Throughout recent years, North American comic books and Japanese manga have been in competition with one another. Thanks to the anime world’s rise in popularity, it seems that manga is a runaway freight train in the West, with the likes of Marvel and DC attempting to stay in step. One big partnership brought both mediums together as Marvel Comics has teamed up with Shonen Jump for stories and publishing ventures to unite the two formats into one. We’ve seen manga starring Deadpool, Spider-Man, and the X-Men, but dark clouds appear to be surrounding this unique collaboration.
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In a surprising statement, Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions has announced that it is bringing its publishing partnership with Marvel to a close. Set to end officially on March 31st next month, here’s what the announcement said when it came to axing this publishing union: “Important notice. Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions will be terminating its publishing agreement with U.S. Marvel Comics as of March 31, 2026. Please refer to the attached notice for details. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation.” At present, the ramifications of this ending have yet to be fully explored, though one Marvel/Shonen Jump collaboration entering its final arc now makes a little more sense.
The End of Deadpool: Samurai & Ultraman Crossovers?
Deadpool: Samurai is easily the biggest offering that came as a result of the union of Marvel and Shonen Jump, taking the Merc With a Mouth and giving him a manga of his own. On top of placing Wade Wilson into this format, the series allowed for some major crossovers to take place as Deadpool teamed up with My Hero Academia’s All Might and found himself exploring the universe of World’s End Harem. On top of this offering, the union between Shonen Jump and Mavel gave us stories like Spider-Man: Fake Red, Secret Reverse, Spider-Man: Octo-Girl, and Spider-Man: Kizuna.
Most recently, Peter Parker found himself teaming up with Ultraman as a result of this partnership via the ongoing series Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man. The series first started in 2024 and has been releasing new installments ever since, previously not stating whether it would reach a final issue. However, with this new announcement of Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions ending its relationship with Marvel, the crossover’s days might be numbered.
On top of the announcement of the partnership ending, Shogakukan-Shueisha let fans know that they should buy material from the union as soon as possible. The statement read, “As of today, February 20, you can check the list of Marvel Comics currently available at our company. For those who wish to obtain them, we would appreciate it if you could purchase or place an order at your nearest bookstore as soon as possible. Please note that due to limited stock, we may not be able to meet all requests. Thank you for your understanding.”
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