Manga are comics created in Japan or by Japanese cartoonists and illustrators in the Japanese language, conforming to a style developed in Japan in he late 19th century.
In Japan, people of all ages read these manga. Unlike much of the respected graphic "Western" literature, comics in Japan are not limited to simple super heroes, comedy, and romance. The medium includes works in a broad range of genres: action-adventure, romance, sports and games, historical drama, comedy, science fiction and fantasy, mystery, suspense, detective, horror, sexuality, and even business and commerce.
One of the earliest forms of Manga published in Japan dates as far back as 1946. Japan's first officially released Manga was called Sazea-San, but the first internationally recognized Manga was Astro Boy.
Since the 1950s, manga has steadily become a major part of the Japanese publishing industry, both nationally and world-wide. It represented a ¥406 billion market in Japan as of 2007, approximately $3.6 billion, and ¥420 billion, $5.5 billion, as of 2009. In Europe and the Middle East the market is worth $250 million. In 2008, in the U.S. and Canada, the Manga market was valued at $175 million. The markets in France and the United States are about the same size.
Although it has gained both an international audience as well as a local one, Manga is only respected in certain circles, some comics retaining more positive notoriety than others. Manga that are highly respected both in Japan and also elsewhere include Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa, Death Note and Bakuman by Tsugumi Ohba and Takashi Obata.
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