Star Wars: A New Hope's Eisner-Winning Manga Gets a Complete Omnibus
A long time ago, in a manga far, far away.
One of the strangest and best Star Wars adaptations ever made is coming back in one big book. Lucasfilm Publishing and Random House Worlds are releasing Star Wars: A New Hope (The Complete Manga), a deluxe omnibus that collects all four volumes of Hisao Tamaki's manga version of the 1977 movie (Penguin Random House).
The hardcover runs 352 pages, costs $40 and arrives on March 16, 2027. It's part of the lineup Lucasfilm is building for the original film's 50th anniversary next year (Disney Fanatic).
What is the Star Wars: A New Hope manga?
Hisao Tamaki drew a full manga retelling of A New Hope that first came out in Japan in 1997, with an English release following in 1998. It follows the movie scene by scene, from Luke's life on Tatooine to the attack on the Death Star, but it tells the story in a classic manga style with big action panels and very expressive faces.
The adaptation won an Eisner Award, which is about as close to an Oscar as comics get. Tamaki's version was part of a larger run of Star Wars manga in the late 1990s that covered the whole original trilogy, but his take on the first film is the one fans remember most.
Why is it coming back now?
The short answer is the 50th anniversary, since Star Wars turns 50 in May 2027 and Lucasfilm is lining up a big year of events around it. The original 1977 cut of the movie returns to theaters in February, and there's a graphic novel called A New Hope: Triple Take that retells the story through Luke, Leia and Han.
The original 1990s volumes can be tough to track down today, so a single collected edition makes it a lot easier for newer fans to find the whole story in one place.
When can you get the A New Hope manga omnibus?
The omnibus is up for preorder now, and it ships on March 16, 2027. An ebook version is listed as well.
My read is that this is the best kind of anniversary release. It's a great piece of Star Wars history, finally put back on shelves where people can actually buy it. Tamaki's art is a fun way to see a story we all know by heart in a brand-new style. (Darth Vader somehow looks even more dramatic in manga form.)
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Have you ever read the Star Wars manga? Tell us in the comments.
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Header image and in-article images are official stills from Star Wars: A New Hope, from Lucasfilm.
