Kodansha announced at Anime Expo 2026 that it will publish a deluxe edition of Osamu Tezuka’s magnum opus Phoenix, which has been out of print in English for years. The series brings together Tezuka’s recurring characters as well as new ones in an ambitious story that draws on science fiction, Asian legends, Russian ballet, and more. Phoenix was first published in English by VIZ Media beginning in 2002 (see “Manga’s Premiere Artist at the Top of His Game”), and wrapping up in 2008, in volumes that were flipped so they read from left to right.
The first volume of the new Kodansha edition will be a 670-page, cloth-bound hardcover with a large trim size, silkscreen-printed and gold foil-stamped cover, and new introductions by translator Fredrick L. Schodt and science fiction writer Dr. Ada Palmer. It will include the first two stories of the series in publication order, with fully restored art and original color pages as well as other material not previously published in English. This restoration, first published in Japan in 2020, brings the story back to the way it first appeared when it was serialized in Tezuka’s COM magazine and includes recreations of two-, three-, and four-color printing processes that are long out of use. The new edition will use an updated version of the original translation by Jared Cook, Shinji Sakamoto, and Schodt, with new lettering by Sara Linsley. The series rated for ages 16+, is slated to launch in Spring 2027.
Thanks to the anime, the Grimoire Edition of Kamome Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier was one of the top-selling titles of May 2026 (see “May 2026 Circana BookScan” and “Witch Hat Atelier, Attack on Titan Premium Editions”), and Kodansha is keeping things going with Witch Hat Atelier: Special Stories, a collection of three prose stories by Jun Esaka, illustred by Shirahama.
Also in the works: CLAMP Official Artbook COLOR GOLD 1989-2024, which includes the entire contents of the two previously published CLAMP artbooks Shiro and Kuro (see “Kodansha, Yen Press to Publish Twin CLAMP Art Books”), plus 48 additional pages of artwork and a gatefold from the CLAMP manga X. While Shiro and Kuro were paperbacks, GOLD is a jacketed hardcover in a die-cut slipcase with over 250 pages of art from manga, anime, a video game, promotional items, and merchandise. The book, rated 13+, was published as a limited edition in Japan and will be available in Spring 2027.
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Source: ICv2
