Well, critically speaking, Digimon was no masterpiece. A central part of my childhood and something I still enjoy today, but I can acknowledge that I'm a little biased. The Digimon manga (the two series that I read anyway; I can't speak for the following ones) was one of those odd occasions where the manga was published after the anime had already aired to completion. What seems to me a clear show of the creators trying to capitalize on their success as much as possible.
Five volumes to cover 54 episodes... The Digimon manga is basically Digimon Abridged. They cover the general story and the most important plot points, albeit in a rushed way. The artwork really isn't any better than in the anime, which is to say, pretty awful. All the characters are introduced and all that, but I can't say the Digimon manga is anything special, or even worth reading if you've already seen the anime. Like with the trading cards and toys, the Digimon manga strikes me as just another outlet for the company to make money. Vaguely enjoyable if you're a kid who's already in love with the franchise, (as I was) but not anything you need to track down to fully appreciate Digimon.
