'Fairy Tail' Creator Gives Spider-Man A Swing

These days, the line diving comics from manga is blurred more than ever before. As Japan continues to push its thriving manga market beyond its borders, more and more artists are blending its style into western series, but the opposite works too. Marvel is a household name nowadays, and manga creators are fans like anyone else.

So, if you are curious to know what a Spider-Man manga could look like, you need to check out Hiro Mashima.

For manga lovers, the artist will be a familiar one given his popularity. Mashima is best-known for making series like Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Edens Zero. And, not too long ago, the artist took a swing at Spider-Man for Marvel Comics.

Earlier this year, Mashima was brought on as a guest judge for the Marvel Manga Award in Japan. The event, which Kodansha held along with Marvel Comics, had the artist judge submissions with comic titans like Joe Quesada. To celebrate the event, Mashima did his own drawing of Spider-Man, and you can check out the art below.

Hiro draws spiderman from r/fairytail

As you can see, the vibrant piece gives a softer take on Spider-Man than you are used to seeing. The hero's body is more round, and its color isn't quite as deep. Still, its dynamic position and busy background make the manga-centric makeover an impressive one that Marvel fanatics approve of.

So, if Marvel Comics wants to bring on Mashima to do a variant cover or twelve, readers would not oppose such an offer.

For those unfamiliar with Hiro Mashima's work 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 Fall release.

So, which Marvel superheroes should Mashima take a stab at next? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!