MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN & JAPAN’S MOST ICONIC HERO ULTRAMAN JOIN FORCES FOR EPIC MANGA ADVENTURE IN
ULTRAMAN: ALONG CAME A SPIDER-MAN
Ultraman
and Spider-Man Team Up for First Time in Shogakukan Manga Series
Releasing Simultaneously with New ULTRAMAN x AVENGERS Limited Series
from Marvel Comics for Cross-Cultural Comics Event
This August
This August, Japan’s
greatest superhero, Ultraman, and iconic Marvel Super Hero Spider-Man
unite for the first time in ULTRAMAN: ALONG CAME A SPIDER-MAN, an epic
serialized Japanese manga from Shogakukan. Part of a major
cross-cultural event set to take the global comics scene by storm, this
news follows the recent announcement of Marvel Comics’ ULTRAMAN x
AVENGERS series, debuting on the same day this August 14, and comes when
excitement for the Ultraman franchise is at an
all-time high following the release of new animated film Ultraman: Rising on Netflix in June.
Japanese publisher Shogakukan, in
collaboration with Tsuburaya Productions and Marvel Comics, is releasing
ULTRAMAN: ALONG CAME A SPIDER-MAN, marking the first time that Ultraman
and Marvel’s most renowned character Spider-Man join forces
in a Japanese manga. Written by Shigenobu Matsumoto and drawn by Tomo
Hirokawa, the manga features one of Marvel’s greatest supervillains of
all time, Doctor Doom, who joins forces with Ultraman arch-nemesis Alien
Mefilas and his cadre of destructive Kaiju,
with cameo appearances by The Avengers. Marvel Comics Executive Editor
Tom Brevoort and Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment’s
Transmedia Producer Jeff Gomez served as creative consultants for the
series.
ULTRAMAN: ALONG CAME A SPIDER-MAN will
be distributed in the United States by VIZ Media, kicking off with
chapters 1 and 2 on August 13 in the US (August 14 Japan time), making
for a truly global event. VIZ is launching the manga series
digitally on the VIZ Manga app,
with new chapters released every Tuesday. The latest chapter each week
will be available for free, and readers can subscribe to VIZ Manga to
read the full series. VIZ will also publish
a print edition of the complete manga in the United States, set to hit
retail in Summer 2025.
This announcement follows the recent
news that Marvel Comics will release ULTRAMAN x AVENGERS, an epic
four-issue crossover event bringing together the greatest hero of Japan
and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for an epic battle against the most
powerful supervillain of them all—Galactus. The miniseries is penned by
Kyle Higgins (THE RISE OF ULTRAMAN) and Mat Groom (THE TRIALS OF
ULTRAMAN, MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS) and drawn by Francesco Manna
(THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN). This series marks the fourth
Ultraman installment with Marvel penned by Higgins and Groom and
continues a landmark collaboration between Marvel Comics and Tsuburaya
Productions.
Kei Minamitani, Tsuburaya Productions,
said, “The contrast in how our two sets of heroes approach their roles
is fascinating to see play out, but they have a lot of similarities as
well. In both the Shogakukan and Marvel titles, we watch
how our heroes grapple with these differences before ultimately
reconciling to find greater solutions. It has been incredibly special to
explore the concept of heroism through the perspectives of these two
very different sets of heroes and we are excited for
fans to join them on these two adventures.”
“We’re thrilled to bring together
Marvel comics and manga in such an exciting way, uniting our biggest
heroes directly with Ultraman against ultimate villains like never
before,” added C.B. Cebulski, Editor-in-Chief, Marvel Comics. “This
manga will be an epic showdown at a cosmic level, but it’ll have plenty
insightful themes and touching moments as well. We’re excited for fans
to experience this story around the globe.”
ULTRAMAN: ALONG CAME A SPIDER-MAN
Original Story by Tsuburaya Productions (in cooperation with Shinji Oishi)
Written by Shigenobu Matsumoto
Art by Tomo Hirokawa
On Sale 8/14
On Marvel Earth, Spider-Man joins
forces with the Avengers to battle Doctor Doom in New York City, but
when several civilians are killed in a building collapse as a result,
Spider-Man becomes demoralized and finds himself whisked away in
a strange spacecraft called the Interdimensional Train. Doctor Doom
stows aboard and both find themselves in the Tokyo of the Ultraman
universe! Witnessing Ultraman battle a giant Kaiju, Doom craves the
Giant of Light’s power and joins forces with Alien Mefilas
and his army of Kaiju from the Monster Graveyard to steal it.
Both ULTRAMAN X AVENGERS #1 and
ULTRAMAN: ALONG CAME A SPIDER-MAN will be available in comic shops and
digitally on August 14, 2024.
About Shogakukan
Shogakukan, founded in 1922, began by
launching educational magazines targeting elementary school children.
Currently, while expanding from children's magazines to the general
magazine field, it has also become a general publishing company
with a book division that releases picture books, illustrated guides,
dictionaries, encyclopedias, literary works, among many others.
About Tsuburaya Productions
Tsuburaya Productions is one of the
leading independent production companies in Japan. Founded in 1963 by
Eiji Tsuburaya, the company continues to produce content that has been
licensed to both the domestic and international markets. The
company also engages in licensing, merchandising, publishing, and live
stage shows and events, exploiting the IP it creates and owns.
About Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment Inc.
Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures
Entertainment Inc., located in Los Angeles, is active in the production
and distribution of Ultraman entertainment content for North America and
other markets. Headed by Danny Simon, the new subsidiary
will expand the Ultraman North America licensing program into the UK,
EU, South America, and MENA markets thereby solidifying the franchise's
place on the global stage.
About VIZ Manga
VIZ Manga
is a leading digital manga subscription service, with over 10,000
chapters featuring legendary manga creators across a wide range of
interests. The latest chapters are free and published simultaneously
with Japan. The app is available for iPhone, iPad, Android devices, and
at viz.com/vizmanga. Territories include the
United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
About Marvel
Marvel is one of the world’s most
prominent entertainment brands, built on an unparalleled library of
iconic characters and stories that have shaped pop culture for 85 years.
The Marvel brand spans entertainment, including film, television,
publishing, licensing, games, live events, digital media, and more.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2024 MARVEL
