Vertical, Inc., an independent publisher of Japanese science fiction, crime fiction, and manga, will publish Ayako, a newly licensed work created by the acclaimed manga-ka Osamu Tezuka, in October.
Like such works as MWandOde to Kirihito, Ayakois one of Tezuka’s mature works. The three volume series details the post-war life of an extended Japanese family that is split up during U.S. military occupation and General McCarthur’s redistribution of land. Ayako was originally published in Japan from 1972-1973, where it was received somewhat coldly by critics and readers alike.
Following their prior success with the omnibus format, Vertical will release Ayako as a one volume 700+ page work that will retail for $24.95. Vertical will also rerelease Tezuka’s MW, this time in a paperback edition, alongside Ode to Kirihitowhich Vertical is splitting into two volumes, with derivative artwork from the initial omnibus—one with the human’s face on the spine, one with the man’s face on the spine. BothMW and Ode to Kirihito will be rereleased in March.
