Viz Media announced three Marvel titles at New York Comic Con: a new Spider-Man story, a manga tribute book, and a new deluxe edition of Tsutomu Nihei’s Wolverine: Snikt!
Marvel first published Wolverine: Snikt! as a five-issue comic series in 2003 under its short-lived Tsunami line (see “Marvel Announces Second Wave of ‘Tsunami’”). While most of the creators of these “manga-style” comics were not Japanese (see “Marvel ‘Manga Style’”), Nihei was the exception: His Blame! had recently been published to great acclaim, although his most famous work, Knights of Sidonia, still lay ahead. Although Marvel did follow up the Wolverine: Snikt! limited series with a paperback collected edition, it seems to be out of print. Viz will bring it back as a deluxe edition in summer 2023.
The second new Viz/Marvel title is Spider-Man: Fake Red, by Yusuke Osawa, a one-shot about a Japanese Peter Parker type, a Spider-Man fan named Yu, who finds a Spidey suit in an alley, puts it on, and becomes the newest web-slinger. Kodansha originally published the story on its Manga Pocket app.
The final Marvel license is Marvel Comics: A Manga Tribute, which features work by 20 manga artists; the lineup includes Yusuke Murata (One-Punch Man, Eyeshield 21), Kamome Shirahama (Witch Hat Atelier), and Shigeto Koyama, an anime designer whose work includes Gurren Lagann and Eureka Seven.
Viz and Marvel announced a wide-ranging deal last year under which Viz would publish manga based on Marvel characters (see “Marvel and Viz Team Up”). The first titles included Marvel Meow by Nao Fuji, Deadpool: Samurai!, by writer Sanshirou Kasama and artist HikaruUesugi, and Secret Reverse, by Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi. Of these, Deadpool: Samurai! has been the most popular, with Vol. 2 appearing on the BookScan Top 20 for June (see “June 2022 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels”).
Source: ICv2
