By Kerry Erlanger
The English language editors of Weekly Shonen Jump were on hand Saturday at New York Comic Con to give fans the latest developments on new series, as well as their all-time favorites.
The panel was moderated by Urian Brown, Weekly Shonen Jump Editor and Shonen Jump Podcast Commander, and featured Hisashi Sasaki, VP of Global Shonen Jump, Andy Nakatani, Editor in Chief, and Yoshihisa Heishi, Director, Shueisha Shonen Manga Department.
Among the announcements made was the availability of a new Shonen Jump app, available on iOs and Android. Fans can download the app to read their manga on the go, including the plethora of free chapters previously only available by visiting shonenjump.com.
The panel announced several new series, including My Hero Vigilantes, a spinoff of the popular My Hero Academia series. The editors described it as a grittier take on the My Hero Academia world and explained that it takes place before that series begins. Fans can read newly available free chapters from Shonen Jump. Beginning in November, the publication has plans to release chapters simultaneously with Japan.
With Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, a battle royale, Chinese zodiac style manga, Shonen Jump has plans to do something special. Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 10, the manga will be simultaneously released with Japan in their free section, with new editions coming out weekly on Saturday.
The panel also revealed that they will be launching three new Jump Start series starting next week. Lycopene the Tomato Poodle begins Monday, Oct. 9, Full Drive on Oct. 23, and Golem Hearts on Oct. 30. The chapters won’t be immediately available in the free section, but the editors expressed plans to add them in the near future.
Additionally, Astra Lost in Space and The Promised Neverland were announced for Dec. 5 release. Brown described the latter as “one of the best manga to come out and years,” explaining that it’s the story of kids in an orphanage who one day realize they’re being raised as food for demons. Both series have free chapters available in the Shonen Jump free section.
Tokyo Ghoul: re, a direct sequel to Tokyo Ghoul and what Brown described as “just as gory and gross and wonderful,” will be for sale on Shonen Jump for $2 off for a week beginning Oct. 17. Chapter 1 through 3 will also be serialized in the free section. Additionally, a new Tokyo Ghoul Illustrations art book will go on sale Nov. 11.
Black Clover will also be participating in a week-long $2 off sale, beginning Oct. 10.
Finally, Dmitryi Khlynin, Bandai-Namco Community Specialist, joined the panel to discuss the buzzed-about Dragon Ball FighterZ video game, available in early 2018. The game was worked on by Blazing Blue and Guilty Gear developers and features a unique storyline designed specifically for the series, with Android 21 as a new character. It also includes an online mode. When asked what sets the game apart, Khlynin explained that it’s a 2D fighter and that it’s also 3v3, which allows players to create their own super team by maximizing which characters’ moves work best together. According to Khlynin, both casual and seasoned fighting game fans will enjoy this game.
