Trends of comics in Vietnam

In the growing trend of social development, comics in Vietnam are experiencing many positive changes.

Changes in comics in Vietnam not only improve the quality of each printed copy but are also reflected in changing the appearance of each comic book collection or the way of interacting with readers.

Limited edition, included gifts and special boxset

Recently, Wartime Spell is one of the most sought-after series in the comic book market. Every time a new volume is published, hundreds of fans of many ages are willing to get up early to line up at distribution branches for the chance to own a limited edition volume.

In fact, Wartime Spell is just one of many manga works that have been released in limited editions with other accompanying gifts such as: Promised Land, Hanako the Toilet Ghost, Strange Doctor – Black Jack, Horimiya 08…

It’s not difficult to explain the success of limited edition comics. Owning a limited edition comic book volume (or entire series) will certainly be a special pride and honor. This stimulates fans to make more efforts to get it, even if they have to get up early to line up to buy it.

Kingdom, The Talented Grandmother of Saga, Gintama… are other special cases. There is no limited edition, but each volume is often released with character postcards or sometimes stickers and badges, bringing great excitement to fans of these manga series.

Another unique form of publishing (reprint) that is also gaining popularity with fans is the boxset release. With this form, readers will receive a certain number of stories, accompanied by a synchronously designed, sturdy boxset, both increasing the value of the story and increasing the external protection.

Many famous manga series have been released in this form, typically: Ajin, Magic Kaito, Assassination Classroom, 50 cm One Life, Detective Kindachi…

The boxset form of publishing is not new in Vietnam, but in the past 1-2 years, this trend is growing stronger, bringing value to both readers and publishers.

However, to get a perfect boxset, the requirements are not simple. First, the selected series must be attractive in both content and form, attracting the attention of readers right in the host country. With the advantage of information, it is not difficult for comic book experts to grasp this through the online platform.

Quality is a necessary condition, but the sufficient condition is that the works are only released in boxset form when the publishing unit is truly confident in the possible revenue of that series. This is understandable because publishing units will have to spend much more money than selling regular editions of stories.

Besides, there are many other influencing factors, such as the thickness of the series. To put it simply, a boxset is most beautiful when designed for works with 3-10 volumes. The completed story is neither too long nor too short.

Stories by Vietnamese authors are popular

Not out of the general trend, comic works by Vietnamese authors are increasingly growing in both quantity and quality. The most successful in recent times can be mentioned as the Dragon Than Tuong comic series by the author group Phong Duong Comics.

At the time of its release, Long Than Tuong created a big buzz as it was the first work to successfully raise crowdfunding with more than 330 million VND. In particular, the series won a silver prize in the International Comic Award competition. It can be considered that the success of Long Than Tuong laid the first foundation bricks for Vietnamese comics in the new era.

Besides the flagship Dragon Than Tuong, many new comic works by young authors also affirm their quality and ambition. Typical examples are: My brother is a dinosaur (Comicola Studio), Master Tuong, Teacher Vu came to find me (Vuy), Flower Town at ten o’clock (Phan), Ghost story at 6 o’clock (Le Vu Kien Duy) or the series The works Endless Summer and Flower Road by author Lam Hoang Truc.

Classic and picky

Another trend that has been very popular recently is the collection of classic works. But those must be newly republished series with a more beautiful, luxurious, and eye-catching form.

The series in this group have much higher cover prices and take a lot longer to release new volumes, but they still sell very well. Each volume is usually printed in 8,000-10,000 copies but quickly runs out of stock. The most prominent include Slam Dunk, Alchemist Cang, Black Jack or Roto Sacred Dragon Mark…

Finally, in addition to series built on familiar motifs, Vietnamese readers are gradually becoming more interested in works that are difficult for readers to read. Usually, they are comic books for adults, carrying many nuances of life. Or it could be a picky knowledge story line like The Astronaut Brothers.

It can be said that the comic book market in Vietnam is in a period of strong development in both quality and quantity. The comic book series is gradually gaining a more objective and worthy view after many tireless efforts to contribute to the common good of the book market.

Znews.vn