moving away from anthology works was a mistake that leads to stagnation.

everyone wants to read popular WSJ hero's manga but once they read the latest chapter they still have a book full of other not quite as popular stories they may as well read because they've paid for it, leading to them also following other stories which could either grow to become the new popular WSJ thing, remain a side attraction or get axed.

vs
>I like batman
>buy batman comic
>I'm over batman
>stop buying batman comic

of course if they're patient and wait for the tankobun instead then it doesn't really matter but the level of competition and sink or swim evolution really sets japanese manga apart from comics.

>>149389161
It's also worth noting that by never ending, comics also never adapt.
Batman started out as a dude dressed as a bat fighting racketeers, but that's old fashioned so now he fights super villains and his suit isn't just spandex anymore but is super advanced armor. But that's the limit of how much Batman can be adapted to the modern times. He's still a guy dressed as a bat.

why do western comic fans love crossovers so much?

like nobody seriously asks if Edward Elric could beat Tanjiro or Deku in a fight but for comic fans that seems to be their favorite shit ever?