Katsuhiro Otomo, the distinguished Japanese creator who is known for directing the Akira movie and drawing the 1982 original manga series of the same name, has revealed he is currently working on a new manga.
The new work reveal was through a response to a question on the author's official Twitter account. When asked if he would be drawing manga in the future, Mr Otomo commented that he is actually drawing one right now, and it might not be published for a while, because manga is hard work. This was not the first time the author has mentioned his work beyond Akira, as in 2012 he was initially reported to be working on a new long-form work set in the Meiji era (via Natalie).
The new manga, which was supposed to release in the year 2012, has been delayed, though the author reiterated his desire to continue drawing the new series on his own without assistants. However, he also mentioned that the work's intended audience might be older than what he initially planned. The subject was never brought up again until 2018 when Mr Otomo confirmed in an interview in Shogakukan's Big Comic magazine that he is working on a full-length work after Akira but the contents are a secret.
Mr Katsuhiro Otomo is a man of many talents and his works have garnered international praise. He is also one of the few manga artists ever inducted into the American Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2012. He directed works such as Akira, Steamboy, Mushishi, Short Peace, and Gundam: Mission to the Rise. He also wrote and illustrated many manga works of various lengths such as Batman: Black and White #4, Hipira: The Little Vampire, The Legend of Mother Sarah, and Highway Star.
Currently, Katsuhiro Otomo is working with the Japanese animation company sunrise on the anime film Orbital Era. This is Otomo's third feature film (After Akira and Steamboy), and it's intended to be a science fiction story following youths in a space colony over the course of four seasons of the year. Otomo is credited for the original work and design works for the film, in addition to writing the screenplay and directing the film.