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Star WarsCelebration 2025 is in full swing this weekend, and the announcements just don’t stop coming. Betweentwo new major films announced, several TV shows, video game updates and more, there has been plenty ofStar Warsnews to keep fans hyped and happy. In between all the other franchise updates, though, was a special announcement that is most exciting specifically for otaku, and is an especially fitting announcement consideringStar WarsCelebration is in Tokyo this year - a special edition of the first everStar Warsmanga.
The very first officialStar Warsmanga was announced duringStar Warscelebration, with the project launching soon on Kickstarter before it moves to general retail stores. The manga isbeing produced by Dark Horse, and is based on the original story board art forStar Wars IV: A New Hope, drawn by manga artist Hisao Tamaki. This special edition release will have features that have never been seen before, and promises to be an incredible piece for collectors.
AStar WarsManga forA New Hope
All the Original Artwork, Unaltered
This special edition manga is titledThe Art of Star Wars: A New Hope – The Manga, and is a compilation of the original artboards created by Hisao Tamaki. This will be the first time the manga is being released in hard cover, in a deluxe two-volume set and an all-new English translation. The manga was originally published in Japan asan adaptation ofStar Wars Episode VI: A New Hopein 1997, before being published in English by Dark Horse in 1998.
TheKickstarterpage for the project describes this new edition of the manga as:
A long time ago, in the center of Japan’s exploding otaku culture, artist Hisao Tamaki reimagined Star Wars: A New Hope in a bold new way—earning an Eisner Award in the process and capturing the hearts of fans worldwide with his manga adaptation of the landmark motion picture.
Now, Dark Horse Comics and Lucasfilm celebrate this iconic adaptation with The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope—The Manga, a deluxe hardcover release showcasing Tamaki’s never-before-seen art boards in their original right-to-left orientation. For the first time, fans will be able to experience Tamaki’s stunning unaltered artwork complete with blue pencil marks, pasted captions, and editorial notes that offer a rare window into the creative process, along with a new English translation of the boards’ original lettering.
Usually, manga and comics are not published with any of these editor marks, and readersonly get to see a “clean” final version. However,The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope – The Mangais special, and it will giveStar Warsfans a chance to see inside the creative genius of Tamaki’s mind. They can enjoy the artwork itself, but also explore the way it came to be, and see the creative process behind Tamaki’s creation.
Where to Buy the NewStar WarsManga
From Kickstarter to General Retailers
Another thing that makesThe Art of Star Wars: A New Hope – The Mangaspecial is how it is going to be released. The project is currently about to launch onKickstarter, where it will be available to purchase first. The Kickstarter page reports that, “special Collector’s and Masterpiece Editions—featuring exclusive covers, formats, and signed versions” will only be available through that project, and will not be for sale anywhere else.
A few other projects were also announced atStar Warscelebration, though with far fewer details.AnimeNewsNetworkreports,
Disney Publishing also announced at Star Wars Celebration Japan that it will publish adaptations of Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts' 2019Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Ordergame and Timothy Zahn’s 2017Star Wars: Thrawnnovel. Mangado (Hazama Tukuru and sak) drew the storyboards and character designs for theJedi: Fallen Orderadaptation, and Sideranch supervised the project. Man Tsang penned and illustrated theThrawnadaptation.Jedi: Fallen OrderandThrawnboth inspired previous comic adaptations in 2019 and 2018, respectively.
It looks like an exciting future forStar Warsfans who also love reading manga and watching anime, especially withthe latest season ofStar Wars: Visionscoming hopefully in 2025.
