Ultraman is having quite the year. In addition to the debut of the Ultraman: Rising movie on Netflix, the Japanese hero is also getting a crossover comic with Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Ultraman x Avengers this August.
Turns out the Avengers aren't the only superheroes that Ultraman is teaming up with this year. Viz Media announced this week at San Diego Comic-Con that Japan's greatest superhero is about to team up with Marvel's iconic web-slinger in a new serialized Japanese manga titled Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man.
Written by Shigenobu Matsumoto with an original story by Tsuburaya Productions (in cooperation with Shinji Oishi) and Marvel Comics, Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man sees Ultraman and Spider-Man team-up when one of Marvel's greatest supervillains of all-time, Doctor Doom, joins forces with Ultraman arch-nemesis Alien Mefilas and his cadre of destructive Kaiju.
“The contrast in how our two sets of heroes approach their roles is fascinating to see play out, but they have a lot of similarities as well," teased Kei Minamitani, Tsuburaya Productions. "In both the Shogakukan and Marvel titles, we watch how our heroes grapple with these differences before ultimately reconciling to find greater solutions. It has been incredibly special to explore the concept of heroism through the perspectives of these two very different sets of heroes and we are excited for fans to join them on these two adventures.”
“We’re thrilled to bring together Marvel comics and manga in such an exciting way, uniting our biggest heroes directly with Ultraman against ultimate villains like never before,” added C.B. Cebulski, Editor-in-Chief, Marvel Comics. “This manga will be an epic showdown at a cosmic level, but it’ll have plenty insightful themes and touching moments as well. We’re excited for fans to experience this story around the globe.”
The press release also teased cameo appearances by The Avengers, which is fitting since Ultraman is also getting a four-issue crossover event with them as well.
Viz Media is distributing Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man in the United States, with Chapters 1 and 2 releasing on August 13th (August 14th in Japan). This is the same day that the Ultraman X Avengers crossover comic series will debut, making it a truly blockbuster day for comics and manga.
The Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man will launch digitally on the Viz Manga app with new chapters released every Tuesday. The latest chapter each week will be available for free, and readers can subscribe to the Viz Manga to read the full series. A print edition of the complete manga will hit retail in Summer 2025.
As previously announced, the Ultraman x Avengers crossover event sees Ultraman crossover with Earth's Mightiest Heroes for an epic battle against one of the most powerful villains ever — Galactus. The miniseries is penned by Kyle Higgins (The Rise of Ultraman) and Mat Groom (The Trials of Ultraman, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers).