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Honestly, I do think that the "dialect" of manga is different enough from American and European comics to justify using "manga" as a descriptive term. No argument there. But they are still clearly the same language.

It's especially pointless to argue since the Japanese themselves use the "comics" themselves (although they would never dream of calling any comic "manga"). See, for example, the label "Jump Comics" on a Japanese edition of Dragon Ball or Death Note, or Comiket, the massive semiannual "Comic Market." So while not all comics are manga, all manga are indeed comics.

But Will Eisner called comics

Will Eisner called comics

""the printed arrangement of art and balloons in sequence."

Scott McCloud called 'em "uxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer."

And forgive me if I'ma gonna go with Will Eisener and Scott McCloud's definition over yours. (Although I actually think the first guy I linked too earlier had a better definition.)

Comics is a MEDIUM. Same as prose. Same as film.

If a book is written in Japan=, it's still prose. If a movie is made in Japan, it's still film.

The point is that although a manga is a comic you don't call it a comic because manga is associated with comics from japan. While the term comic is associated with western comics and yotsuba is therefore not a comic.

Audience Experience: Yep. The audience controls how fast they read Manga.

Closure and Synthesis: Yes. There is both text and pictures, and there are sets of related pictures.

Use of visual Language: Yes. The author actually sites "Speed Lines" as an element of this.

Intent of Creator: Not COMPLETELY sure what this one means. But I think "yes" and Manga is obviously "comics" by the other definitions.

http://comixtalk.com/is_this_a_comic_part_2

There’s certainly some unique stylistic traits to Japanese comics, but it’sall the same medium. "

No no no...... Don't try to call japanese manga "comics" comics and manga are two different things.

All of this is quite a change from the American Charlie Brown/Calvin/Huey/Bart Simpson type of American comic strip kid, who are basically adults but shorter.

I've seen reviewers state that what makes Calvin work is that he's a kid, not just a short adult - and I think that's true. (I've seen the same comment about Charlie Brown, but don't know enough about Peanuts to have an opinion on it.)

Wait wait how is a japanese manga a comic????

Best definition I've read of what a comic is:

http://comixtalk.com/is_this_a_comic_part_2

There's certainly some unique stylistic traits to Japanese comics, but it'sall the same medium.

Kiyohiko Azuma doesn't really focus a lot on romantic angst or entanglement, either, which is actually one of his greater strengths. It allows him to use more humor based on the characters just being themselves, and if there is romance, it's only to build some jokes out of it. He took the same approach in his previous manga, Azumanga Daioh.

(Now out in a 1-volume omnibus! Hint hint!)

(but yeah, now read Monster)

Please don't mention that book here, it has no relation on the discussion. As for Mark's question about it being okay, yes it would be actually, because 16 is the legal age for marriage and consent in most of Japan. I'm not saying the book is headed that way, there just seems to be a lot of pairing between the dad and Fuka.

My favourite thing in the whole of Yotsuba is when she's in the furniture section of a shop, and she climbs into this drawer and peers out of it. It struck a chord with my own childhood and I couldn't stop laughing!