Manga Vs. Comics: The State of The War in 2026

For decades, North American comic books have been one of the most sought-after items in the entertainment world thanks to the adventures of Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, and countless heroes from Marvel, DC, and beyond. Thanks to the COVID pandemic and the continuing growth of anime, manga has become a force to be reckoned with, routinely defeating comics on the sales charts. With the first month of 2026 about to end, now seems like the perfect opportunity to reflect on the current state of the war between the East and the West, while examining how the two work in parallel.

One of the big reasons to revisit this entertainment conflict is thanks to commentary from DC Comics President Jim Lee. While Lee has been known for his art on X-Men, Batman, Superman, and many other comics, he has ascended to a leadership role in the company and is well aware of how big manga has gotten in recent years. Despite clearly favoring comics, the artist was more than willing to admit that manga has an edge on traditional comic books: “I think manga has a distinct advantage over American comics. American comics are almost entirely about superheroes; that is where the sales and the vast majority of the readership are concentrated. Japan’s industry is something closer to “literature”—it’s something everyone reads, and it isn’t limited to stories about heroes. There are stories about cooking, stories about soccer—there is a much broader range of genres to draw stories from.”

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Why is Manga “Winning”?

For 2025, manga sales in America accounted for close to fifty-seven percent of graphic novel sales in 2025, dwarfing both Marvel and DC comics in the process. Even as Lee noted, a major reason for this is that the manga genre isn’t simply limited to superheroes. For sure, stories like My Hero Academia focus on masked crime fighters, but it also spreads its wings to focus on sports, romance, comedy, and everything in between. While the shonen genre normally stands on the top of the heap with offerings like Jujutsu Kaisen, Blue Lock, One Piece, and Demon Slayer, manga seemingly has far more to offer, or at least, that’s what many might believe.

In recent years, comic companies like Image, Dark Horse, Boom, and more have been focusing on different takes on storytelling that don’t just feature the caped crusaders. So why is it that comics in the West can’t hit the same heights as manga in the East? Unfortunately, comic books still have an expectation attached to them in North America, as many still see them as stories made for children, which is especially shocking considering how big comic book universes have become in movies and television. Even Lee himself, in the same interview mentioned earlier, notes that because manga has stories that are, typically, finite, it is easier for readers to pick up complete stories, long as they might be. However, when you look at the sales figures for last year, the tide might be turning.

Absolute Sales Numbers

If any company is going to overtake manga in the West, it’s DC Comics. Two major factors have seen the sales of this comic company increase by leaps and bounds in 2025, both of which are quite different from one another. To start, the Absolute universe has become a titan within the industry, offering radical new takes on classic heroes such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and more. These new iterations have struck a chord with fans, as this new universe is willing to explore wild territory and has seen sales success as a result.

Another major factor is a new format that DC Comics has actually taken from the manga world with its “compact comics” line. The comic company has used this new format to give readers complete stories, some of the best that DC has produced, and provide them in a smaller format at a far lower price than typical graphic novels. Stories such as Batman: The Long Halloween, All-Star Superman, Green Lantern: Far Sector, and Watchmen have all been given new life in this format, and there are more to come. While Marvel Comics is still supplying comics, recent sales figures have proven that DC has struck gold with both its Absolute line and its compact comics.

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