Tag Archives: kana

Billy Bat Volume 1 is absolutely brilliant and near perfection. A must get!

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The story begins in 1949 Los Angeles. Kevin Yamagata, a Japanese American cartoonist, has built his career on Billy Bat, a sharp, wisecracking detective beloved by readers. But everything shifts when Kevin realizes he may have unknowingly copied the character from an image he once saw in Japan.

Determined to find the truth, Kevin returns to a devastated, postwar Japan. What he uncovers goes far beyond questions of inspiration or theft. The image of the bat is ancient, surfacing again and again across history, tied to moments of upheaval, power, and violence.

As Kevin follows the trail, he is drawn into a far-reaching mystery that blurs fiction and reality, where a single drawing may hold the key to forces shaping human history.

Story: Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Nagasaki
Art: Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Nagasaki
Translation: Kristi Iwashiro
Lettering: Aidan Clarke, Brendon Hull

Get your copy in comic shops! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon

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Don’t miss the Kana Manga Mini-Bundle Sequel from Abrams and Humble Bundle supporting BINC

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Discover the gripping, emotional, and magical tales in the pages of these series from manga publisher Kana! Follow the coming-of-age story of two school kids who find love and acceptance despite their trauma in Scars. Embark on a journey across a post-apocalyptic frozen landscape in the folklore-inspired series Silence. Jump into the action-packed boxing drama of two brothers who discover a mysterious, supernatural power in Space Punch. This bundle includes the complete volumes of all three series in digital form, so grab it now at the price of your choosing and support BINC with your purchase!

The Kana Manga Mini-Bundle has a retail value of $140 and you can get it all for just $18.

space punch volume 1

Don’t miss the Kana Manga Mini-Bundle from Abrams and Humble Bundle supporting BINC

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Mix up your Spring Reading List with heartfelt titles from Kana Manga! Help restore the balance between man and nature as a witch-in-training named Pili in Eden of Witches or Leviathan, the epic story of siblings Bota and Rita navigating a world on the brink of collapse. Pay what you want for the hottest titles by Kana Manga and help support The BINC Foundation with your purchase!

The Kana Manga Mini-Bundle has a retail value of $145 and you can get it all for just $18.

Kana Manga Mini-Bundle

Kana will release Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s entire 20 volume manga masterpiece Billy Bat in English

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Kana, the dedicated manga imprint of Abrams ComicArts, has announced the highly anticipated English-language publication of acclaimed manga creator Naoki Urasawa and collaborator Takashi Nagasaki‘s historical conspiracy thriller, Billy Bat. Beginning in June 2026, Kana will publish Volume 1, kicking off an ambitious schedule of four volumes per year, ultimately releasing all 20 volumes. 

Billy Bat is an enthralling, genre-defying series that combines mystery, historical fiction, conspiracy theory, and metafiction, unfolding across multiple eras and continents. Set initially in America in 1949, it follows Japanese-American comics artist Kevin Yamagata, who returns home after serving under the Allied Forces in World War II. Kevin quickly becomes famous for his detective comic character, Billy Bat. However, his newfound success is soon overshadowed by a disturbing revelation—Billy Bat already exists in Japan. Fearing unintentional plagiarism, Kevin embarks on a journey to Japan to uncover the truth, only to find himself ensnared in a tangled web of murders, secret societies, and prophetic mysteries spanning millennia. 

Naoki Urasawa, widely recognized as a transformative force in contemporary manga, has been honored with numerous awards including three Shogakukan Manga Awards, two Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes, and a Kodansha Manga Award. His highly acclaimed series include Monster, 20th Century Boys, and Pluto (recently adapted by Netflix). South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, Parasite) hailed Urasawa as “the greatest storyteller of our time,” while Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz described him as a “national treasure in Japan.” 

Co-creator Takashi Nagasaki is an accomplished author and manga writer known for his collaboration with Urasawa on Monster, 20th Century Boys, and Pluto. Nagasaki brings his expertise in storytelling and deep knowledge of the manga industry, having previously served as an editor at Shogakukan before transitioning into freelance writing. 

Billy Bat is celebrated for its riveting narrative, which blends historical events with surreal, suspenseful twists and a sharp sense of humor. The series features prominent historical figures including Albert Einstein, Walt Disney (reimagined as “Chuck Culkin”), John F. Kennedy, Neil Armstrong, Adolf Hitler, and even Oda Nobunaga. The series’ innovative approach places it perfectly alongside today’s popular historical fiction and speculative drama series like Bridgerton, Outlander, and All the Light We Cannot See, appealing to both dedicated manga enthusiasts and new readers eager to explore the medium. 

A perennial fan-favorite often listed among manga readers’ “Top 10 Manga That Need an English Release,” Billy Bat has achieved widespread success and critical acclaim internationally. Kana’s forthcoming publication ensures that English-speaking audiences will finally experience the full scope of Urasawa and Nagasaki’s ambitious storytelling. 

Look for Billy Bat Vol. 1 in bookstores and comic shops everywhere in June 2026. 

Billy Bat Vol. 1

Preview: Silence Vol. 1

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Silence Vol. 1

(W) Yoann Vorniere (A/CA) Yoann Vorniere
In Shops: Jan 15, 2025
SRP: $12.99

There once was a land where humans and monsters both lived. The sun protected the humans during the day, but at night the monsters were on the prowl. On the day that the sun disappeared forever behind the clouds, the terrifying monsters, no longer warded off by the sunlight, hunted the humans in the day and the night. For almost thirty years, Saber and his village were cut off from the rest of the world. They have no choice but to communicate with each other using sign language to avoid the monsters, who can track them by sound and especially by voice. However, the village encounters trouble when a young woman named Lune arrives in the village. She tells them that there is a better way to fight monsters-by becoming monsters themselves. The villagers leave everything behind, traversing the looming mountains that surround them to find other humans who can help them. In order to escape a life devoid of peace, it is up to Lune and the villagers to summon something they have long forgotten-the courage to live.

Silence Vol. 1

Preview: Scars Vol. 1

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Scars Vol. 1

(W) Brandon Arias (A) Brandon Arias
In Shops: Dec 18, 2025
SRP: $12.99

Two school kids, Kyonosuke and Akira, live in a little village by the Japanese countryside. After an accident, Kyonosuke recieves a skin graft to his face, leaving him permanently scarred. This disfigurement makes Kyonosuke a target for constant bullying. Akira, his classmate, is trying to come to terms with her gender dysphoria, but is beaten by her father for saying she wants to be a girl. When they meet and fall in love, they decide to escape their toxic environment together. But are they strong enough to accept each other, and themselves, for who they are? Scars is an ardent coming-of-age manga about acknowledging our differences and finding self-acceptance.

Scars Vol. 1

Abrams ComicArts Imprint Kana Releasing Two New Horror Manga this Fall

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Abrams ComicArts recently launched Kana, an imprint devoted to publishing manga series in English. This October, Kana will release the first volumes in two new horror series from rising stars in the world of manga – Shiro Kuroi’s Leviathan and Tetsuya Tsutsui’s Manhole Volume 1.

Perfect for fans of Moebius, Star Wars, and Katsuhiro Otomo, Shiro Kuroi’s Leviathan Volume 1 follows a group of students pitted against each other in a brutal battle for survival in the depths of space. The gripping sci-fi survival horror centers around the Leviathan, an enormous spaceship, abandoned in a galaxy far, far away. When looters break into the abandoned ship, they discover the diary of a middle-schooler, Kazuma, who documented the horrific fate of the ship’s passengers. 

Along with the looters, the reader will piece together the decades-old tale of an innocent school trip to Earth with a tragic and brutal ending. Trapped in space without enough oxygen left to wait for rescue, Kazuma documents the mental collapse and treachery of his teacher and classmates as they realize that the only hope for survival is the cryopreservation unit at the heart of the ship, which can only fit one person. A bloody battle for survival ensues as friend turns against friend, teacher against student, and each survivor is forced to confront the value of their own life. As the looters read on, they reach a chilling realization—there is still one survivor somewhere inside! One of the top bestselling new manga titles in Japan, Leviathan’s incredible, brutal illustrations and tightly paced plot will leave readers at the edge of their seats, and linger in their minds long after the last page of each volume.

Leviathan Volume 1

The horror continues with manga star Tetsuya Tsutsui’s Manhole Volume 1, the first in a three-volume horror-thriller that follows two detectives trying to solve a string of mysterious deaths as they stumble upon a much larger conspiracy and a potential manmade global pandemic that’s as perplexing as it is deadly.

As Detectives Ken Mizoguchi and Nao Inoue investigate a series of bloody murders, they begin to uncover a deadly biological agent which could cause an epidemic. An unlikely lead sets them off on the hunt for a mysterious photographer, but as they chase down shadows, the infection keeps spreading. This thrilling detective story with a biological horror hook will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Manhole Volume 1

Leviathan Volume 1 and Manhole Volume 1 will be available in bookstores on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 and in comic shops on Wednesday, October 30. 

SDCC 2024: Abrams ComicArts announces Abrams Comics with monthly comics from Darren Aronofsky and Frank Miller

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At San Diego Comic Con, Abrams ComicArts announced a new initiative—Abrams Comics a new line of monthly-issue comics that officially begins this fall with the release of Human Nature #1 from filmmaker Darren Aronofsky! Abrams ComicArts is expanding into the direct market, working with phenomenal talent to create exciting new monthly single issues, available in comic shops across the country. This is one piece of ComicArts exciting expansion into new areas, as seen in the recent announcement of a new manga line, Kana, also launching this fall. 

HUMAN NATURE

Writers: Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, and Jeff Welch
Interior and Cover Artist: Martín Morazzo
Colorist (Interior and Cover): Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
1st issue on sale: November 20, 2024 (Monthly series) 

From Academy Award-nominated director Darren Aronofsky and his writing and producing partner Ari Handel, along with Jeff Welch, comes Human Nature, a social satire of a bizarre yet fathomable future. Drawn by comic book industry giant Martín Morazzo, Human Nature follows the ego-maniacal, Nebraskan chicken magnate Duke. Duke has almost all the world’s resources at his disposal. Once an everyman, Duke managed to work (and intimidate) his way into an endless fortune. Even though he has almost everything, there’s one thing even the richest man in the world can’t buy: immortality. Or can he?

Strange, thought-provoking, and, at times, gruesome, read the mini-series Human Nature to get a glimpse of a future resulting from unchecked greed, corporate corruption, and ethically questionable science.

PANDORA 

Starting with: PANDORA #7 

Frank Miller – Creator
Emma Kubert – Pencils, Inks, & Colors
Frank Miller, Chris Silvestri and Anthony Maranville – Script
Pete Carlsson – Letters
Frank Miller – Editor in Chief
Silenn Thomas – Artist Producer
Pete Carlsson – Assistant Editor in Chief
1st issue on sale: December 18, 2024 (Every other month series) 

Description: Following directly from the first volume, Annabeth finds herself in another world, one overwhelmed by dark magic and demons beyond imagining. Here begins her hero’s journey to face the monsters of the netherworld and discover its secrets. How will this change her? Is she ready for this test?

INVASIVE SPECIES

Frank Miller – Creator & Writer
Ryan Benjamin – Pencils & Ink Finishes
John Livesay – Inks
Alex Sinclair – Colors
Pete Carlsson – Letters
Frank Miller – Editor in Chief
Silenn Thomas – Artist Producer
Pete Carlsson – Assistant Editor in Chief
1st issue on sale: January 8, 2025 (Every other month series) 

Little Becky could fight the aliens if she could just get them out of her brain! Frank Miller, Ryan Benjamin, John Livesay, Alex Sinclair, and Pete Carlsson bring the classic Alien Invasion story to a little town just like yours. The aliens are not OUT there, they’re IN there.

Around the Tubes

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Spectregraph #1

It was new comic book day yesterday. What’d you all like? Dislike? Sound off in the comments below. While you think about that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.

The Comics Journal – Remembering Trina Robbins – A wonderful memorial.

Publishers Weekly – Abrams to Launch Manga Imprint, Kana – Interesting.

Kotaku – Embracer CEO Is Full Of Excuses – Of course he is.

Reviews

Comicbook – Spectregraph #1
Comicbook – Star Wars: Darth Maul – Black, White & Red #1