It might have taken decades to be realized, but when Star Wars finally got a manga adaptation in 1997, it was a work of art. Illustrated by mangaka Hisao Tamaki, his work on capturing the magic of Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope into a manga format is being collected into a new art book by Dark Horse Books. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Tamaki’s original art boards for the adaptation are being collected into a new hardcover release that will be released on June 16, 2026. Priced at $50, The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope – The Manga is now available to preorder through Amazon.
The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope – The Manga Vol. 1
$50 | Releases June 16, 2026
This unique art book features high-resolution scans of Tamaki’s original artboards from the first volume of the Star Wars: A New Hope manga. The artwork is presented with all the blemishes and production touches that are normally edited out before print, such as ink bleeds between panels, handwritten notes, and other elements from the illustration process. The art is presented alongside an all-new translation of the original Japanese lettering. The book also includes an in-depth interview with Tamaki.
The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope – The Manga, Vol. 1 only covers the initial part of the New Hope manga, but the official Star Wars manga series continued beyond Tamaki’s run with similar adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and the first prequel film, The Phantom Menace–all of which are handled by different artists. The final volume’s English version launched in 2015, and for now, there are no signs that the remaining five mainline films will be turned into manga. Nevertheless, the Star Wars manga is a novel way to re-experience (a portion of) the beloved saga. Print versions are hard to find, but you can grab digital Kindle editions of the Star Wars manga’s 14-volume run at Amazon.
The mainline Star Wars films aren’t the only Star Wars stories to get manga adaptations. There’s also an ongoing manga version of the popular Disney+ streaming series The Mandalorian. Illustrated by Yusuke Osawa, the series has three volumes so far, each of which is a word-for-word recreation of the tale of Din Djarin and Grogu.
This sounds like an exciting release for Star Wars fans! The combination of manga and premium art is sure to attract a lot of interest. It’s always great to see beloved stories reimagined in new formats.
Absolutely! The blend of manga style with the classic Star Wars story offers a fresh perspective on the beloved saga. It’s great to see how different art forms can reinterpret such iconic narratives!
I completely agree! The unique art style really brings a new energy to those iconic scenes. Plus, it’s fascinating to see how the character designs are adapted to fit the manga aesthetic while still staying true to the original.