Summary
Great news for fans ofThe Legend of Zelda, both old and new, as VIZ Media and Nintendo have announced plans to make a certainmanga adaptation of the game franchiseavailable digitally in English. This is the first time ever thatThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a manga adaptation of the videogame of the same name,will be available on digital platforms, having been solely available legally through physical copies.
Over the course of its 35-year history,The Legend of Zeldahas enthralled fans with timeless stories, thrilling combat and challenging puzzles; not to mention the series' huge contribution to gaming overall. The first three volumes ofThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesswill be available to read digitally from August 22.
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The comic adaptations ofThe Legend of Zeldafranchisestarted in 1990 through the Nintendo Comics System, with the first manga produced by Akira Himekawa, published in 1999, going on to be published in English in 2008. “Akira Himekawa” is the combined pen name of two female Japanese mangaka, one “A Honda” and “S Nagano”, whose identities remain a secret. Together, Himekawa have been responsible for the production of various manga series, including their collaboration with Qais Sedki to create the UAE’s first-ever manga,Gold Ring; the 2003Astro Boymanga, as well asThe Legend of Zelda:Twilight Princessmanga currently being prepared for its first digital release in English.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesswas first published in print in 2016, with the plan for VIZ to publish the series in English being hinted at by Akira Himekawa that same year before its official announcement at New York Comic Con. It was first released on Shogakukan’s MangaONE platform in February 2016, The upcoming digital release ofThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesswill be the first time that any of the English-translatedThe Legend of Zeldamanga series are made available digitally, and various sources praise the series for being easy to pick up even for those who have never played a single game from the franchise.
VIZ Media’s plan for rolling out the 11 volumes ofThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesson their digital platform will be to phase in a few volumes at a time, starting with the first three being released on August 22, volumes 4-6 will be out on September 26, 7-9 to be released sometime in October and the last two have been slated for release in December. With the popularity ofThe Legend of Zeldasky-high, especially in the wake of the incredible run of2017’sBreath of the Wildinstallment and the recently releasedTears of the Kingdom, the upcoming digital release ofThe Legend of Zeldamanga adaptations offer fans and newbies alike a new avenue to explore the Kingdom of Hyrule with far more access than ever before.
The first three volumes ofThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princessare available onVIZ Media’s digital platform.