There are few people in the world of manga more busy than Hiro Mashima. The artist made a name for himself over a decade ago with Rave Master, and his creative endeavors haven’t let up since. From Fairy Tail to Edens Zero, Mashima has done all sorts of work with manga. And as it turns out, Mashima is adding to his resume with a new series that will drop this July.
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The announcement was made earlier today courtesy of the Kodansha team in Japan. As it turns out, Mashima is heading up a limited series this summer titled Dead Rock. A first look was released at the series, and there is no denying Mashima’s artwork in this case.
“Announcement! Starting in July, I will launch a short-term series called Dead Rock in Monthly Shonen Jump. It seems that it will be a work that is a little different from my style so far. Look forward to it,” the artist wrote to fans shortly after this series announcement was shared.
According to Kodansha, the first chapter of Dead Rock will be released on July 6th. As for its story, we do know a few details. It seems Dead Rock will tell the story of a demon boy who wants to enter a prestigious academy for Demon Kings called Dead Rock. To make it in, the boy will have to pass some harsh exams to prove himself worthy, so this manga will have Mashimna’s usual supernatural flair.
Obviously, Dead Rock will expand Mashima’s impressive library of work, and fans are eager to see what it will do. After all, Edens Zero is still being worked upon, and Mashima is keeping busy elsewhere beyond manga. Not long ago, reports confirmed Mashima was dabbling in the video game industry as he did character designs for Marvelous’ Project Magia. But starting this summer, it seems the creator will have all their focus on Dead Rock given its launch.
If you are wanting to catch up on Mashima’s other work, you can check out Fairy Tail and Edens Zero as well as Rave Master through Kodansha. The titles are available physically in stores and digitally through retailers like Amazon. Soon, the series will be available in an app as Kodansha will launch its own manga app this summer featuring works from Mashima as well as other top-tier mangaka.ย
What do you think about this first look at Mashima’s new series? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.