Oh is that the post I saw complaining about how JP conventions are full of manga while US ones are full of merch/charms?
(I saw a thread about that that also remembered to bring up "JP conventions are also WAY cheaper to table at")
I think that the table cost differential/state of the comics industry in North America are pretty key differences that said.
I suspect it's FAR easier to break into manga and get an indie following over there than over here, given how much bigger relatively speaking the industry is.
It's difficult to say. Manga has much more established pathways, but also MUCH greater competition for those available pathways. The pool of professional-level artists is considerably larger in Japan.
True, though one could say that about the pool of artists who draw cool stuff but direct those talents at prints and merch, if the competitiveness of getting into artist alleys these days is any indication. There's SO MUCH talent out there, just not aimed at comics.
Prints and merch are entirely different skills than sequentially storytelling. That is a key difference. In Japan, they hone their storytelling skills first, art second.
