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Locke the Superman Manga Creator Yuki Hijiri Recuperates After Resuscitation
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Chōjin Locke (Locke the Superman) manga creator Yuki HIjiri revealed on his official Twitter account on Sunday that he is recovering after being resuscitated in December. He apologized for worrying fans due to the hiatus of his Locke the Superman and delays in publication of art collections and compiled manga volumes.
Hijiri was diagnosed with a chronic sinus infection in November, and he went to a hospital for surgery in December. He collapsed at the hospital and went into cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated, went into a coma, then underwent heart surgery. He was hospitalized for two months and recently left. He undergoes rehabilitation every day because he is still unable to move his body as before. He asked fans to wait for the return of Locke the Superman.
The Hijiri Yuki SF Art Works book was completed with the help of staff and will ship this month. Hijiri also thanked fellow creators who supported him with dōjinshi. He said he will continue to do his best on his manga.
Hijiri is currently serializing the Chōjin Locke Kagami no Ori (Locke the Superman The Mirror Chamber; seen above right) manga in Shonengahosha's Young King Ours magazine and the Chōjin Locke Gaia no Kiba (Locke the Superman The Fang of Gaia; seen left) manga in Kadokawa's Monthly Comic Flapper magazine. Shonengahosha released the second compiled book volume of Locke the Superman The Mirror Chamber in July. Locke the Superman The Fang of Gaia celebrates the 50th anniversary of the original manga, and the first volume shipped in August.
The Locke the Superman manga launched in Sakuga Group's dōjinshi in 1967. The series then made its commercial magazine debut in Minori Shobō's Monthly Out in 1977. The manga ran in Shonengahosha's Shōnen King magazine from 1979 to 1988, when the magazine ceased publication. Works in the series then appeared in various magazines, and the manga launched in Monthly Comic Flapper in 2007.
The original manga's story centers on a quiet, seemingly ageless loner with breathtaking psychic powers. The military seeks him out to deal with a woman who is raising an army of psychics.
The manga inspired an anime film in 1984. Celebrity Home Entertainment released the film on VHS in North America, and Eastern Star released it on DVD. The manga then inspired the Locke the Superman: Lord Leon original video anime (OVA) in 1989, Locke the Superman: New World Command OVA in 1991, and Locke the Superman: Mirror Ring OVA in 2000. Central Park Media released Locke the Superman: Lord Leon on VHS in North America.
The franchise also inspired a novel in 1984 and radio dramas in 1996.
[Via Hachima Kikō]
