Star Wars manga to release new Rebels, Princess Leia comic in 2022

Star Wars and manga fans can celebrate together this year with two new Star Wars manga releases! Pic credit: Akira Aoki and Haruichi

Disney isn’t alone in releasing new Star Wars content. Manga fans can look forward to a new Star Wars manga coming out this year! May 4 is a time for Star Wars fans to celebrate their favorite franchise by revisiting the movies and TV shows that have spanned generations. Now manga readers have an entry point to the series.

Based on the 2014 animated series of the same name, Star Wars Rebels originated as a webcomic before becoming a published manga release. Adapting both the TV series and the original content, Star Wars Rebels follows Ezra Bridger – a power-sensitive orphan who joins a rag-tag crew to train as Padawan. On June 21, the story continues with Part 3. Will Ezra’s training in the way of the Corps be successful? Grab the manga to find out.

Those who haven’t strayed too far from the core Star Wars content also have a manga release for them. Star Wars Leia, Princess of Alderaan follows the titular nature of the original trilogy and sheds light on the events leading up to her joining the Rebellion. On May 10, you can pick up part 2 to learn more about Leia’s journey and the political actions of the Organa family.

What other Star Wars mangas are there?

There’s no shortage of Star Wars licensed manga! Star Wars manga releases date back to the 1990s, and the original movie, A New Hope, got an adaptation. The manga can be picked up in print or eBook format from retailers like Amazon

However, there have been many more releases since the 1990s. Based on the anime of the same name, Star Wars: Visions is an anthology series that allows creators to put their own spin on the Star Wars universe.

Mangaka participating in the project includes the creator of Witch Hat Atelier, Kamome Shirahama, who adapts the Elder storyline – an episode of the anime that follows a Jedi and Padawan who encounter a mysterious man during their travels. The first part appears in magazine Big Gangan on May 25, 2022.

Promotional images for Star Wars: Visions manga.
Big Gangan, published by Square Enix, is a digital manga magazine currently only available in Japan. Pic credit: Kamome Shirahama and Square Enix

Subsequent chapters include Haruichi’s (the manga artist from the aforementioned Princess Leia manga) Lop and Ocho storyline, Yusuke Osawa’s The Ninth Jedi, and Little Witch Academia creator Satou Keisuke’s The Twins. There has also been talk of a Mandalorian manga coming to Big Gangan as well!

Although Big Gangan is a Japanese language publication, it is likely that the manga will be adapted into English in the future, given the source material. However, this is not a confirmation and fans will have to stay tuned for more details.

Are there any Star Wars anime?

The Star Wars: Visions manga may be coming soon, but the anime is already here available on Disney+† Spanning nine episodes, Visions is an anthology series that allowed anime studios to put their own spin on a galaxy far, far away.

Directors such as Hiroyuki Imaishi (Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill) and Eunyoung Choi (Space☆Dandy) participated in the project. And with the combined efforts of Studio Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Production IG and more, the team created nine distinctly different stories in the Star Wars universe exploring everything from new alien species to the life of droids.

Now it is worth noting that Star Wars Ewoks is definitely the best animated series in the franchise. Although, since it’s not an anime, Star Wars: Visions still reigns supreme. What does the future hold for Star Wars anime? Given the influx of so many great manga series this year alone, fans may be getting another Star Wars anime soon!

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