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It's interesting (and a bit disappointing) that the cover doesn't seem to follow the established cover image set. I've been assuming that Phoenix would be released in Nine Volumes based on the covers seen to date, but this - and the fact that it's labeled "part one" - makes me wonder if we'll see 10 (or more!) volumes in this series?

I think this one is going to be released in June and Vol. 8 is listed on Chapters.ca as being released in Sept. (and now Vol. 9 should be coming out in December as well!).

It's not surprising that the new cover doesn't match, since they've recently said they're going to re-issue "Phoenix" as part of their new "Signature Series". They're probably going to reprint the old ones with new covers eventually too.

I've been triying to find out from them how many total volumes there will be, but got no response. I also asked them whether they're ever going to print Robe of Feathers, which they skipped, but again, no answer.

Why couldn't they just release them all in the same size and format as the original larger release of Volume 2? I find it really frustrating when they change the design halfway through a run.

I'll probably end up giving in and ebaying my old copies and getting the new ones eventually though. I'm a sucker for a nice neat looking shelf.

That will make it the second time they've changed the look of the series, though when they did volume 2, I don't think they had yet decided if they were going to do the whole thing (I'm still not sure they have decided! )

Personally I don't really care so much what they end up looking like, and will go a step farther and say the look they have established so far isn't that great. The covers are OK, but completely generic so that I can't tell by looking at the cover which one it is.

All that said however, it hardly matters, what is really important is that Phoenix will hopefully all be in print. Man, it will have been a long trip!

I do wish all of it had been as big as that first volume Viz printed, but it made it more expensive. The size change, and the cover designs, are both designed to lure in more readers. I say I'm willing to have an unwieldy shelf if it gets even one more person to read Phoenix than otherwise would.

That said, I do prefer the US release to the French, which is even smaller, on paper which browns easily, and in very thick volumes which are hard to hold given how small they are. Once the US set is complete then, other than the fact that French vol. 5 contains Robe of Feathers, there will be no reason to choose the French over the superior English - that's rare for Tezuka releases, which are usually better in French. The French covers are a bit more distinctive in telling you which story is in which volume, but they're just not as rich or colorful, not enough to make up for the smaller size:

I think one of the nicest looking releases is the Korean version - it uses some of the same cover images as the French release, but all 16 red volumes all lined up in a row sure looks nice on the shelf... plus they've released the original "Phoenix" stories (the ones set in Rome/Greece... and not part of the ages-spanning story set).

Viz has finally tweaked their website to provide some better information on upcoming releases. Looks like Robe of Feathers WILL be included after all (despite skipping over it in the previous volume).

Given the fact that the original cover theme comes back for Vol. 8, I'm going to guess that Viz's Phoenix series will stretch beyond 9 volumes so they're forced to insert at least one different cover into the run. Makes sense to do it for Vol. 7 instead of just tacking it on for the last volume.

Phoenix, Vol. 7 (coming June 13, 2006)

At the end of the Heian Period (12th century), a hunter named Benta comes to Kyoto in search of his abducted fianc

Here's a look at the cover for Phoenix vol. 9


It's quite a break from the established covers in the series.

Wow, that is a big change from their normal covers. I just got a samplepage from "Strange Beings" in a packet I got from Tezuka Productions, it looks very intense, and is definitely drawing Phoenix and Buddha even closer together than ever. Can't wait to read it.

Here's the first look at the cover to Phoenix Vol. 10



Looks like there'll be a volume 11 - based on the fact that this is Sun: part one.

This volume is scheduled for Feb 26 2007.

I'm dealing with the fact that Phoenix seems to keep getting weirder and weirder, and those covers do nothing but convey that idea. So I suppose it looks like we'll have the whole thing by summer of so of next year, since Sun part 2 ends the series.

I wonder if VIZ will consider doing any other works by Tezuka