After years of being out of print, the Trigun manga series by Yasuhiro Nightow is finally getting a new print edition, courtesy of Dark Horse Comics. The Trigun and followup Trigun Maximum manga ran for over 10 years in Japan, and were translated and released by Dark Horse Comics in English. However, the series went out of print, driving the price of existing physical copies of the series to incredible highs.
While Trigun and Trigun Maximum have remained available in digital form from Dark Horse, many fans have been clamoring for a new print run, something that seemed more likely to happen in the wake of the new Trigun Stampede anime. A Twitter user’s viral tweet launched the issue of Trigun print runs into the limelight in early May, at which time Dark Horse Comics stated that “[Trigun] fans should stay tuned” regarding the possibility of a reprint.
The Trigun Manga is Back
According to a report from Anime News Network, the new releases of Trigun and Trigun Maximum will be high-quality hardcover “Deluxe” editions, with the first volume, Trigun, set for a release date of December 5 for bookstores and December 6 for comic shops. Trigun Maximum, which almost exclusively consists of content that has yet to be adapted in either the 1998 Trigun anime or 2023’s Trigun Stampede, is set for a release in April 2024. Trigun Maximum finished its run in 2007 in Japan, meaning that there are 9 years worth of manga content after the 1998 series that many fans have never had the chance to see or read. While some of this material is making its way into Trigun Stampede‘s upcoming season 2, the series’ fast pace means there’s no telling exactly what will be adapted and what won’t. Reading these manga is the only way to get the full Trigun story–hence why their rarity in print form was such an issue.
Trigun fans will no doubt be thrilled by the news, and while the original print runs will no doubt retain some value, this reprint should go a long way toward making the series more accessible. Manga in general is far more popular now in the US than it was the last time there was a print run for Trigun, and Trigun now has a boost in popularity from the recent anime release, which paves the way for new fans to check out the original manga on which it was based.
2023 is definitely proving to be a great year for Trigun fans, and thanks to Dark Horse that trend will keep on going right into December.
Source: Anime News Network
