I've found a fascinating amount of stamps that say this: Fanart is art too, Anime is art too, such and such is art too.

And I find myself thinking: Wait a few years, just wait.

Comic Books, and I mean real American Super Hero comic books back when they first came out were never considered a real art form. That's right!
All those artists who drew everything from Batman to X-men were never considered artists! Yes I know strange and surprising yet that's the way it was, they were sold for pennies at new stands across the country, and never had much of an impact on the art world!

Now look at today, as we gaze back at old comics we think they were some pieces of great work, and they had brilliant colorful messages, though they only won an award once for the art world and then never again.

In fact, Anime and Manga are considered more "Art World Material" then most American Comic books even to this day. Anime and Manga are easily found in any local book store, most times real comic books are only found in Comic book stores. It makes me really wonder why America is pushing forward these "Graphic Novels" and leaving it's real heritage behind.

We all know batman right? We all know Superman, and Iron Man, and the Fantastic Four, and the X-men, but go to any normal american and ask them who Naruto is and they'll say this more then likely: Umm why should I care? Who is that? Should I know them?

Yes you might think I'm being biased or over-dramatic, but I see these stores barely keeping a small shelf of Comic Books in stock and then having ever volume of every Manga to come out. Have we really forgotten about our comic books? Have we really all forgotten what they said, what they addressed in the real world?

Now maybe I'm full of shit, maybe I'm just a whiny 14 year old brat, but I feel really strongly about this, and how we are all saying: ANIME IS ART TOO YOU KNOW, and people do know. People have not yet said it's not to a heavy degree, the Art World hasn't scoffed at it as bad as they have against the Half-tones and brilliant colors and real stories in America Comic books.

I know Captain America has become a part of history, he was the American fighter beating down Nazis and not everyone really knows him, but think about this: He's still around in our memory, who was the last Anime character you remembered?

Styles in Comic books fluctuate constantly, and it's always a unique experience picking up a DC comic compared to a Marvel comic or a Punisher comic compared to an Iron Man comic. Within the Manga world I see so little change in styles, I could be reading Naruto one minute and Bleach the next and almost never tell them apart.

Yes Anime story lines are always different, always changing, and almost always fantasy orientated. It gets old to me after the first resurrection, and first coming of age for powers. Comic books have always been very down to earth, a hero giving hope to the people, beating up crime, it's never been unique but it's close to home and makes you think these people like Iron Man or Batman could really exist. It gives them their own lives, makes heroes in the real world seem that much greater for their work.

I'm not going to lie, I love Anime and Manga, I think they look pretty, and they're interesting, I just feel that we've lost sight of our own American heritage. Comic books played such big roles in some peoples lives, giving hope for the war, or giving hope that some day we might all become heroes. I think we've really just lost ourselves in fantasy nothings, as said in Romeo and Juliet: "Dreams are the children of an idle brain." We can't live in a fantasy, we can't go to the ninja school, or become a "Soul reaper", but we can be heroes in this world. We can save a life, can help those in need. That's what Super Heroes really mean, they mean that in this world we can be great, we can all be heroes.

Now I know this is getting long in the mouth, but I think we all need to step back a moment, and remember our Great American Heritage, our great American Heroes. Art or not Comic Books have helped shape this nation, and have given hope to many young an upcoming artists and such for generations. Who are we to claim that Anime and Manga are discriminated? They aren't American in the least, and most of the time, no one even cares enough to know the characters. We can't kid our selves saying that we'll remember forever, but we all know Batman, and Superman. They have survived almost 50 years now, and will continue to live on.

In conclusion, I feel that if we all just stop and think, and look back at our Comic Book history we'll find that the masterpieces of story telling and art back then still hold up their own in this modern day. As well that even though it's not "Art World" material it's still innovative and beautiful, no matter how unique or different it is. Thank you for listening to this ranting babble, and have a nice day.