Naoki Urasawa is a major force in the world of manga, having created such hits as Pluto, Monster, and 20th Century Boys. But one of Urasawa's more acclaimed creations, Billy Bat, has never seen an English-language release. At least, not until now.

With Billy Bat Vol. 1 now in stores, IGN can exclusively debut a preview of this manga graphic novel. Get a closer look in the slideshow gallery below:

Billy Bat was created by Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki. The series is being released in the US by Kana, a manga-centric imprint of Abrams ComicArts. Here's the official summary of the series:

Billy Bat is an enthralling, genre-defying series that combines mystery, historical fiction, conspiracy theory, and metafiction, unfolding across multiple eras and continents. Set initially in America in 1949, it follows Japanese-American comics artist Kevin Yamagata, who returns home after serving under the Allied Forces in World War II. Kevin quickly becomes famous for his detective comic character, Billy Bat. However, his newfound success is soon overshadowed by a disturbing revelation—Billy Bat already exists in Japan. Fearing unintentional plagiarism, Kevin embarks on a journey to Japan to uncover the truth, only to find himself ensnared in a tangled web of murders, secret societies, and prophetic mysteries spanning millennia.

“Finally bringing Urasawa and Nagasaki's Billy Bat to English readers has been a dream project for the Kana team,” said Kana Editor Kristiina Korpus in a statement. “We can't wait to see how fans react to the announcement and the eventual release. It's been a long time coming for English-speaking fans! Everyone at Kana has been so excited to finally bring this unmatched manga to English and we're all thrilled to finally be able to share it.”

Billy Bat Vol. 1 is available in stores now, with plans for Kana to eventually release all 20 volumes in the series. You can order a copy on Amazon.

In other Naoki Urasawa news, Netflix recently released an anime adaptation of Pluto. IGN's Just Lunning gave the series a 9 out of 10, writing, "Pluto is a masterful character-driven drama about the fallout of war and what it means to be human. The series’ central whodunnit falls a little flat, but it more than makes up for it with impeccable emotional arcs. Although the series took over six years to make, it was worth the wait."

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.