I draw people because I don't draw them very "anime/manga" style, yet, they are fans of my comic because the like the story.

[Solid Ronin]

I said story over art but both are very important to me

[andyroo]

Story over art for sure. The story is what gets people reading (and makes it worth reading), and the art helps, but is, like has been said, the thing people will really notice first. People will notice the shoulder to head portion of the body first. Either that or the most notable feature of the drawing like a motor cycle or tray full of food.

[uc pseudonym]

I'm all for story. If art didn't matter, how did Xaio Xaio become popular?

[Locke]

true...

story over art hands down

but the Jing manga had both so im stuck in the middle

[Mave]

heh looks like I'm a minority here...

I'm into 'art' or 'eye candy' big time and everytime I skim through anime/manga series, art is the first thing I look for. I can't help it...it's like second nature to me.

I noticed this is how I evaluate a series according to priority

1. 'Pretty Enough' Art?
2. Offensive/Acceptable? (Ex. no excessive nudity, glory Satan stuff bla bla)
3. Decent Characters/Scummy characters?
4. Story Overall?

of course I love a good story but somehow it just isn't the first priority for me at the moment....

[Ashley]

Ok, new poll question:

Since we've established the majority of you wouldn't mind a not-so-masterful art if it had a good story, given the sample I posted earlier, how many of you would actually read it if it was available?

P.S. Be honest...I won't look up names and flame you or anything. You don't even have to reply to this, just revote please.

[Shinja]

id read it, i read the one you sent me and it wasnt even drawn out.

[cbwing0]

I wouldn't pick it up in the store and buy it, because I very rarely read any manga, but I would read it online.

[andyroo]

I've read the vingette you posted in the writting section a while back which was pretty good, so I think I would read it despite any bad art.

[inkhana]

Well, I can't revote, but I would read it. (But you know that already...)

[Retten]

Yeah I would definetly read it!

[Spiritsword]

I've come in on this discussion a little late, I guess, since the art vs. story question has already been addressed pretty thoroughly. I would certainly read your manga, Ash, regardless of the quality of the art, because it would have been written by a friend.

All that being said, as to the general question I'm not sure what my answer would be. It's definitely not emphatic either way. But I do have to say, I enjoy manga more for the visual aspect than for the writing, yet it is hard to separate the two. Manga and comics are visual media--if I want a truly good "read", I will go get a novel from the library. The storytelling in manga is done mainly through the artwork, but of course it has to be scripted beforehand. Let me put it this way--I will not watch an anime or read a manga if the art is unappealing to me, even if the storyline is solid, because the visuals play such a large part in the story itself. I will watch an anime or read a manga with a mediocre plot if the art really catches my eye. So while I feel that both are very important to a really good anime or manga (I can't identify any anime or manga I would call "really good" that lack one or the other), I guess if it comes down to it the art is slightly more important to me, in that it is more of a necessity for me to pick up the manga or anime.

[Fsiphskilm]

[quote="Kat"]comic rea

[Rhocke]

It all depends on the reader's opinion, of course, but to tell the truth, mortowkr is poorly consider reading a manga is the artwork is poorly done. When people first look at a comic, they ask themselves, 'Do I like the art style?'. Art style/quality is what catches the eye of people, but then again there are some people who will hold plotline and story over artwork.

If we all [somehow] forgot about Astroboy, one of the pioneering mangas [and quite famous], and it was just released, would I think it would be a huge hit among millions of manga fans? No. The artwork and design in Astroboy is genious for its time, but now those elements have been further improved and stylized.

But my suggestion? An artists should do whatever they please, and if all they want to do is please the customer, then they're just relying totally on popularity among people and the praise of readers. If you want to draw a manga, draw a manga. If people get into it and realize what a great story you're telling, some will forget about the artwork and get more invloved with characters and plot. Good luck, anywho. *gives you a cookie if you read this whole rant*

[Fsiphskilm]

*hold hand out*

[Locke]

now that is hard to decide!

astro boy manga Vs. Anime cashcow!

[Rhocke]

*laughs and gives Volt and giant cookie*

Yeah, a lot of people anime-enthusiasts I know don't even know what Astroboy is [O_o], so I based that rant-thingy off of that.

P.S. [To Locke] I based my name on the name 'Locke' from Ender's Game! I love that book. ^_^

[Michael]

I'd read it only if it had a good story. I'm not a fan of manga, being indoctrunated in american comics I never really could get into it.