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Seven Deadly Sins' 4-Panel Spinoff Reimagines King as Aspiring Manga Creator

The February issue of Kodansha's Magazine Special (cover shown right) announced on Wednesday that manga creator Masataka Ono is launching a spinoff of Nakaba Suzuki's The Seven Deadly Sins (Nanatsu no Taizai) manga titled Nanatsu no Taizai King no Manga Michi (The Seven Deadly Sins - King's Road to Manga) in the magazine's next issue, which Kodansha will publish on February 20.

The manga will be a four-panel comedy manga that depicts King aspiring to be a manga creator. In the story, King wants to work as an assistant under professional manga creator Meliodas, and knocks on his door, but the one that answers the door is the editor — the pig Hawk.

Two other comedy spinoff manga of The Seven Deadly Sins exist: Mayoe! Nanatsu no Taizai Gakuen (The Seven Deadly Sins Academy) launched in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in August 2014. Jūichi Kugi is drawing the manga, and Kodansha published the manga's second compiled book volume last August. Nanatsu no Taizai Production launched in Kodansha's Aria magazine last November. Chiemi Sakamoto is drawing the manga.

Suzuki also drew two spinoff manga for The Seven Deadly Sins last February. The first spinoff manga, titled Naku na, Tomo yo (Don't Cry, My Friend), is about Hendrickson and Dreyfus' younger years. The second spinoff manga, titled Gilthunder no Shinjitsu (Gilthunder's Truth), is set after the Byzel Fight Festival arc, with Gilthunder as the protagonist.

Kodansha Comics is publishing The Seven Deadly Sins manga in North America, and describes the story:

"When they were accused of trying to overthrow the monarchy, the feared warriors The Seven Deadly Sins were sent into exile. Princess Elizabeth discovers the truth - the Sins were framed by the king's guard, the Holy Knights - too late to prevent them from assassinating her father and seizing the throne!

Now the princess is on the run, seeking the Sins to help her reclaim the kingdom. But the first Sin she meets, Meliodas, is a little innkeeper with a talking pig. He doesn't even have a real sword! Have the legends of the Sins' strength been exaggerated?"

Suzuki launched The Seven Deadly Sins in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2012. Kodansha published the manga's 17th compiled book volume on October 16. Kodansha Comics published the manga's 11th volume in English last November. Crunchyroll is also offering new chapters of the manga as they are published in Japan.

The manga inspired a 24-episode television anime series that premiered in October 2014. The manga will have a new TV anime in 2016, with the staff from the first anime returning.