The next title we will be looking at in this Marvel in Japan retrospective is the Marvel × Shōnen Jump+ Super Collaboration. This is a short anthology of one-shots that mainly go for a comedic approach, whilst spotlighting some of Marvel’s most popular characters (particularly those who have been in the public eye thanks to their recent film releases). Unlike Secret Reverse, these are stories from less established creators who are just starting to make their marks.

The collection has a varied style of stories ranging from pure comedy to more action orientated. The collection opens with a depiction of Marvel editor-in-chief C. B. Cebulski meeting with the editors of Shōnen Jump+ as they try to pitch ideas to him and examine the differences between the US and Japanese comic markets. The following strip is similarly whacky as Avengers: Gag Reel by Hachi Mizuno takes various Marvel characters and puts them in slice-of-life settings. If you’ve encountered gag manga before, this should be a familiar style. Mizuno does a good job though of adapting Marvel characters to that mold, with Winter Soldier and Loki being particularly well done. Halloween Avengers by Mato is another gag manga which shows the Avengers going about their heroic duties whilst dressed up for Halloween and the hijinks that ensue.

The main meat of the collection come from three longer stories that are more action orientated. Interview with Heroes by Ken Ogino features the Avengers being interviewed whilst taking on Hydra. It’s a traditional Avengers story with a manga aesthetic (the Hulk in particular looks like he’s stepped out of Attack on Titan). Ant-Man+ by Toyotaka Haneda follows Scott Lang as he travels to Japan due to concern over his daughter Cassie who is there on a student exchange trip. We see Cassie partake in typical Japanese high school activities whilst Scott struggles to acclimatize to Japan and eventually clashes with a fellow size shifter who is threatening Cassie’s life. It’s a fun story and Haneda clearly understands the father/daughter dynamic between the two leads.

But the high-point of the collection comes in the form of Deadpool: Samurai by Sanshirou Kasama and Hikaru Uesugi, an absolutely bonkers tale where Deadpool messes with a time machine that lands him in feudal Japan and runs amok with a group of samurai. Kasama and Uesugi are clearly well versed in the character as we get tons of hilarious pages with all the quips and action you’d expect . Whilst dismembering samurai, Deadpool spends a good portion of time poking fun at both American comics and manga (particularly shonen) cliches and reveling at how unprepared traditional samurai are for his array of automatic firearms. This one-shot was such a hit, that it ended up being commissioned into an ongoing series from the same creators that is currently running on Shonen Jump+ as one of its most popular strips.

If you’ve ever encountered a manga anthology or official doujinshi collection for a popular manga series, then you’ll know what to expect with this collection. It encompasses a variety of different styles, and whilst some of the stories are better than others, it’s clear the creators have a deep fondness for the Marvel Universe (though once again, I can’t comment on the dialogue as I only know a smattering of Japanese). It will will be interesting to see what projects they work on next.

As with Secret Reverse, this collection isn’t currently available in English. But given Deadpool: Samurai‘s success, I’d say there’s a good shot at least some of it will get an English language release down the line. In the meantime, the original Japanese edition can be ordered on CDJapan here.