{"rewrite":{"id":"r_80630c923673e82d42afbb09","clusterId":"c_0c7f5ad6fb2104d3c1cc1b13","slug":"masa-ichikawa-to-launch-new-joker-manga-in-kodansha-s-morning-magazine","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Masa Ichikawa to Launch New Joker Manga in Kodansha's Morning Magazine","summary":"Kodansha's Morning magazine announced a new manga based on DC Comics' Joker, titled Machibura JOKER, drawn by Masa Ichikawa. The story follows the Joker leaving America due to price hikes and searching for a new base in Japan. The manga launches in the magazine's next issue on July 2.","whyItMatters":"The manga continues Morning magazine's collaboration with DC Comics, which previously produced three other DC-based manga series.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe Joker is leaving Gotham for Japan, at least in manga form. Kodansha\u0026#39;s Morning magazine announced on Thursday that Masa Ichikawa will draw a new series titled Machibura JOKER, launching in the next issue on July 2. DC Comics is credited for character and supervision, with international rights agency Fortuna cooperating. The premise has Gotham\u0026#39;s charismatic villain fed up with America\u0026#39;s successive price hikes, so he decides to walk around Japan in search of a new base of operations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe manga is the latest in Morning\u0026#39;s collaboration with DC, which began in December 2020 with Batman: Justice Buster by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi. That was followed by Wanope Joker in January 2021 and Superman vs. Meshi in June 2021, both of which have since ended serialization. DC published all three in English.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Machibura Joker turns the Joker into a character fleeing inflation, not causing chaos. Ichikawa is adapting a DC icon to a very specific Japanese economic gag.","twitterPost":"Machibura Joker makes the Joker a victim of price hikes. Ichikawa is writing a DC villain into a Japanese cost-of-living gag.","threadsPost":"Machibura Joker repositions the Joker as someone fleeing American inflation to find a cheaper base in Japan. Masa Ichikawa is writing a DC villain into a very specific economic premise. The humor comes from the mundane motivation, not the usual mayhem.","newsletterBlurb":"Masa Ichikawa will launch a new Joker manga titled Machibura JOKER in Kodansha's Morning magazine on July 2. The story has the Joker leaving America due to price hikes and walking around Japan. It continues Morning's DC Comics collaboration, which previously produced three other manga series.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-06-25/masa-ichikawa-to-launch-new-joker-manga-based-on-dc-comics-character-in-morning-magazine/.238830\",\"title\":\"Masa Ichikawa to Launch New Joker Manga Based on DC Comics Character in Morning Magazine\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3864,"outputTokens":608,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1782529950,"createdAt":"2026-06-27T03:07:11.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-27T03:10:24.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-27T03:10:24.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_0c7f5ad6fb2104d3c1cc1b13","canonicalTitle":"News\nMasa Ichikawa to Launch New Joker Manga Based on DC Comics Character in Morning Magazine","representativeArticleId":"a_296aa6a44df2db68622282b0","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[\"Machibura JOKER\"],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Masa Ichikawa\"],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"manga\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-25T15:15:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-25T15:15:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-27T03:10:24.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-06-25/masa-ichikawa-to-launch-new-joker-manga-based-on-dc-comics-character-in-morning-magazine/.238830","title":"News\nMasa Ichikawa to Launch New Joker Manga Based on DC Comics Character in Morning Magazine"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":["Machibura JOKER"],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["Masa Ichikawa"],"type":"announcement","domain":"manga","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["The manga Machibura JOKER launches in Kodansha's Morning magazine on July 2.","Masa Ichikawa draws the new series, which follows the Joker leaving America due to price hikes and searching for a new base in Japan.","The manga is the fourth DC collaboration for Morning magazine, following Batman: Justice Buster (December 2020), Wanope Joker (January 2021), and Superman vs. Meshi (June 2021).","DC Comics is credited for character and supervision, with international rights agency Fortuna cooperating.","DC published all three previous Morning-DC manga series in English."]}