Cyberpunk Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels
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- The Long Tomorrow (1975) by Dan O'Bannon and Moebius is credited with heavily inspiring Blade Runner and Neuromancer, with the source describing its film-noir detective narrative and 'heavily urbanised' future setting.
- Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo ran from 1982–1990 across 6 volumes and 120 chapters; the source calls it 'fantastical rather than hard sci-fi' but core to cyberpunk, and notes the anime adaptation is 'considerably condensed.'
- Shatter by Peter B. Gills and Mike Saenz (1985–1988) holds the distinction of being the world's first digital comic — composed entirely on a Macintosh Plus using a mouse and printed on laser printers, with pixel-art illustrations.
- Dominion by Masamune Shirow (1986) shares its New Port City setting, overlapping themes, and several tank designs with Shirow's later Ghost in the Shell franchise, three years before that manga launched.
- Rebel by Pepe Moreno (1986) blends Mad Max and Escape from New York using real photographs of New York landmarks; the source notes Hideo Kojima 'lifted considerable aesthetic and thematic aspects' of Carpenter's film for his own work.
- CYBERPUNK Book 1 and Book 2 by Scott Rockwell (1989–1990) rename Gibson's 'matrix' as 'The Playing Field,' with Book 2 noted for raising ethical issues 'which predate more well-known cyberpunk texts like Ghost in the Shell (1991).'
- Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita) by Yukito Kishiro (1990–1995) spawned the sequel 'Battle Angel Alita: Last Order' after Kishiro was 'unhappy with the ending of the manga,' per the source.
Why it matters: The list surfaces concrete cross-franchise DNA the bullet-by-bullet format hides: Shirow reused New Port City and tank designs across Dominion and Ghost in the Shell, and the chronological sweep shows Escape from New York bleeding forward into Kojima's work and 80s graphic novels — useful context for tracing the genre's lineage.
