Heroes makes no secret of the debt it owes to comic-book storytelling. Of course, superheroes have been a staple of the comics since Superman landed in Smallville, but Heroes also tips its hat to the genre by structuring each episode like a single issue, complete with episode titles, cliffhangers, and "To Be Continued ... " title cards.

The producers of Heroes have also commissioned a series of short weekly webcomics, meant to augment and supplement the story on-screen. Though stylishly drawn by a sampling of excellent comics artists, these webcomics have mostly fallen flat; even good storytellers have a hard time striking many sparks with their options constrained by the requirements of the show's plotting and a short page limit.