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Calling all comic fans

Comics aren't just for kids these days. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TAIPEI INTERNATIONAL BOOK EXHIBITION

Walk down most streets in Taipei and you will inevitably pass a store crammed with several thousand graphic novels and magazines teenagers and young adults lounging inside on couches or loafing at tables. A bookstore or library? No, this is a comic book rental shop, a testament to the country's decades' long fascination with the genre.

The 15th Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE, 台北國際書展), currently being held at Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC), offers a great opportunity to get acquainted with graphic literature. Organized by the Taipei Book Fair Foundation and the Government Information Office (GIO), this year's exhibition has attracted 341 local and 370 foreign publishers who will be introducing their books in 1,565 booths spread over three exhibition halls. The exhibition spotlights the most significant works from Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and China, as well as comic spin-offs like toys, television programs and animated movies.

According to Jerry Lo (羅士翔), Marketing Director of Ching Win Publishing (青文出版社股份有限公司), Taiwan's second-largest publisher of comics, book fairs have always been the best forums for publishers to communicate with their readers. "Recently, however, because of the bad market situation, book fairs have also become a good way of reducing stock," he said, nothing that a publisher's turnover often reaches NT$10 million for one book fair.

Lo said book fairs and exhibitions make up a small proportion of Ching Win's yearly sales of NT$350 million, but his company uses them unload many of the more than 50 titles it publishes each month. In other words, book fairs are places where readers can buy comics at rock bottom prices.

Translated Japanese manga (or comics) are by far the most popular, though South Korean comics have made a strong showing in the past few years.

Lo attributes the popularity of Japanese comics to a formula they've developed and refined over a many years of experimentation.

Exhibition notes: What: Taipei International Book Exhibition 2007 (台北國際書展) Where: Taipei World Trade Center, Halls 1, 2 and 3 When: Through Sunday In addition to showcasing books by publishers throughout the world, Taipei International Book Exhibition 2007 also features Russia films, animation and a Cosplay contest. Exhibition Hall 1: International exhibitors, general books, magazines and films Exhibition Hall 2: Comics, animated films, and related products Exhibition Hall 3: Children's books

"A successful comic book always contains elements of passion, adventure and friendship," he said. Few local comics are as popular, he added, not so much because of the quality of their illustrations, but because they don't employ this structure in their plots.

Liu Wei-kung (劉維公), a sociologist at Soochow University who researches consumer trends, said the reason why Japanese comics attract a broader readership is because they are not only written for or marketed to children or teenagers. "The culture in Japan is such that comics … also appeal to adults," he said.

It is common in Japan, he said, to see people in their thirties and forties reading comics not only for pleasure but also for information. As such, comics are not viewed as an infantile subculture but seen as an important part of popular culture.

This leads to another reason why Japanese comics remain popular: they cover a range of topics that reflects the diverse interests of their target audience. From how to choose and drink red wine to health issues, any topic can serve as material for a comic provided the formula of passion, adventure and friendship is used, Lo said.

Lo says his company is trying to change the impression people have about their company by publishing books that are also suited to the adult market. "Most people treat us as a publisher that only releases books for the children market. But we have started to publish some comic books suitable to teenagers and adults," he said.

But don't expect adults to be heading to cosplay festivals or competitions dressed as their favorite manga accountant or anime wine connoisseur. Specialized comics still make up a small — but growing — part of Taiwan's market. However, Lo suggests that, as the current generation grows older, they will begin to seek out comics with adult themes such as business or politics that are directly related to their lives.

"Comic books that are closer to the real world and have a direct influence on the readers are the direction we are going in," he said.

One would expect that bookstores would be the largest sellers of comic books, with fairs and exhibitions making up the shortfall. But in Taiwan, comic book rental shops are where comics most are bought and sold.

"Theoretically, rental bookshops are illegal in Taiwan," Lo noted. "However, [they] are the most important retail and distribution system for the comic book business."

Take Eslite (誠品書店), for example. Lo said comics account for only 8 percent of that company's consumer sales. On the other hand, there are more than 800 comic book rental stores in Taipei alone.

But like other non-export-oriented aspects of the local economy, the comic book business has suffered in recent years. Nowadays, a famous comic will usually enjoy a first print run of 60,000 copies. "When the economy was doing well, it wasn't unheard of 100,000 to 120,000 copies of one volume being sold," Lo said.

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