The original Kamen Rider manga is being re-released.
The manga that helped kick Japan's tokusatsu (masked hero) genre will finally be collected and re-released in a massive, 858-page hardcover omnibus, which will be published by Seven Seas Entertainment on Jan. 4. The collection will contain the entirety of creator Shotaro Ishinomori's highly influential classic manga series, as well as new bonus materials, such as full color inserts. The omnibus is now available for preorder at retailers throughout North America with a suggested price of $32.99 USD.
Ishinomori began his career as an assistant to Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy and the man who is often credited with helping to create the modern anime and manga industries. Ishinomori, who had already made a name for himself with the Cyborg 009 manga, teamed up with production company Toei to create the original Kamen Rider TV series in 1971. In addition to designing the suit for the TV series, he also drew the manga adaptation of the show, which also began publication in the same year. The series has since grown into being one of Japan's longest lasting and most popular entertainment franchises, spawning dozens of sequel and spinoff series. The 32nd and most recent TV series in the franchise, Kamen Rider Revice, premiered in Japan this past September.
In addition to Cyborg 009 and Kamen Rider, Ishinomori also created many of Japan's other tokusatsu series, including the Super Sentai franchise, which would later be re-edited and localized for Western audiences under the name Power Rangers. He also created the manga adaptation of Nintendo's Super Nintendo classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which was published in North America through the video game company's Nintendo Power magazine. Ishinomori passed away at the age of 60 in 1998. He has been cited by many other famous manga creators, including 20th Century Boys' Naoki Urasawa and Akira's Katsuhiro Otomo, as a direct influence on their works.
The Kamen Rider manga is being re-released to mark the 50th anniversary of the franchise's debut. In addition to the manga, a new anime series, Fuuto Pi, was announced as part of the series' anniversary celebrations. The show will be a direct sequel to the Kamen Rider W series, and is set to premiere in 2022. Additionally, Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno is also directing the franchise's next movie, Shin Kamen Rider, which will be released in 2023. The movie will star Sousuke Ikematsu, who previously starred in the Japanese live-action adaptations of Death Note and Minami Hamabe, who fans may recognize from her starring appearance in the live-action Kakegurui TV series.
Source: Seven Seas Entertainment
