
5 Superhero Manga to Check Out
Love them or hate them, superhero films are currently a mainstay of our theatre-going experience. Yes, we’re all still recovering from Logan, but how about that new Wonder Woman trailer? Or Cate Blanchett’s look in Thor: Ragnarok? Maybe the thought of Justice League fills you with trepidation or maybe you can’t wait for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 to release. No matter the property, superhero movies make you feel things. (Even if it’s just weariness and fatigue.)
But if superheroes are a staple of Western comics, what about manga? What forms do superheroes take in that format? While I’d argue that many standard shonen manga protagonists are the equivalent of Western superheroes, that might not be the most satisfactory answer. So instead, I offer up a handful of titles that tackle what has become a globally recognized archetype.
Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka
Codename: Sailor V by Naoko Takeuchi
Naoko Takeuchi is best known for her seminal magical girl series, Sailor Moon. Codename: Sailor V is the prequel where Takeuchi worked out her ideas and laid the foundation for what would become her most famous title. Codename: Sailor V follows Minako Aino, a young girl who discovers she can transform in a fighter more beautiful and powerful than anyone. Charged with the task of protecting Earth from evil, Minako takes on the crimefighting identity of Sailor V…until she learns she is actually a soldier of justice named Sailor Venus.
My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi
Cardcaptor Sakura by CLAMP
If Sailor Moon provided the blueprint for the magical girl genre, Cardcaptor Sakura cemented its modern aesthetic of ridiculously cute girls and an overabundance of ruffles. When Sakura Kinomoto accidentally releases a set of magical cards into the world, she is charged with the task of retrieving them. What happens if she fails? The world is doomed, of course. Hey, it’s a CLAMP manga. There’s no apocalypse that creative team of ladies doesn’t love. In case that wasn’t clue enough, don’t let the adorable character designs fool you. There’s a lot of depth to this series, and its popularity has endured over two decades. We’re even getting a new anime adaptation next year!
One-Punch Man by One and Yusuke Murata
Read any of these titles? What do you think? Got any other superhero manga recs? Drop them in the comics.