Dark Horse Manga has unveiled a special deluxe re-release of an iconic manga responsible for inspiring one of the best action films of all time.
Per an official press release, manga, cinephiles and comic book collectors alike can look forward to a special edition hardcover re-release of Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi's classic Oldboy manga coming in early 2026.
Oldboy to Get Jumbo-Sized Re-Release
The Perfect Coffee Table Book for Movie, Comic and Manga Lovers
Oldboy has had a cult fanbase since it was first serialized in Futabasha's Weekly Manga Action magazine between 1996 and 1998. In 2003, Oldboy was adapted for the screen by director Park Chan-wook. It became the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2003, an international sensation, repopularizing the manga. In 2006, Dark Horse took advantage of the renewed interest in the Oldboy source material, publishing its first English translation. Now, Dark Horse is distributing its first re-release, a special jumbo-sized one, no less, set to arrive on Jan. 6, 2026.
The intense manga by writer Garon Tsuchiya (Astral Project, Reverse Edge: Okawabata Tanteisha) and artist Nobuaki Minegishi (Aburemon, Hoozuki), lettered for North American audiences by Michael David Thomas and Kathryn Renta, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian, won the 2007 Eisner Award for Best US Edition of International Material. The Deluxe Edition is set for release as two separate, oversized (7x10”) volumes: Oldboy Deluxe Edition: Book One and Book Two, respectively. Book One collects the original Oldboy volumes one through four, which the press release summarizes as:
Ten years ago, they took him. He doesn’t know who. For ten years, he has been confined to a private prison. He doesn’t know why. For ten years, his only contact with the outside world has been a television set and the voices of his jailers. Suddenly, one day, his incarceration ends without explanation. Sedated and dumped in a park, Shinichi Goto awakens—free to reclaim what’s left of his life—and what’s left is revenge.
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It goes on to describe Book Two's volumes five through eight as:
Goto relentlessly marches forward to uncover the identity of the man who imprisoned him for ten years—seemingly for no reason. But Goto's nemesis has lured him into a trap. Is allowing Goto the opportunity to enact his revenge just another part of his twisted plan? As he struggles to find the motive behind the punishment he endured, Goto receives clues suggesting a connection to a time long forgotten from his adolescence. Could all his torment have been the result of a schoolyard grudge? The cruel game has only just begun.
The release dates are slightly staggered between the two volumes. Oldboy Deluxe Edition: Book One hits bookstores on January 6 before arriving on comic shop shelves the next day, January 7, 2026. Oldboy Deluxe Edition: Book Two arrives in retailers a little over a month later, on March 24, then in comic book stores on March 25, 2026. Both editions retail at $69.99, boast a purple ribbon and a noir-inspired cover (seen above). Pre-orders are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or local retailers via Bookshop.org and Comic Shop Locator.
Source: Press Release
Oldboy
Release Date November 21, 2003
English (US) · 