Dark Horse Announces Martial War, the New Manga by Hiroyuki Takei

Dark Horse Comics took advantage of New York Comic Con to announce Martial War, a new manga by Hiroyuki Takei, the creator of Shaman King and former Stan Lee collaborator on Ultimo. The announcement, reported by ICv2, also includes a series based on Blue Eye Samurai and a new collection of Lovecraft adaptations by Gou Tanabe.

Martial War is a collaboration between Japan and the United States. Takei writes the script alongside Will Carter and Aidan White, handles the art, and is assisted by Jet Kusamura. The story is set in a world where ninja have fallen into disgrace and fight in a special arena, the Octagon, wielding the lethal Tatara stones. The protagonist is a young man determined to fight his way to the top.

The manga will be read right to left, in the traditional Japanese style. The first volume will arrive in paperback on April 6, 2027, with a suggested retail price of $14.99.

Martial War characters in action, with a dynamic and colorful style.icv2.com

Takei's Return After Ultimo

Hiroyuki Takei is no stranger to American audiences. His collaboration with Stan Lee on Ultimo was published in both Japan and North America, and Shaman King remains one of the most recognizable shonen titles of the late nineties. With Martial War, Takei returns to a supernatural action register, albeit with a darker starting point: disgraced ninjas, a brutal tournament, and a protagonist who climbs from the bottom.

Dark Horse's announcement comes at a time when the American publisher is strengthening its catalog of manga and manga-inspired works. The bet on an international collaboration with Takei as the visible head fits with the line the publisher has followed in recent years: titles that blend the Japanese format with authors well-known in the West.

More Announcements: Blue Eye Samurai and Lovecraft

Alongside Martial War, Dark Horse announced Blue Eye Samurai: Cry of the Yurei, a comic based on the Netflix series about a mixed-race woman seeking revenge in samurai-era Japan. The series follows Mizu, the protagonist, after her gender and mixed heritage are revealed. She flees into the forest, pursued by a samurai, and ends up forming an alliance with another woman.

The first issue will feature covers by David Mack, Ito, and Angela Wu. The creative team consists of writers K. Perkins and Mike Johnson, artist Aviv Or, and colorist Valentina Bianconi.

The story reads right to left and the first volume will arrive in paperback on April 6, 2027.

The third announcement is H.P. Lovecraft's The Outsider and Other Early Adaptations, a collection of short stories by Gou Tanabe, an author who has already adapted several of Lovecraft's works into manga. In addition to the story that gives the volume its title, the book includes the original story "Ju-Ga" and adaptations of "The House with the Attic" by Anton Chekhov and "Twenty-Six Men and a Girl" by Maxim Gorky.

Dark Horse has not specified release dates or prices for the Blue Eye Samurai series or the Tanabe collection. It has confirmed that Martial War will be the first to hit bookstores, in April 2027.