Since 1991, Japanese kids’ manga magazine CoroCoro Comic has been publishing a manga based on the world of Super Mario Bros. Written and illustrated by Yukio Sawada, Super Mario-kun has adapted various Super Mario games, and told original stories, with a goofy vibe. Over 50 volumes have been released, many of them even localized for France and Spain. But until today, there hasn’t been an official English release. On Twitter, Japanese media publisher Viz Media announced Super Mario Bros. Manga Mania, a compilation volume, will come to North American retailers in late 2020.
It's-a him, Mario! Super Mario Bros. Manga Mania releases Late 2020! 🍄
Pre-order now: https://t.co/ZpJMLS8Hds pic.twitter.com/ed9BZo3E8M
— VIZ (@VIZMedia) March 31, 2020
This volume was originally released in Japan in 2016, presumably to tie in with the 30th anniversary shenanigans for Super Mario. We missed out, but now that it seems like Mario’s 35th birthday is also going to be a big deal, the time has finally come for Super Mario-kun in English.
We aren’t getting a full, chronological release yet, but this selection of stories was hand-picked by Sawada as a sort of “best of” compilation book. Super Mario Bros. Manga Mania is already available for pre-order, and only costs $9.99. That’s the price of a standard manga volume in most cases. On Amazon, the release date is listed as December 8, 2020, but Viz’s tweet only confirms “late” 2020.
