Spider-Man: The Manga

(Marvel, 1997-1999)
™ and ©1997 Marvel Characters, Inc.

In order to appeal to the Japanese market, Marvel commissioned manga favorite Ryoichi Ikegami to adapt Spider-Man to Japanese tastes. The result was a black-and-white series in traditional manga style where Peter Parker and the rest of the gang look like Japanese schoolkids, and Aunt May looks as if she could be running the local Japanese restaurant. It makes sense in a way, since the setting has been moved from America to Tokyo. All in all, it was a credible attempt by Marvel to capitalize on the popularity of its characters while moving them into the most comics-literate culture on Earth.

The strange part came in 1997 when Marvel imported the Japanese versions into America. Ikegami’s artwork, as usual, is economic and effective, with a cinematic style that adds drama to Spider-Man’s adventures. Spider-Man: The Manga also retranslates the dialog to English, but the result may still seem exotic to American readers.

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Notes

Writer

Artist

Spider-Man: The Manga #1

December, 1997
Cover Price: $3.99
2 copies available from $9.50

Ryoichi Ikegami, Mutsumi Masuda, C.B. Cebulski

Ryoichi Ikegami

Spider-Man: The Manga #2

January, 1998
Cover Price: $2.99
6 copies available from $6.00

Ryoichi Ikegami, Mutsumi Masuda, C.B. Cebulski

Ryoichi Ikegami

Spider-Man: The Manga #3

January, 1998
Cover Price: $2.99
10 copies available from $3.80

Ryoichi Ikegami, Mutsumi Masuda, C.B. Cebulski

Ryoichi Ikegami

Spider-Man: The Manga #4

February, 1998
Cover Price: $2.99
7 copies available from $3.80

Ryoichi Ikegami, Mutsumi Masuda, C.B. Cebulski

Ryoichi Ikegami

Spider-Man: The Manga #5

March, 1998
Cover Price: $2.99
8 copies available from $4.98

Ryoichi Ikegami, Mutsumi Masuda, C.B. Cebulski

Ryoichi Ikegami

Spider-Man: The Manga #6

March, 1998
Cover Price: $2.99
5 copies available from $4.00

Ryoichi Ikegami, Mutsumi Masuda, C.B. Cebulski

Ryoichi Ikegami

Spider-Man: The Manga #7

March, 1998
Cover Price: $2.99
5 copies available from $4.00

Ryoichi Ikegami, Mutsumi Masuda, C.B. Cebulski

Ryoichi Ikegami

Spider-Man: The Manga #8

April, 1998
Cover Price: $2.99
8 copies available from $2.75

Ryoichi Ikegami, Mutsumi Masuda, C.B. Cebulski

Ryoichi Ikegami

Spider-Man: The Manga #9

April, 1998
Cover Price: $2.99
9 copies available from $2.00

Ryoichi Ikegami, Mutsumi Masuda, C.B. Cebulski

Ryoichi Ikegami

Spider-Man: The Manga #10

May, 1998
Cover Price: $2.99
10 copies available from $4.00

Ryoichi Ikegami, Mutsumi Masuda, C.B. Cebulski

Ryoichi Ikegami

Spider-Man: The Manga #11

May, 1998
Cover Price: $2.99
3 copies available from $4.00

Ryoichi Ikegami, Mutsumi Masuda, C.B. Cebulski

Ryoichi Ikegami