Dispite western comic books not exactly being all that popular at the present, Japanese comics, or manga, are experiencing a rapid groth in popularity in the West.

I personally don't follow any western comic book series, however I do get to see a lot of the illustrations for them, as one of my art teachers also works for DC Comics, and I do think that the visual effects could often be better, though the art is very good in many of the series.

As for manga, I follow some series, largely because the older issues are more widely available than they are with thier western counterparts... if I want book one from such-and-such a manga series, I can easily pick up a copy from my local bookstore, whereas if I wanted to read the whole batman series then getting my paws on some of the earlier issues may prove quite difficult. Also, I tend to likesome of the art styles better. I personally love the art of Ai Yazawa, Fuyumi Soryo, and Kaori Yuki. Not to say I like the art styles of all manga artists... for example, despite Rumiko Takahashi being a brilliant visual storyteller, I'm not all too fond of her style (though her stories are good nonetheless).