Dune 2 Reignites Interest in Japan's Manga Adaptation

Shotaro Ishinomori, the famed creator of Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, once adapted Dune with some gorgeous art.

By Megan Peters

It is hard to avoid Dune these days. Created by Frank Herbert in 1963, Dune stands as one of the monoliths of science fiction. For decades, Dune has gone in and out of trend, so it isn't too surprising to see it back on top. Amid the recent success of Dune 2, all eyes are on the expansive series, and the film's popularity has ignited big interest in a vintage manga that tackles Dune.

If you did not realize, Dune has been translated into languages across the globe, and that goes for Japan. Decades ago, one of the best Dune translations went live in Japanese with help from Shotaro Ishinomori. The famed manga artist inked artwork for the novel adaptations, and now Ishinomori's light novels are going viral.

As you can see above, Dune looks gorgeous under Ishinomori's control. From Paul Atreides to Alia and Feyd-Rautha, all of the main players in Dune are inked by Ishinomori in this series. From color cover artwork to illustrations, Ishinormori helped create one of the best editions of Dune ever published. Sadly, the Japanese volumes are hard to find nowadays, but they are definitely worth tracking for collectors.

Now for those unfamiliar with Ishinomori, the manga artist worked on a number of top-tier series. He brought Kamen Rider to life as well as Super Sentai, the series that would spawn Power Rangers outside of Japan. From Cyborg 009 to Sarutobi Ecchan, Ishinomori was fundamental in expanding manga's global footprint. The artist was taught by Astro Boy's Osamu Tezuka himself, and like his mentor, Ishinomori is considered a great by manga lovers. So as you can imagine, there are few things more coveted than Ishinomori's take on Dune.

Not familiar with Dune? You can check out its original novel easily enough as dozens of retailers carry the series. As for its latest film series, Dune can be streamed on Max, and Dune 2 is in theaters right now.

What do you think about Ishinomori's take on Dune? Do you want to see this old-school series reprinted? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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