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Ghost in the Shell: SAC to Spawn 2 New Manga in Japan (Updated)

Kodansha has confirmed that it will launch two new manga based on the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex television anime series in December. The anime itself is based on Masamune Shirow's original Ghost in the Shell cyber-police manga. (Shirow's original manga also inspired Mamoru Oshii and Production I.G's two anime films.)

The first of the upcoming manga, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Tachikoma na Hibi, will launch in the January issue of Kodansha's Monthly Young Magazine on December 9. Masayuki Yamamoto is drawing this all-new manga based on Production I.G's 2002 video anime series of the same name. This spinoff series of bonus anime shorts recounted the tongue-in-cheek stories of the Tachikoma AI tanks from the main Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime.

The second manga, simply titled Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, will launch in the 2009.02 issue of Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine on December 14. Yu Kinutani, the creator of the Amon and Shion manga and the artist of the Steamboy, Leviathan, and Pairon manga, will draw this manga version.

Kodansha USA Publishing head Yoshio Irie had revealed in a Publishers Weekly interview last month that his company is planning to release "a new manga version of the TV anime series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex." Kodansha USA already started republishing Shirow's original Ghost in the Shell manga this fall. Hobby Japan's Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Visual Book (2004, pictured at left) and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG Visual Book (2006) included short anthologies of original four-panel gag manga by Eiichirō Mashin (Himuro no Tenchi Fate/school life), Ranma Kusumi (Moon Tarte), Kōji Sugitani (Settoin! Deitappu!!), and others. Dreamworks had licensed the rights from Kodansha to make a proposed 3D live-action film last year. Dreamworks hired Shutter Island writer and executive producer Laeta Kalogridis to adapt the manga.

The same January issue of Monthly Young Magazine with the Tachikoma na Hibi manga is also the magazine's debut issue under its new name; it was previously a bimonthly magazine called Bessatsu Young Magazine. The issue will feature Yuzo Takada's new side story of his well-known 3x3 Eyes manga and Kōji Matsumoto's special 36-page Higanjima side story to tie into this year's live-action film adaptation.

Source: Kyo-kan.net, NTV7 via Pocket News

Image © 2002-2005 Shirow Masamune • Production I.G/Kodansha

Update: More background information added.

Update: Shirow's credit fixed. Thanks, ikillchicken.