An upcoming manga has been announced by Shueisha (Bleach,Death Note,Demon Slayer, and more) andMarvelEntertainment. It will be a spin-off manga to the upcoming animated filmSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. This manga will not be about the leading character Miles Morales, but actually about one of the series' most infamous villains, Doctor Octopus, or Doc Ock.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseis the highly anticipated sequel toSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which came out in 2018. It is unrelated to the famousMarvel Cinematic Universe, but rather is a stand-alone series. The first film won an Oscar for the Best Animated Feature, setting the bar high for the film’s sequel. It will release on June 2nd in most countries, and just a little later on June 16th in Japan.
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The original film was influenced by anime, according to directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman. Specifically, they cited Hayao Miyazaki’s films,Sailor Moon, andAkiraas all influencing the movie both in its tone and story and also its animation style. The film was really well-received in Japan as well - so much so that the sequel’s dub will even have its theme song performed by anime song superstar LiSA, who does the opening for huge anime likeDemon Slayer.
All of this shows thatSpider-Versealready has strong ties to Japan, so it is not a surprise at all that something like a manga is being released. With only a two-week delay on the release in Japan (the first film was delayed nearly three months!), fans here are ready and waiting for thelong-awaited sequel. A manga, especially one this quirky, will very likely draw a lot of traffic.
Not much has been revealed about the plot of the spin-off manga, but there has been enough released to get everyone curious. The story will begin with Doc Ock falling into a coma, and when he awakens, he will not be in his own body anymore. Instead, he will be trapped in the body of aJapanese schoolgirlnamed Otoha Okutamiya! What kind of shenanigans exactly he will get up to in this form, we will have to wait and see.
Interestingly, in the firstSpider-Versefilm, Doc Ock made an appearance - and was already a woman. In this manga, though, he will be a man, as he appears in the classicSpider-Manstories. SinceSpider-Verseis all about alternate universes and stories, though, it makes sense that Doc Ock would bedifferent and unique in every universe. Just because Doc Ock is a female in Miles' universe does not mean she would be in every world, and this manga clearly is set in a different one.
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The manga will release on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ manga app from June 20th, just four days afterSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s release in cinemas in Japan.
