Radical Publishing stopped production last week on Nick Simmons’ three-issue miniseries INCARNATE, amid claims that he had copied panel compositions, dialogue, character designs, and plot elements from various manga, including Bleach, Hellsing, and Vampire Hunter D.

Yesterday, Incarnate creator Nick Simmons responded to the widespread accusations of plagiarism. In a statement issued by his representative, posted on Comics Worth Reading – Simmons said:

“Like most artists I am inspired by work I admire. There are certain similarities between some of my work and the work of others. This was simply meant as an homage to artists I respect, and I definitely want to apologize to any Manga fans or fellow Manga artists who feel I went too far. My inspirations reflect the fact that certain fundamental imagery is common to all Manga. This is the nature of the medium.

“I am a big fan of Bleach, as well as other Manga titles. And I am certainly sorry if anyone was offended or upset by what they perceive to be the similarity between my work and the work of artists that I admire and who inspire me.”