Let me tell you before we even start, so you know what to expect! Thrawn: The Manga is a sight to behold for any Thrawn fans!
This review is Spoiler-Free.
I have been a huge fan of Star Wars manga ever since I got my hands on the Dark Horse adaptations of the Original Trilogy and Episode I.
Today Hisao Tamaki’s iconic art is on all sorts of apparel and just got reintroduced to readers worldwide in a gorgeous two-volume art book.
Kia Asamiya of Martian Successor Nadesico and Silent Möbius fame has done something truly amazing in his retelling of The Phantom Menace. And many more artists have followed in their footsteps and contributed with both manga adaptations and original stories.
Still, Star Wars manga is somehow off the radar for many collectors and readers and continues to be kind of a niche field of Star Wars publishing. Maybe it would take a certain blue-skinned, red-eyed cult character to change that?
After its initial European release by Panini on June 9th 2026, the first volume of the Thrawn manga by Man Tsang is about to hit bookstores in the US and other territories on September 29th, this time released by Penguin Random House.
Another retelling?
For some the choice of adapting the same Star Wars novel for the second time might seem strange. After all, in 2018 we got the Marvel adaptation of Zahn’s 2017 hit novel.
Writer Jody Houser joined forces with artist Luke Ross and colorist Nolan Woodard to deliver a solid six issue miniseries, based on the bestselling title which marked Zahn’s return to Star Wars canon. Do we need a manga adaptation as well, someone else would ask.
This puts artist Man Tsang in a unique and I’d say quite difficult position. First of all, he is bringing to page one of the most beloved Star Wars characters with 35 years of history and adapting a famous novel by one of the most prominent writers to ever contribute to the franchise.
But on top of that Tsang has to be consistent with what artists before him have established while adapting Zahn’s words into visuals, while also adding something new and injecting the manga with his own style and storytelling sensibilities. And in volume one he has done so brilliantly, for which I can only praise him.
Fresh new visuals and different pacing
Delivering a 200+ pages volume is not a small task by any means, but engaging in a multi-volume series of this magnitude, knowing how critical and demanding Star Wars fans can be is really quite a feat under the abovementioned circumstances.
I have upmost respect for what Tsang has achieved here. If you have read the novel (and you probably have!) you will experience the plot again, through fresh new eyes, and exciting visuals.
Much like in the case of The Mandalorian, we have an original story, adapted into comics by Marvel, and then adapted into manga as well.
The thing is, that if the story is engaging and brings you joy, it is both interesting and pleasant to reexperience it in another format. What is more, the manga tradition allows for different pacing and much more details than western comics usually provide.
To put this into numbers, Marvel’s adaptation runs close to 140 pages, adapting the entire novel (400 plus pages of prose), while Tsang delivers act one, up to the point when Thrawn arrives on Ansion, in about 200 pages.
Thrawn and manga go together like peanut butter and jelly
All this goes to show that the manga adaptation follows the novel closer, and we can enjoy more panels dedicated to both dynamic action scenes and moments of quiet drama and character development.
Tsang knows when to deliver detailed drawing and when to switch to more chaotic motion blur type of drawing. The direction is very good and is what the plot deserves.
What is more, an intelligent, cool, cunning and deeply motivated individual such as Thrawn fits right in as a leading character for a manga series!
Somehow it feels as if Thrawn has always meant to be experienced in a way similar to the way we have been introduced to Death Note’s L Lawliet or Reinhard von Lohengramm from Legend of the Galactic Heroes.
Final Thoughts & Review Card
While Star Wars: Thrawn (The Manga) Vol. 1 is a promising kick-off of the series, it does not deliver any new material story wise and it might seem skippable to those obsessed mainly with the facts and lore of the galactic continuity.
It does present a new personal take on a popular plot and it is an enjoyable and visually pleasing read. I have always appreciated the artistry behind Star Wars, so having a talented manga artist contribute to the publishing line feels good and the book is a welcomed addition to my collection. I’m really looking forward to the next volumes!
Star Wars: Thrawn (The Manga) Vol. 1
Format
Comics
ERA:
Publisher:
Penguin Random House
RELEASED:
September 29, 2026
ISSUE:
#1 of 5
LENGTH:
224 pages
WRITER:
Man Tsang
Artist:
Man Tsang
For:
Manga fans,
Fans of Thrawn,
Fans of Timothy Zahn
Similar:
Thrawn (Zahn’s Novel)
Thrawn (Marvel’s Comic)
Strengths
Great characters
Gorgeous art
Consistent visuals
Weaknesses
Familiar story if you have read the novel or the comics
You will have to wait for next volumes
Ratings
Final Verdict
4.6
Average of the first 5 Categories
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