Spider-Man: The Manga

Spider-Man: The Manga is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami which retold the story of Spider-Man in a Japanese setting. It was originally published in Japan from January 1970 to September 1971 in Monthly Shōnen Magazine.

Publication history
A junior high school student named Yu Komori (小森ユウ) is bitten by a radioactive spider, which gave him spider-like powers like the U.S. Spider-Man, Peter Parker. Yu faces Japanese versions of villains such as Electro, the Lizard, and the Kangaroo. The series also featured counterparts of Aunt May, named "Mei", and J. Jonah Jameson, who is the publisher of the newspaper Yu works at.

Initially, Ikegami both wrote and drew the stories. On completion of the sixth story, Kazumasa Hirai became the writer, while Ikegami continued to provide the art. The first few stories featured analogues to several of Spider-Man's villains and supporting cast, while maintaining an altogether more moody atmosphere. The later Hirai-written stories deviated further from the source material and included scenes of sexual and gruesome imagery of a kind not seen in the original U.S. Spider-Man comics. The later stories involved less comedy, were more dramatic, and had more realistic art, reflecting Ikegami's later style.

In 1996, the books were reprinted in their original format, with the original Japanese text. The covers were updated, with all of them featuring a picture of Spider-Man holding a flower. A number on a bottom-left of the cover indicated the story arc reprinted within.

The English-language version of the series was reprinted by Marvel Comics across thirty-one issues from December 1997 to April 1999. Eight out of the thirteen Japanese stories in total were fully translated, with several edits to remove some of the violent scenes. The final issue, #31, began the translation of the ninth story and was left incomplete due to the title's cancellation.

Stories

 * 1) "The Birth of Spider-Man" (reprinted in Spider-Man: The Manga #1-3)
 * 2) "The Transformation of Doctor Inumaru" (reprinted in Spider-Man: The Manga #4-6)
 * 3) "Too Strong a Hero" (reprinted in Spider-Man: The Manga #7-9)
 * 4) "The False Spider-Man" (reprinted in Spider-Man: The Manga #10-15)
 * 5) "Yu Under Suspicion" (reprinted in Spider-Man: The Manga #16-18)
 * 6) "Summer of Insanity" (reprinted Spider-Man: The Manga #19-21)
 * 7) "What is My Destination!"
 * 8) "Woman of Winter" (reprinted in Spider-Man: The Manga #22-24)
 * 9) "Strangers" (reprinted in Spider-Man: The Manga #31)
 * 10) "The Mania Demon"
 * 11) "Shadow of Spider-Man" (reprinted in Spider-Man: The Manga #25-30)
 * 12) "Witch of the Golden Eye"
 * 13) "The Woman Who Raises the Tiger"