If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.
Midnight Spider-Man is an otaku
Midnight Spider-Man isn’t just inspired by manga… it’s trying to think like manga.
NewsbyJules Chin Greene, Staff Writer
Additional contributions byChris Arrant
Published on Sat Jul 25 2026
Popverse’s coverage of Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026 is brought to you byDark Horse Comics.
We’ve seen some dramatic new takes on Spider-Man thanks to Marvel‘s Spider-Verse, but in the new series Midnight Spider-Man, I think we could be getting a first: Peter Parker as an otaku.
“Peter Parker is a fan of Japanese culture in this story,” series writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson says during the Marvel Midnight Universe panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026.
According to Johnson, this Midnight version of Spider-Man will be a fervent manga reader (and they’re creating a new manga in the story for him to read), but the character will also have in his bedroom what’s described as a Japanese imperial mask from a “World War 2 pilot.
Midnight Spider-Man isn’t just a manga reader, however; manga has also inspired the story being told.
“We didn’t want [Midnight Spider-Man] to look like every book on the shelves. Manga does horror so effectively, even more effectively than Western comics,” says Johnson. “It helped me shape the character of Peter Parker in this story.”
Johnson says that while Midnight Spider-Man isn’t a manga, “the influence is there. I’m reading a ton of Junji Ito.”
Later he also mentioned Hideo Yamaoto’s Homunculus as an influence.
Midnight Spider-Man #1 goes on sale on October 7.
Interested? Here’s where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet, and here’s a guide to how (and where) to read comics online.
Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news
Jules Chin Greene: Jules Chin Greene is a journalist and Jack Kirby enthusiast. He has written about comics, video games, movies, and television for sites such as Nerdist, AIPT, and Multiverse of Color.
Let Popverse be your tour guide through the wilderness of pop culture
Sign in and let us help you find your new favorite thing.
