Kodansha Comics Celebrates 10 Years of Publishing, Beginning with AKIRA in January

Posted by Mark Casino

Top manga publisher Kodansha Comics announced it will be celebrating its 10th anniversary of publishing in English with "10 Years of Kodansha Comics"—where for each month of 2019, starting in January, it will be spotlighting a different classic Kodansha Comics manga series. With each "Manga of the Month," fans can tune in for series-themed exclusive content, special deals, prizes through sweepstakes, and more.

For the first month of surprises, the January spotlight title will be seminal science-fiction epic Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo, the legendary artist who also directed the animated feature film based on his work.

As part of the celebration, Kodansha Comics will post on its website, KodanshaComics.com, an in-depth interview with Otomo, delving into his inspirations and intentions with Akira.

The series was released by Kodansha Comics in its first month of publishing, October 2009, before being remastered into the hardcover Akira 35th Anniversary Edition Box Set, which was the top-selling comics product of 2017 and won in two categories at the Eisner Awards at Comic-Con International last year. 

All month long the Kodansha Comics website will also be running an Akira survey sweepstakes for a grand prize including the award-winning Akira box set, the art bookOtomo: A Global Tribute, and additional goodies.

Lastly, throughout January, or while supplies last, Kodansha Comics will invite fans to visit online manga and anime retailer Rightstuf, where every purchase of one or more Akira-related books will come with a free, original pin depicting Akira’s protagonist Kaneda leaning on his iconic motorcycle.

In later months, as part of the “10 Years of Kodansha Comics” campaign, the publisher promises to throw the spotlight onto other classic series that have defined its rise from the new kid on the English-language manga block back in 2009 to the category heavyweight it is today. Each month will bring exclusive online content, exciting contests, and, in some cases, special promotional sales.

The publisher encourages fans to keep up with every month’s new surprises by following its website and social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, where it will be posting on "10 Years of Kodansha Comics", along with announcements and material for new and ongoing series.