Just finished tabling at Fanime’s inaugural doujinshi event called Manga Ichiba and the turnout was impressive!
I came in from the lens of indie comics, having recently printed and kickstarted a graphic novel memoir, and tabled at this event with my older manga series, White Angel, as my main offering (I’m in the process of relaunching this as Angel Chronicles. Stay tuned!). The manga fandom scene in the US has evolved and grown since the creation of White Angel back in 2018 and it was amazing to see how large of a community showed up to support the local manga and comic creators (aka. the doujins!).
So let’s get in to it by starting with the basics.
What’s a doujinshi?
“Doujinshi” is a Japanese term for a self-published print work, created out of passion, often manga in format, and often derivative of existing works. Best way to think of it is fan comics made by fans, not pros… which is not entirely true but is the general idea.
Doujinshi are also, in general, made by a “doujin” (or a “circle”) – a group of people who share an interest and create the doujinshi about that interest together.
Doujin and doujinshi have their roots in Japanese culture and date back to post-WWII era, with the first Comiket held in 1975. There’s a lot of similarities to Western indie comics (which is the perspective I am coming from), but a lot of differences too, simply due to its evolution over the years.
In recent years, doujinshi have been growing in popularity in the US, with some US creators making trips to Japan to participate in their Comiket events. Manga Ichiba is the 1st doujinshi-focused “comiket” held in the US! With hopefully many more to follow.
But wait! What is a Comiket?
Comiket, aka “Comic Market”, is the largest doujin convention held in Tokyo twice a year. These events feature thousands of doujinkas (comic creators) and other fan/hobbyists selling books, prints, and trinkets. There’s also a prominent cosplay area for fans to showcase their costumes. And while Comiket is a specific Japanese con, the word “comiket” has been used a lot (at least in the US) to describe all doujinshi conventions in Japan.
There’s honestly a lot of similarity to a comic con, if you took away all the corporate booths, the celebrity signings, panels, etc and just left the artist alley (but made it smaller and less commercialized and grandiose like it’s become in recent years) and added a designated cosplay area… you’d pretty much have a comiket.
So… how does Comiket differ from an indie comic fest?
There’s actually a lot of similarities between Comiket and zine fests. Both are primarily about non-professional creators (some working individually and some in collaborative groups) sharing, selling, and trading their books in a pop-up style event. And yes, both often feature content more commonly taboo in mainstream society. And while people setting up to sell always hope to turn a profit or at least break even, for both of them, the profit is not the goal as much as sharing your voice amongst other enthusiasts of the comic medium.
Subject matter and surrounding culture are the main areas where Japanese Comiket differentiates from a US zine fest.
US zine fests started from a punk culture perspective and at its core is about lived experiences and personal voice. As a result, usually the subject matter is non-fiction, gritty, and not often derivative of any mainstream works.
Japanese Comikets are organized around love of shared fandoms, which are often more mainstream, simply because manga is more integrated in normal Japanese society than in the US (and the selling of derivative works is less legally frowned on too). What’s interesting is that some fandoms can run so deep that they cross over and become a lens on identity, making the line between zine fests and Comikets blur a bit. Likewise, a zine fest can include zines about fandoms, making the line blur from the other direction as well.
What’s the significance of Manga Ichiba?
The US has zine fests and anime con artist alleys, so why the need for a doujinshi event?
The anime and manga community has been growing year over year and the fan-made manga and their readers is a growing subset of that community in the US that needs its own space to connect and expand. Manga Ichiba, as “the first doujinshi event in the US”, is a space where fan-made manga gets to be the main product in the room. People were able pick up every handmade zine and professionally printed book, connecting with the creators and bonding over shared interests in this designated and intentional space. That contextual focus makes a huge difference when browsing reading materials.
Many tables at Manga Ichiba sold out of doujinshis during their time block, often in the first hour! As someone who tabled myself, the audience definitely exceeded way beyond anyone’s expectations. Manga Ichiba’s inaugural event was less like a test run and more like the exploding flame looking to launch a whole new kind of comic fest! I look forward to seeing what becomes of this next year!
