12/12/24 • Written by admin01
12/12/24 • Written by admin01
Ultraman is a popular Japanese superhero franchise created by Tsuburaya Productions. It features a giant alien hero, Ultraman, who protects Earth from kaiju (giant monsters) and alien threats. The franchise debuted in 1966 with the "Ultraman" TV series and has since expanded into multiple series, movies, and merchandise. Ultraman is known for its sci-fi themes, dynamic battles, and iconic transformation scenes, making it a beloved part of Japanese pop culture.
Ultraman media can be accessed in various formats, including TV series, movies, novels, video games, merchandise, and most importantly, comic books.
Ultraman in comic books is a continuation and reimagining of the Ultraman franchise, bringing the iconic hero's stories to a new medium. These comics often explore deeper narratives, character development, and stunning visuals, appealing to both long-time fans and new audiences. They have been published in various styles, including manga in Japan and Western comics, expanding Ultraman's global popularity.
In today's post, we are going to uncover the legend behind Ultraman, in Manga form. Keep in mind, this list only covers manga that has paperback volumes released after their debut in the magazine.
1966 Ultraman
Artist: Kazumine Daiji
Published simultaneously with 1966 broadcasting of "Ultraman", in Monthly Bokura Magazine.
Artist: Kazuo Umezu
Kazuo Umezu's "Ultraman" was serialized at the same time as it was aired on TV in 1966! This volume includes the complete series of fierce battles with popular monsters such as Alien Baltan and Alien Mefilas, along with the color pages from the serialization and the covers of each episode!
Artist: Jiro Kuwata
To coincide with the broadcast of the TV series, a comic book adaptation was published in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine , Bessatsu Shonen Magazine ( the predecessor of Monthly Shonen Magazine ), and Monthly Bokura . The author of the Shonen Magazine version was Jiro Kuwata , and the Bokura version was Kazumine Daiji.
Artist: Kazumine Daiji
Originally published simultaneously with 1967 Ultra Seven broadcast, in Monthly Bokura Magazine.
Artist: Ito Akio, Kazuyoshi Fukumoto, Nakazawa Keiji
All 6 volumes of "Kodansha TV Comics Ultra Seven'' released monthly by the editorial department of "Bokura'' from December 1967 to May 1968, when "Ultra Seven'' was aired. Newly drawn comics by three manga artists - 6 volumes including Kazuyoshi Fukumoto's "Cool Alien Volume'', 5 volumes including Akio Ito's "Billa Alien'', and 3 volumes including Keiji Nakazawa's "Illustrated Story Pit Alien'' The 14 mysterious works have been made into a book for the first time in A5 size (first and second volumes published simultaneously) using treasured original manuscripts and reprints of the magazine!!
This is the first book version of the comic adaptations of Ultraman and Ultra Seven that were published in "Tanoshii Youchien" from 1967 to 1971. "Ultraman": 15 stories in total, including Gabora, Kabadon, Aboras & Vanilla, Jirass, Red King, and Alien Baltan. "Ultra Seven": 44 stories in total, including Eleking, Alien Guts, Alien Godora, King Joe, Dinosaur Tank, Alien Metron, and more. It is also full of original comic stories in which monsters that did not appear together on TV clash.
Artist: Mamoru Uchiyama
Originally published in in the school magazine "Shogaku Ni-nensei" in 1971, then released as a convenience store comic in 2004 and was out of print for a long time, but a complete reprint was released by Fukkan.com on September 21 , 2011.
Artist: Mamoru Uchiyama
Originally published in in the school magazine "Shogaku Ni-nensei" in 1972
Artist: Ken Ishikawa and Dynamic Productions
It is written in Ishikawa Ken's specialty, a fantasy sci-fi style with strong violent depictions, and is the same as the TV version in terms of Tarou's design, and Taro's creation story, but apart from that, the content is almost entirely different. However, although it is different from the main story that was adapted into film, it does touch on the reason why Ultraman protects the Earth, and there are some elements that are common to the later Heisei Ultra series.
Artist: Mamoru Uchiyama
Originally published in in the school magazine "Shogaku Ni-nensei" in 1973.
Artist: Mamoru Uchiyama
Originally published in in the school magazine "Shogaku Ni-nensei" in 1974.
Artist: Mamoru Uchiyama
"The Ultraman" is a manga by Uchiyama Mamoru based on the Ultra Series . It was serialized in Shogakukan 's Shogaku Sannensei and CoroCoro Comic . The manga was published in four volumes by Tentō Mushi Comics, and then released in paperback in 1998. In 2015, an e-book version of the Tentō Mushi Comics version was released . A separate reprint of the three volumes is also available from Futabasha . In 2015, it was made into a short animated film, directed, written and storyboarded by Akiyoshi Yokoyama . It is unrelated to the TV anime " The☆Ultraman ."
Artist: Tetsuji Kataoka
The title of a book that compiles Ultra Series- related manga serialized in CoroCoro Comic ( Shogakukan ) from the January 1979 issue to the March 1981 issue. It inherits the setting from Mamoru Uchiyama 's " The Ultraman ," and has many similarities.
Artist: Shinji Imura
Ultra Super Legends (ウルトラ超伝説, Urutora Chō Densetsu) is a gaiden manga series published by Children's Magazine Teraobi-kun, it is original to the Tokusatsu series Andro Melos.
Artist: Kazuhiko Shimamoto
Ultraman Great is a manga adaption of Ultraman: Towards the Future that was serialized in TV Magazine in 1990 and 1991. It was drawn by manga artist Kazuhiko Shimamoto, who also did the manga adaption for Kamen Rider ZO and the manga Hero Company. A tankobōn of the manga was published by Tokuma Shoten on March 20, 1993, and was reissued by Shogakukan on December 15, 2016 with a new cover.
Artist: Riku Sanko, Jin Kurihara
Ultraman: Super Fighter Legend is a Gashapon toy franchise developed by Bandai. The popularity of the franchise gained it a manga adaptation by Riku Sanjo (under pen name Ryuu Sagawa) and Jin Kurihara, an OVA and a video game.
Artist: Yuzo Takeda
Ultraman THE FIRST is a manga retelling of the original Ultraman series, written and illustrated by Yuzo Takada, who is known for creating 3x3 Eyes. It was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Tokusatsu Ace magazines from its first issue in January 2004 until its last in September 2006, before being moved to NEWTYPE THE LIVE, where it continued until November 2007. 3 volumes compiling the manga were also released.
Artist: Takahiro Sawaki
Ultraman THE NEXT is a manga adapation of ULTRAMAN that was written and illustrated by Takahiro Sawaki. Its eight chapters released monthly through Kadokawa Shoten's Tokusatsu Ace magazines. Volume 1, containing the first five chapters, was released on April 30, 2005, but no subsequent volumes would be released until a complete tankōbon by Wedge Holdings on October 13, 2008.
Artist: Takashi Shiina
Released monthly in Televi-Kun during the series' broadcast, mostly telling the same story, but due to being limited to 11 pages per month, many plot points and characters' appearances are shortened or excluded. It was published in tankobon format on May 18, 2015, which contain every chapter and a new tenth chapter spanning 28 pages that concludes the story, as well as posters, interviews with actors and producers, explanations of each chapter, and information detailing the TV series' setting created by Tsuburaya..
Artist: Kozo Omori
Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy a manga adapation of the television series of the same name. It was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Tokusatsu Ace magazine and was written and illustrated by Kozo Omori. A volume containing the first four chapters was released on April 1, 2005, although the remaining four chapters were never compiled in a volume.
Artist: Kazuo Mabune
Ultraman Story 0 is a manga by Mabune Kazuo, the creator of such works as Super Doctor K. The manga was originally supposed to serve as a prequel to the Showa era of the Ultraman Series, showing the lives of the Ultra Brothers before the Ultras came to Earth, before it was retconned. There are a total of 93 chapters, collected into 16 tankobon volumes.
Original title: Complete Edition Ultraman Mebius Gaiden Plus Heisei Ultraman Collection
Artist: Mamoru Uchiyama
A collection of Mamoru Uchiyama works of Ultraman Mebius, from 2007 to 2010.
Artist: Eiichi Shimizu, Tomohiro Shimoguchi
ULTRAMAN is a manga written by Eiichi Shimizu and drawn by Tomohiro Shimoguchi of Linebarrels of Iron fame. Published in Hero's Monthly since its December 2011 issue, it is a manga sequel of the 1966 television series Ultraman, ignoring all the in-universe developments that came after and establishing Ultraman as the only Ultra to have travelled to Earth, similar to Heisei Ultraseven.
Artist: Riku Sanko, Jin Kurihara
The Ultraman: Super Fighter Legend manga was revived and subtitled New Chapter (新章, Shinshō), starring Ultraman Mebius as the protagonist. It were released as a webmanga on the Gashapon World website and concluded in 2020.
Artist: Shigekatsu Ihara
Ultraman Blazar is a manga series that follows the continuity of its namesake television series. The series was written and illustrated by Shigekatsu Ihara and distributed through the monthly Televi-Kun magazines and online platforms. The special edition physical release are released in 2025, with the purchase of soft vinyl replica of the Ultra Monster Series Semi-Human Otonohoshi.
Story: Shigenobu Matsumoto
Artist: Tomo Hirokawa
Based on Marvel Entertainment's popular Spider-Man series, Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man is a manga resulting from a partnership between Marvel and Tsuburaya Productions. It found its serialization in Shogakukan's CoroCoro Comic. Demoralized after a New York City battle with Doctor Doom and the Avengers leads to civilian deaths, Spider-Man is transported to the Ultraman universe via the Interdimensional Train. Doom follows, and upon seeing Ultraman fight a Kaiju, allies with Alien Mefilas and his Monster Graveyard army to steal Ultraman's power.