The new Spider-Man manga from Marvel and Kadokawa won’t star Peter Parker. The two companies have revealed that their web-slinger is Haruto Hachidori, a high schooler in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, CBR reported.
Who is Haruto Hachidori?
According to the official description shared with CBR, Haruto is “a high school boy living in Shibuya” who “suddenly acquires mysterious ‘spider abilities.'” As Spider-Man, “Haruto swings and races freely throughout the streets of Shibuya. However, as he springs into action, a ‘shadow’ lurking within the city also begins to move.”
The reveal is the first official look at a lead character from the Marvel and Kadokawa partnership, which the companies first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July. The line kicks off with five new manga series.
Spider-Man manga creative team and series details
Artist Tokitokoro, whom CBR credits for Jeff the Land Shark work, is drawing the Spider-Man manga. The series will also introduce new manga versions of Daredevil and the Punisher.
Tokitokoro teased the premise in a social media post in July: “What if there was a Spider-Man born in Shibuya, or a Daredevil in Shinjuku? Yakuza-style Punisher? It’s crazy, I know.”
Spider-Man isn’t the only Spider-hero getting the treatment. An untitled Spider-Gwen series written and illustrated by Ryusei Yamada is also among the first five titles. It follows a new version of Gwen Stacy, a high school drummer in the band the Mary Janes who becomes Spider-Woman after a radioactive spider bite. The line will run on Kadokawa’s Kadocomi platform starting later this year, according to CBR.
What this means for Spider-Man fans
The Spider-Man manga introduces a hero who exists outside Peter Parker’s storylines, operating in Shibuya with a distinctly Japanese setting and cultural context.
It also isn’t Marvel’s first manga-style reimagining this year. Throughout September, Marvel celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Mangaverse line with five new one-shots from major creators. When Marvel announced that project, editor Lauren Amaro said: “Every single creator contributing to this celebration are huge manga fans themselves, and many have either come from international manga backgrounds, or have been heavily influenced by manga in their own creative journeys.”
No release date has been announced for Haruto’s first chapter.
Reporting from CBR contributed to this story.
