The new Ultraman project is co-written by Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom, and will feature art by Francesco Manna. Higgins, who is best known for his work on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Winter Soldier, commented on his experience with the Tokusatsu film genre in a comic book medium:
“A few years ago, thanks to my time on Power Rangers, I was able to discover and learn more about Tokusatsu. With its wildly different conventions and inspirations, Tokusatsu — and Ultraman in particular — has been a huge source of joy for me,” said Higgins. “It’s a genre so ripe with possibilities, even down to what we conceive of in the structure of super hero storytelling. It’s both an honor and a privilege to bring Ultraman to Marvel.”
Co-writer Mat Groom also chimed in with comments on working with monster fiction.
“Monsters in fiction have been embodying all that is dark and scary in our world for as long as we’ve been telling stories. But I don’t think anybody understood the immense scale of our most pressing problems quite like Eiji Tsuburaya,” shared Groom. “He imagined the darkness looming overhead as tall as skyscrapers— alien and unknowable and ANGRY. But he also imagined us being able to stand up to those monsters, by rising above our worst impulses and embracing a nobler way of being. He imagined ULTRAMAN. What does that mean in this complex, contradictory world of lies? We’re going to find out...”
Details for the actual release date for The Rise of Ultraman #1 will be unveiled by Marvel Comics at a later date.
Also, Marvel Comics released a series of Marvels Snapshots one-shots feature Avengers and Spider-Man (see "May 'Marvels Snapshots' Feature Kesel and Johnson, Chaykin").
Click on Gallery below for full-size images of the covers!