While the original manga by Jiro Kuwata that ran in 1966 and 1967 amid the huge Batman craze in Japan got a complete three volume run in Japan back in late 2013 after being fairly elusive for many years there, it’s now getting ready to make its North American debut. Written and illustrated by Kuwata, who started out as a manga artist back at the age of thirteen in 1948, the Batman manga will start rolling out digitally from DC Comics as one of their Digital First series and then a print release will start later this year that will span three volumes and 1,000+ pages of material.
Batman fans got a sampling of this particular character recently when it appeared in an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series that was written by Paul Dini and done in the style of Kuwata’s work, which earned a lot of raves. Some of the material that was original to Kuwata’s run has also made appearances in the North American releases of the character, notably what this release is starting with in the form of the character Lord Death Man, which Grant Morrison worked into Batman Incorporated.
Kuwata has a pretty good history of material over the years, though little of it has made its way overseas. He was a co-creator on 8 Man and has done various adaptations over the years.
Check out the animated adaptation here:
