Comiket: Japan's Ultimate Manga Fan Festival

Intrepid manga reporter Ed Chavez wrote a great article for Publisher's Weekly about the summer Comic Market a.k.a. "Comiket" held this weekend in Tokyo.

This semi-annual gathering (there's a winter Comiket scheduled for the end of December) attracts immense crowds of comic fans and creators. This weekend's attendance was estimated at 550,000, with over 35,000 "fan circles" or artist groups showing and selling doujinshi, or fan-created comics, games and anime.

Being an anime or manga fan is not just a passive sport in Japan. Many aspiring artists channel their creativity and love for their favorite characters and series into drawing and publishing comics for other fans to enjoy. While many doujinshi feature shonen manga characters from Slam Dunk or Trigun in... well, shall we say unconventional romantic couplings, others are artistically innovative reinterpretations much like independent / small press comics in the U.S. and Europe.

Several professional manga artists got their start or were discovered at Comiket, including Sekihiko Inui (Comic Party, Murder Princess), Fumi Yoshinaga (Antique Bakery), and CLAMP (Tsubasa, Card Captor Sakura). And now, according to Chavez, more artists from Europe, China, Korea and even the U.S. are starting to show at Comiket, giving it an international twist.

Up for the adventure? Make your plans to attend the next Comiket or learn more about planning your pilgrimage to the land where it all begin with otaku travel tips from the Japanese National Tourist Organization.