Radical comic hit by plagiarism claims

Radical Publishing has halted production of Nick Simmons's Incarnate amid claims of plagiarism.

Simmons - the son of rock star Gene - has been accused of poaching ideas from Viz Media's Bleach and other manga properties.

The allegations came to light following a thread on a GameFAQ forum, before appearing on various fan sites and Live Journal. A Facebook group has also been established, calling for legal action against Simmons.

Radical has released the following statement: "We at Radical Publishing Inc. and Radical Comics Inc. are quite concerned to hear the news surrounding Nick Simmons's Incarnate comic book. We are taking this matter seriously and making efforts now to contact the publishers of the works in question in an effort to resolve this matter.

"We have halted further production and distribution of the Incarnate comic book and trade paperback until the matter is resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. Rest assured that Radical is taking swift action regarding this matter and will continue in its efforts to maintain the integrity and protect the intellectual property of artists throughout the world whose creative works are the bedrock of our company and the comic book industry."

When asked to comment on the claims, a spokesperson from Viz Media replied: "We've got our team on it."

Incarnate debuted in August and ran for three issues.