Titan Comics will launch a new manga imprint, Titan Manga, in July with the first volume of Takashi Okazaki’s Afro Samurai. The manga was originally published in English by Seven Seas. Titan’s new edition, which they call a “director’s cut,” will be remastered and published in two volumes in a larger format, with a new foreword by the creator. Volume 1 will be released on July 26 as a 176-page paperback with an MSRP of $19.99.

Afro Samurai started as a doujinshi (fan comic) that Okazaki drew to express his love of hip-hop and featured a samurai named Afro on a quest to avenge his father’s death. It was first published in North America in 2008 by Tor/Seven Seas Entertainment as the first title in their new manga imprint (see “Tor Books Enters Manga Market with Seven Seas”). It was adapted into an anime that featured the voice of Samuel L. Jackson (see “‘Afro Samurai’ to Debut on Spike TV”)  and then into a film, Afro Samurai Resurrection, which also starred Jackson and was the top anime franchise in 2009 (see “‘ICv2 Insider’s Guide’ #66: Top 10 Anime Properties Spring 2009”).

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