'Fairy Tail' Creator Teases His Next Project

It hasn't been too long since Fairy Tail came to a close. The iconic manga wrapped last year, but Hiro Mashima isn't ready to retire just yet. No, the artist has a lot left to share, and Mashima just teased his fans about his next project.

Recently, the creator made an appearance at Angoulême International Comics Festival to accept an award (via ANN). Mashima took to Twitter to thank fans for the honor, and it was there he dropped some hints about his new series.

Taking to social media, the artist said he had received lots of questions about his new work. So, Mashima listed three things he could say about the series.

"It will be a new form of fantasy," Mashima wrote. "Jokes will be quite the challenge. Plus will make an appearance."

This is not the first time Mashima has tweeted about his story. Last month, the artist told fans he plans to "work hard [to release] a new serialization" in 2018.

There has been no official timeline given for Mashima's series, but he has said 2018 should house its debut. When the artist traveled to New York Comic Con last fall, the creator told press that his "editor-in-chief is hustling" him about the project.

"I can't really say too much about it, but I am hoping that I can start sometime next year," Mashima said.

It was there the artist also revealed what parts of Fairy Tail he would bring into his new series. Mashima said he did well with creating a lot of different character types for Fairy Tail, so he wants to do that again. In fact, Mashima says he's not really worried if the new title seems too similar to Fairy Tail.

"I honestly don't think it is necessarily a bad thing that my new work reminds people of my previous work. In Japan, there is kind of a jinx. After the first big hint, your next series is going to be a flop," the artist said. "I personally am not worried about it. I don't think Fairy Tail was a giant success. In this way, I feel no pressure to work on a new series."

For those unfamiliar with Fairy Tail, the series was originally created by Hiro Mashima. It is set in a fantasy world full of magic, and Natsu Dragneel is a fire breathing wizard with the powers of a dragon, and is in search of his missing foster father, the dragon Igneel. As he and his wizarding guild Fairy Tail get into adventures, Natsu always tries to find a way to succeed. The series ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from August 2006 to July 2017 and has spawned 60 million copies. It was later adapted into an anime by A-1 Pictures, Dentsu Inc., and Satelight in 2009 and ended its first run in 2013. A second series ran from 2014 to 2016, and a third series is planned for a 2018 release.

Are you ready for Mashima's comeback? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!