Not only local manga gets animated.
Some of the mangakas openly talk about drawing inspiration from Western comics, and then their works get adapted into anime. But how about skipping the stage of being inspired and just adapting Western comic books? There are some works like that, and they offer a unique perspective both on comics and on how to animate them.
Super Crooks
The story follows a group of unlucky superpowered villains who are trying to do their last job, a heist of all heists, and go out with a bang. It's based on a short four-issue comic released in 2012, and the anime expands the story a little, adding some events that allow us to better understand the characters. We've talked about why this show deserves your attention: it's one of the proper examples of the deconstruction of the superhero genre that doesn't take itself very seriously, and the animation by studio Bones is spectacular.
Radiant
French manga Radiant revolves around the world affected by the chaos caused by creatures called Nemesis; the legend says they fall from the place in the sky called Radiant, hence the name. People who survive the interactions with these creatures get special abilities and now can fight them. In the 21-episode anime Seth, a kid who has these powers, wants to be the best at wielding them. The manga is a bit different in terms of plot: the anime feels and behaves like a mix of battle shounen and slice-of-life, but uses a very cutesy art style for this type of show.
Cannon Busters
LeSean Thomas, an animator, created his own indie comic Cannon Buster in 2005 — a fantasy story that feels like a nod to Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and some other shows, mixing ideas from them and adding his own in this magically cyberpunkish mecha way. The author crowdfunded this project and hired a Japanese animation studio to animate and narrate his stories — and the result is entertaining, deceivingly lighthearted at first but dipping into darker themes later.
Witchblade
Image Comics has a series Witchblade about an NYPD Detective Sara Pezzini who got a mysterious bracelet that granted her supernatural powers, and with that bracelet, she continues her work. But the anime series of the same name, released in 2006, follows another, original protagonist — Masane Amaha, a single mother who lives in Tokyo with her daughter and gets a bracelet. Both the comic and the anime are violent and sexual, but the anime doesn't focus much on that. Instead, it goes deep into the plot about government conspiracies, not very intricate, but pretty solid.
Mutafukaz
Based on a French series of comic strips of the same name, Mutafukaz (or MFKZ) is a joint production of Japanese studio Ankama Animations and French Studio 4°C. It's a visual spectacle that takes full advantage of the animation medium, be it character design that varies from realistic to utterly caricatural, surreal backgrounds, or insane action. This full-length movie is a visual spectacle centered around Angelo, who ends up tied in some GTA-worthy shenanigans completely by accident. It's packed with details, every frame meticulous and carved with so much precision — which is understandable, as the movie spent 7 years in production. It just looks positively insane.
Cybersix
This show is based on the Argentinian graphic novel of the same name and follows a genetically enhanced super-soldier Cybersix: she was considered faulty by her creator due to exhibiting free will and fled, trying to save her life. But she has to face him again as her life depends on a serum that only her creator can give her. The show has been produced by the Canadian Network of Animation and animated in Japan by TMS Entertainment. Some of the themes of the original comic had to be toned down because the animation was targeted at the younger audience, but it still stayed quite grim and dark.
Batman Ninja
The aesthetic alone is what makes this collaboration between DC Comics and YamatoWorks special. A full-length animated movie was released in 2018 and features Batman who was sent back in time to fight his regular foes in a traditional Japanese setting. Batman's allies, Catwoman, Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, and Robin, were transported with him, and the villains of the comic books played the roles of feudal lords. The story brings an interesting and unique vision to the stories that were told way too many times in comic books, making them feel fresh, and the animation is amazing.
Iron Man
Releasing the Iron Man movie in 2008, Marvel was not expecting it to be such a huge success: the hero was pretty much forgotten by the broad audience but suddenly ended up in the spotlight. So when the Japanese animation studio Madhouse offered Marvel to make an anime based on Iron Man's adventures, Marvel agreed, and the series hit the TVs in 2010. The run which contains 12 episodes follows Tony Stark during his visit to Japan where he showcases the newest version of his suit, an autonomous one that will replace him when he retires. But things don't go as planned and the machine rebels against its creator, much like Ultron in one of the movies that would follow. It kickstarted Marvel's anime journey which now consists of six anime series and a few movies.
Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher
Marvel Anime was a series of four 12-episode shows: Iron Man, Wolverine, X-Men, and Blade. After these series were released, another collaboration between Marvel and Madhouse led to the creation of a full-length anime movie based on the adventures of Black Widow and Punisher in 2014. This release wrapped up the Marvel Anime series, but after that, Marvel decided to focus on the younger audiences and released another two series' targeted at boys aged 6-12 and featuring some original Japanese characters alongside widely known heroes.