Afro Samurai Creator Reveals Marvel Cover Artwork for Werewolf by Night

Afro Samurai has been shelved for years now, but its creator is as busy as ever. Today, Takashi Okazaki is revered as one of Japan’s top artists, and some new work of his just went live. It turns out he is working on a series with Marvel Comics for a spell, and it shows off his supernatural talent.

Recently, Marvel Comics released an announcement regarding its upcoming series, Werewolf by Night. The series is being written by Taboo along with Ben Jackendoff. With artwork by Scot Eaton, the comic is one of Marvel’s most promising releases on calendar, and Okazaki was tasked with doing the cover artwork for its debut issue.

“This April, you’ll be able to see the work of acclaimed Japanese artist, Takashi Okazaki, on the cover of the brand new series, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT! Known for creating the hit manga series Afro Samurai, which went on to inspire both an anime series and an Emmy-nominated television film, Okazaki now brings his incredible talent to Marvel Comics,” the press release announced.

“WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #1 will introduce an all-new Werewolf by Night, a young man who must deal with a family curse while trying to protect his community from a deadly threat. For this exciting new series, Okazaki captures the new hero’s internal struggle in beautiful detail with a special variant cover to mark his Marvel debut!”

As you can see above, the artwork is stark with a foreboding color palate. Not only is the sky a vivid shade of red here, but the werewolf itself is menacing. According to editor Jack Thomas, this story of art style perfectly suits the upcoming series, and Marvel Comics is thrilled they were able to recruit the Afro Samurai creator.

“Takashi Okazaki is a master whose style and sense of design have a lot of fans at Marvel,” he shared. “We were so honored to have WEREWOLF BY NIGHT be his first work with Marvel, but it is sure to only be the beginning. His character work and evocation of mood is unparalleled, so it was a real thrill to have him help premiere our new Werewolf By Night. And what an incredible job he did!”

What do you think about this stunning cover art? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!