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Golgo 13 Manga Franchise Has 300 Million Copies in Circulation
posted on by Adriana Hazra
Shogakukan's listing of the first volume Gunsmith Dave, the first-ever spinoff manga of Takao Saitō's long-running Golgo 13 manga, states that the overall Golgo 13 franchise has 300 million copies in circulation. The first compiled volume of Gunsmith Dave will ship on September 30.
Gunsmith Dave launched in Big Comic Zōkan in July 2021. The manga ended "season 1" on May 17. Saito and Saito Production are credited with creating the manga.
The protagonist Dave is a constant helper who makes Duke Togo's impossible shots possible, working an unseen job that he nevertheless draws pride from, and is one of the few people whom Duke Togo trusts.
Saito passed away in September 2021. Golgo 13 remains the oldest manga still in publication. Shogakukan said that, before his death, Saito said that he wanted the manga to continue on without him, and the Saito Production group of artists are continuing to draw the manga with the assistance of the editorial department of Shogakukan's Big Comic magazine and an additional scriptwriting staff.
Saito launched Golgo 13 in Shogakukan's Big Comic magazine in 1968. The manga broke the Guinness World Record for "most volumes published for a single manga series" in July 2021 when its 201st compiled book volume shipped in Japan. The manga's 205th volume shipped on July 5.
Golgo 13 is getting a new spinoff manga that will debut in Big Comic Zōkan's August issue on July 15.
Source: Shogakukan's website
