Although there have only been a handful of Batman manga published throughout the years, each story emphasizes how well the Dark Knight translates. There’s something special when Gotham City and the caped crusader’s rogues gallery are brought into the medium.
While Bat-Manga by Jiro Kuwata depicts the Japanese shonen manga magazine from the 1950s, serious manga have been created since then. From Yoshinori Natsume’s Batman: Death Mask to Kia Asamiya’s Batman: Child of Dreams, Batman manga are few and far between. DC Comics has given various manga creators the opportunity to write within the universe, but the Dark Knight has stood out for his quality storylines.
When manga creator Yoshinori Natsume (Togari, Kurozakuro, White Tiger) revealed his vision for Gotham, it was solidified how well Batman inhabits the medium. The cast of characters from Alfred and Gordon, to the expansive rogues gallery were a natural fit in Natsume’s take on the universe. As Bruce reflects on his training in Japan, he ties his pre-Batman days to a serial killer in Gotham City. The miniseries practically begs for more manga involving Batman as it barely scratched the surface of what is possible with the cinematic, action-heavy medium.
Before Death Mask, Kia Asamiya (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’s manga adaptation, Steam Detectives) introduced Batman into the world of manga with Batman: Child of Dreams. Bringing Bruce Wayne from Gotham to Tokyo, he investigates a mysterious drug that is morphing its users into his recognizable villains. The dark and highly creative exploration through the lens of manga proved the potential for comics crafted by Japanese storytellers. As Gotham has a myriad of qualities in common with Tokyo, Bruce’s travel felt like a logical extension of his atmosphere.
Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) also told a manga Batman story within Batman: Black and White, an anthology following the Dark Knight’s many adventures from different creators. With there being so much precedent for Batman manga, it is a sorely missed opportunity for DC Comics to not take advantage of the medium for the vigilante. There have been instances in recent years of the DC Universe crossing over into manga, but there have not been any significant releases involving Gotham since 2008, when Death Mask was released. As some Batman comics focus on grounding the Dark Knight in modern day, manga has returned him to his roots with a fresh style.