2025 has seen a very interesting collaboration between two of the major US publishers! Yen Press and Kodansha team up to bring CLAMP fans two artbooks that complete each other: COLOR KURO and COLOR SHIRO, meaning “black” and “white” in Japanese, respectively, for the first time in English! COLOR SHIRO will be released under the Kodansha label, while its counterpart COLOR KURO will be released by Yen Press. Both books will be out on November 25th, 2025. Today, we will be looking into KURO.
But before we dive into the artbook, here’s a short background information for the uninitiated. CLAMP is an all-female manga artist group, and one of the most influential names in the history of the manga industry. The group was formed in the 1980s and has its roots in Japan’s self-published (doujin) comic scene. CLAMP’s body of work is interesting in terms of its diversity of genre and demographics, paired with an iconic art style that is seared in fans’ minds even if they’re not readers of CLAMP.
From Cardcaptor Sakura and Magic Knight Rayearth to Tokyo Babylon, xxxHolic and Chobits, whether you want a series that will heal and comfort you or throw you into the depths of despair and bloodshed, you’re sure to find something that will catch your attention and capture your heart in CLAMPland!
The illustrations in COLOR KURO are arranged according to the color that dominates each illustration instead of grouping them by series, which provides a nice sense of flow from one color to another throughout. Most of these illustrations are either a full single page or a double spread, and considering the artbook is A4 size (8.25 by 11.75 inches), you get to enjoy the fine details CLAMP is known for to your heart’s content!
Another aspect that I appreciated was how the smaller illustrations were handled. In some of my manga-related artbooks, smaller illustrations were positioned on a page as if someone carelessly put stickers that didn’t mesh well on their notebook. Seeing the kind of care and thought that went into COLOR KURO, where every piece cohesively formed a whole, convinced me that this is a beautiful piece that fans of CLAMP and artbook enthusiasts alike should make some space in their shelves for a copy.
The artbook isn’t a hardcover, but it feels sturdy and is reinforced with an additional cardboard page inside. It comes with a dust jacket, and on the inner cover, there are “previews” of the illustrations inside. The last two pages are dedicated to information regarding the artworks, which series they belong to, and when they first appeared and where. Some are from calendars, promotional posters, DVD jackets, or color pages from the magazines they were serialized in. Having all of these singular illustrated pieces that are spread throughout the years together in a book form is valuable in and of itself, but wait until you lay your eyes on the pages and how gorgeous the physical book looks!
CLAMP’s official artbook COLOR KURO is not only a valuable addition to manga fans’ library, but also makes for an excellent gift to any of your loved ones who might appreciate it. Make sure to visit Yen Press’ store and be on the lookout for the upcoming gift guides from The Beat to get you through the holiday season!
CLAMP Official Artbook: COLOR KURO will be available in print on Yen Press’ website and other retailers on November 25th, 2025.
