Are comics as popular in the west as manga is in Japan?

In terms of the general population and normal folks.

Nope. Manga in the US outsell comics

No, not even close. There is a sort of stigma associated with comics and cartoons in the west. There is this idea that you are "childish" or a "geek/nerd" if you are into comics or watch cartoons. Personally, I have never felt comfortable reading a comic or manga on the train home

In japan, however, there is manga and anime literally everywhere and it is a huge part of their culture. It is far more mainstream there than comics are over here.

No way, the Japanese take their manga WAY more seriously than westerners do with their comics, it's a way bigger part of their culture than comics are to U.S. and UK culture.

I'm not even a manga fan but I know the general passion a lot of Japanese people have for manga is just unmatched.

Thats unfortunate. If pelple in the west cared more about comics maybe wed get more classics like All Star Superman instead of desperate edgy stories or political nonsense

This is so true

They're not even more popular than manga IN the West.