Published Apr 30, 2026, 2:11 PM EDT
Annie Banks is a Rotten Tomatoes–approved critic, and CBR editor and writer specializing in anime, comics, and superheroes. Her work has also appeared in Collider and The Mary Sue, where she covered pop culture, fandoms, and entertainment trends. A lifelong fan whose love for storytelling began with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Annie blends critical insight with genuine passion for geek culture, from sci-fi to K-pop.
As manga continues to become more prominent around the globe, The Walking Dead and Invincible creator Robert Kirkman has noted the direct overlap with Image Comics.
During an episode of Robservations with Rob Liefeld, Kirkman became incredibly candid about his interpretation of how Eastern publishing houses compare to Western forms of entertainment. "When you look at what Marvel and DC do in the grand scheme of the world, it’s actually kind of limiting," he said. "Anything around the comic book industry that generates excitement is going to eventually funnel things to Image Comics because if people love manga, and they decide to try American comics, well, manga mostly translates to Image Comics," Kirkman affirmed. "Image Comics is horror, it’s sci-fi, action, romance, it’s a mixture of all."
During his keynote speech at ComicsPRO 2026, Kirkman previously noted that he feels that there's a direct correlation between manga and Invincible. "Everybody talks about manga and how successful manga is, and the thing that makes manga so successful is the manga-to-anime pipeline. With Invincible, we’re seeing that you can, with American comics basically, do the exact same thing," he explained.
While it's implied that Marvel and DC Comics have possibly neglected manga audiences, the claim that Image Comics has the strongest overlap with manga comes from just one perspective in this instance. Marvel has collaborated with the manga industry to release Deadpool: Samurai, which has been published by Viz Media. To outright lean into the notion that manga fans are being isolated seems to be presumptuous, especially when there are titles that pull comic book characters into manga.
To Kirkman's point, though, it does feel as if Image Comics does feel like the natural step forward for any manga reader interested in expanding into comics due to the vastness of what the company has to offer across its countless titles.
Manga, Anime, Comics Have Inspired One Another Before
Image via RedditManga's global influence has inspired comic books by innovating and adapting to today's entertainment landscape. That's not to overlook the timeless and greatly invaluable contributions that titles such as The Walking Dead or Invincible have ushered in, though manga as an art form has become more outwardly celebrated by Western creators.
“The stories told in Japanese manga and anime are incredibly powerful. I often find myself wondering, ‘What is missing in Western comics, and why aren’t they able to achieve the same flavor?’ Also, I think manga has an ‘advantage’ over American comics, which are mostly about superheroes, and that’s where the majority of sales and readers are concentrated," DC Comics President and CEO Jim Lee explained in an interview with Nikkei XTrend. Interestingly enough, DC Comics' Absolute Batman series has openly paid homage to iconic anime and manga such as Akira, One Piece, and Chainsaw Man through its variant cover art.
Comic books intersecting with manga or anime aren't just limited to printed media, as both Marvel and DC have anime series based on the storytelling found in their comics. There's already a firm foundation that grounds the relationship between manga, anime, and comics. To agree with Kirkman, there's absolutely more room for manga readers to explore what American comics have to offer, if they're picking up the right ones.
Image Comics can be found wherever comic books are sold.
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