Kodansha USA used its Anime Expo 2026 stage in Los Angeles to lay out an unusually ambitious Spring 2027 print lineup, spanning collector editions, spin-offs tied to hit anime franchises, and long-sought licenses that North American readers have chased for years. Rather than drip-feeding one or two surprises, the publisher dropped its full slate in a single reveal — signaling how aggressively Kodansha is pushing physical manga and books back onto bookstore shelves.

The headline grabber is Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix Deluxe Edition, a cloth-bound restoration of the series the "God of Manga" considered his life's work. English readers last saw Phoenix through Viz Media's 2002–2008 run, which has been out of print for years. Kodansha's new edition revives the Dadakai translation Tezuka commissioned during his lifetime, updated with art restored from the 2020 Japanese release and bonus material including recovered color pages from the original COM serialization. Volume 1 packs "Dawn" and "Future" across roughly 670 pages of manga and extras.

Franchise extensions round out the fan-service side of the announcement. Witch Hat Atelier: Special Stories brings three supervised prose side tales from Kamome Shirahama's magical world, while Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun Devilish Tales: Kalego's Story dives into the school days of one of the series' most feared instructors. Manga collectors also get CLAMP Official Artbook COLOR GOLD 1989–2024, consolidating the celebrated SHIRO and KURO volumes plus 48 pages of new material in a slipcased hardcover.

The broader catalog reads like a genre tour. Hitoshi Iwaaki's historical epic Historié finally lands in English print, yuri thriller Fatale Game arrives from Run Away With Me, Girl creator Battan, and cyberpunk mystery Myther marks Teki Yatsuda's follow-up to The Yakuza's Bias. Sports drama Dig It, fantasy romance The Serenade of Spring Thunder, and BL titles Blaze of Flesh and Blood and Drawn Deep flesh out a list that stretches well past a dozen new licenses.

Every title is slated for Spring 2027 at major retailers including Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Amazon, with digital editions rolling out across Kodansha's partner platforms. For readers who have been waiting on Phoenix shelves to refill — or who want fresh lore from Witch Hat Atelier and Iruma-kun before their next anime chapters — the wait finally has a date on the calendar.

Kodansha Unveils Spring 2027 Print Slate at AX — Tezuka's Phoenix Returns

More news