Ultraman Returns Next Spring in a New Comic

by Rebecca Kaplan · Published December 23, 2020 · Updated December 23, 2020

The creative team behind The Rise of Ultraman, a comic series introducing the pop culture icon to the multiverse, will reunite for a new miniseries.

Marvel Comics has announced that the all-star creative team behind The Rise of Ultraman – Kyle Higgins (writer), Mat Groom (writer), and Francesco Manna (artist) – will be reuniting for The Trials of Ultraman. The first issue will be released in March 2021 at local comic book shops, and three months later on Marvel Unlimited.

What Is The Trials of Ultraman?

According to the official announcement from Marvel Comics, The Trials of Ultraman will build on the world established in the previous five part miniseries about the mysterious warrior from beyond the stars, which was based on the characters and concepts introduced by the original Ultraman television series.

Photo: Marvel Comics

According to quotes from the creative team included in the official announcement, the established world was saved but also turned on its head in the final issue of The Rise of Ultraman, and The Trials of Ultraman will explore the consequences of that upheaval.

Who Is the Hero?

The Ultra Series is the collective name for the various media produced by Japanese studio Tsuburaya Productions, and actually started before the introduction of the iconic character, Ultraman. The character first appeared in 1966 in the television series Ultra Q, a sci-fi Tokusatsu series along the same vein as Godzilla, Kamen Rider, or Japanese Spider-Man.

Photo: Tsuburaya Productions

Ultra Q was a massive successes, and the character next appeared in Ultraman, which ran from 1966 through 1967.

Photo: Tsuburaya Productions

After the original series aired in the 1960s, Tsuburaya Productions produced many more television adaptations of the iconic star man over the decades. There were also many international incarnations, including a 1987 co-production with the U.S.-based Hanna-Barbera studios, Ultraman USA.

Photo: Tsuburaya Productions/Hanna-Barbera

In the upcoming Marvel Comics’ Trials of Ultraman, Ultraman will have to reckon with the consequences of the world-changing decisions he made in the previous miniseries. The action begins when an ally our star man long thought to be lost, makes a surprising return. With enemies hiding in plain sight, is anything what it seems?

If you’re interested in checking out The Trials of Ultraman when it’s released in March 2021, you may want to check out The Rise of Ultraman by clicking the links – Marvel Unlimited or Comixology – to catch up on the story so far!