Monthly manga anthology Shonen Jump publisher VIZ Media has announced that the December 2007 issue will be its most expansive ever. The issue, which should be available today, runs 416 pages.
The issue has “the conclusion of the epic Yu-Gi-Oh! saga, which raised generations of Duelists and has dominated the trading card world,” as well as an interview with Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi and a retrospective on its impact and history.
There will also be “a sneak preview of Takehiko Inoue’s influential and long-awaited basketball manga series, Slam Dunk. The critically acclaimed series has sold over 100 million copies in Japan and is a winner of the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award.” The first chapter will appear in full color.
Naruto fans will find a manga short story that “creator Masashi Kishimoto drew before he dreamed up the hyperactive and unpredictable ninja that millions of North American fans have come to know and love. They will be interested, and perhaps a bit surprised, to get a fascinating glimpse of a Naruto that might have been.”
The magazine carries an expanded, ten-page Games We Love section “covering the magazine’s picks for the best video games of 2007,” as well as extras such as Nintendo DS cards for the latest Naruto and Bleach games that let readers unlock special features.
Editor Marc Weidenbaum said “This is a special issue for Shonen Jump as it’s not every day that a long-running series like Yu-Gi-Oh! reaches its conclusion, but that’s exactly what happens in this issue, and creator Kazuki Takahashi closes things off in a very satisfying way that fans will definitely not want to miss.”