Manga and Comic Books.

This week I received a copy of WIRED magazine in the mail. The cover story is titled "MANGA CONQUERS AMERICA". I flipped the book open, and began reading on page 233 (a 'sample' manga comic'. To my surprise, "manga" is read backwards (from right to left). It seems to me like manga is similar to the American comic book. Upon reading more into this it seemed more and more childlike with some adult Japanese humor added into the mix. Exactly like a comic book.

What I fail to understand is why this "manga" has replaced the American comic book. Is it the 'creative japanese ideas"?, the 'humor'? I read through this sample and see no difference between the two. How is this the latest craze? From what I can tell, the characters have no meaningful depth, the art is similar is some aspects, and there is the same dull language used.

I still remain uninterested in both comic books, and these highly popular 'manga'.