Tsuburaya Productions participated in the New York Comic Con 2022, the largest comic convention on the East Coast, held in New York, USA from October 6th to October 9th. During the event, various creators gathered and discussed the upcoming global Ultraman titles, revealed the latest news, and interacted with the fans from all around the world. Moreover, limited-edition merch was sold, only obtainable at the New York Comic Con 2022.
This was the latest effort for Tsuburaya Productions to participate in large overseas conventions, following the Anime Expo 2022 in July, one of the world’s largest anime events, held in Los Angeles.
Here is some of the big news as Ultraman proceeds to take his place on the world stage.
NEW YORK COMIC CON 2022 REPORT
■Announcements of Ultraman published by Marvel Comics Project, including a celebration of Ultraseven’s 55th anniversary!
On the Marvel Entertainment stage, where the company had a large and prominent booth, artist Francesco Mana and writer Kyle Higgins of the Ultraman comics, appeared on stage to talk about the highlights of the of Ultraman: The Mystery of Ultraseven, a comic about that draws inspiration from the Ultraseven TV series that reached its 55th anniversary since its first broadcast in 1967. Moreover, they discussed the upcoming crossover between Ultraman and the Marvel super heroes, hinting at the 2023 miniseries cosmic secrets.
At the same panel, the original creators of the ULTRAMAN manga, Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi, were on stage and announced that they have worked on a variant cover for The Mystery of Ultraseven #3.
The announcement by the splendid artists was greeted with enthusiastic applause from the audience, and the subsequent autograph session was a scene that showed the high level of enthusiasm of the local fans, with a long line of people waiting for signed lithographs that stretched outside the booth.
The Marvel booth was revisited by Ultraman two more times during the convention, once for a Livestream interview with the panelists, and once for an Ultraman Meet and Greet in tandem with VeVe collectibles.
Bandai Tamashii Nations also released a New York Comic Con exclusive S.H.Figuarts Ultraman: The Rise Of Ultraman collectible figure, based on the Marvel Comics version of the character, which added fuel to the fire of fan excitement.
■World’s first reveal of the teaser poster for the anime ULTRAMAN Final Season.
Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi, authors of the comics that the ULTRAMAN anime is based on, took the stage at the panel talk presented by VIZ Media, a major American publishing company.
The original comics were published in various languages and the anime version streamed on Netflix is about to reach its final season next spring, which the fans eagerly await.
At the panel, a teaser poster for the anime ULTRAMAN final season drawn by Shimizu and Shimoguchi was introduced, with them leaving a comment full of excitement saying, “we believe it depicts an alternative ending that was not shown in the original comics."
Moreover, there were live drawings that gathered great enthusiasm from the fans, indicating the popularity of the anime ULTRAMAN.
■A special screening of Shin Ultraman!
There was a special screening event for New York Comic Con attendees that was held prior to the North American release of the movie Shin Ultraman, a film which drew approximately 3 million viewers in Japan.
The AMC theatrical screening gathered applause and cheers from the fans, who also lined up for photographs with Ultraman in the screening room.
In addition to these events, various other initiatives were held at the New York Comic Con, including talk panels for each film and meet-and-greets with Ultra Heroes at Bandai and at various American licensee booths. These initiatives promoted the latest titles to approximately 200,000 fans. The successful event showed the great expectations local fans have for the future of the Ultraman series!
■About the works
●Ultraman published by Marvel Comics
Issue 3 title: The Mystery of Ultraseven
Release: October 2022
An officially licensed comic book miniseries from Tsuburaya Productions and Marvel Entertainment featuring Ultraman, set in a new continuity created for Marvel.
●Anime ULTRAMAN
Season 3 to be released on Netflix next spring.
・Title: ULTRAMAN (Final Season)
・Original Works: Tsuburaya Productions, Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi (Comiplex/Hero’s)
・Directed by: Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki
・Music by: Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi
・Production: Production I.G and SOLA DIGITAL ARTS
・Official Website: https://anime.heros-ultraman.com/
©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©Eiichi Shimizu, Tomohiro Shimoguchi ©ULTRAMAN PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM3
●Film Shin Ultraman
The continued appearance of giant unidentified life forms known as “S-Class Species (Kaiju)” has become commonplace in Japan.
Conventional weapons have no effect on them. Having exhausted all other options, the Japanese Government issued the S-Class Species Suppression Protocol and formed an enforcement unit, known as the SSSP.
The members chosen for the unit are Captain Kimio Tamura (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima), Strategic Planner Shinji Kaminaga (played by Takumi Saitoh), Unparticle Physicist Akihisa Taki (played by Daiki Arioka), and Biologist Yumi Funaberi (Akari Hayami).
In the midst of a Kaiju threat, a silver giant appears from beyond Earth's atmosphere.
Analyst Hiroko Asami (played by Masami Nagasawa) is newly appointed to the SSSP to deal with this giant and is partnered with Shinji Kaminaga.
In Hiroko's report, she writes—
“Ultraman (tentative name), identity unknown.”
Official Website: https://shin-ultraman.jp/
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/shin_ultraman
■About New York Comic Con
The New York Comic Con (NYCC) is the largest Comic Con on the East Coast, attracting more than 250,000 fans from around the world for a celebration of pop culture.
New York Comic Con Official Website: https://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en-us.html
