Manga series
The collector’s dilemma: Akira editions and variations
Keeping track of all the variations and special editions released has turned into a pastime in and of itself for genuine Akira manga collectors....
Global reach: international editions
While the Japanese and English-language publications form the core of Akira's publishing history, the manga has been translated into numerous other languages, each with...
The Dark Horse era and beyond
Dark Horse Comics bought the license in the middle of the 1990s, following Epics rights to Akira. Their strategy departed greatly from Marvel's daring...
Crossing the Pacific: The Epic Comics Era
Almost as interesting as the manga itself is Akira's Western audience adventure. The anime movie was a worldwide hit in 1988 and sparked never...
From magazine to volumes: the Japanese editions
Kodansha started compiling the chapters into bigger volumes—a typical custom in manga publishing—as the serialization advanced. These tankbon collections let new readers get up...
The birth of Neo-Tokyo
Published on December 20, 1982, the first chapter of Akira in Young Magazine, a seinen publication geared for adult male readers, starts the narrative...
