One of the cool things we get with manga is treated to special chapter covers and illustrations from mangaka. Throughout 2022 we got a lot of great special covers and illustrations from mangaka in Shonen Jump. Some of these were in dedication to major milestones or special announcements. With another year packed with great special colored manga covers, I’ve put together a list of my 10 favorite color covers and special illustrations from Shonen Jump in 2022.
AKANE-BANASHI CHAPTER 26 COLOR COVER
With everything that happened during the Karaku Cup, the cover for Akane-Banashi does a great job spotlighting all the characters we saw during the story arc. The characters appearing in the background as visuals on a fan while Akane is fanning herself in the front is well done. This all works to get over the different styles of characters that we see in Akane-Banashi as each character has their own distinct look.
GINKA & GLÜNA CHAPTER 2 COLOR COVER
Shinpei Watanabe does an incredible job detailing the locations we saw in the first chapter of Ginka & Gluna on the map scroll being looked like something out of a pop-up book. The amount of detail reminds me a lot of the miniature levels you see in Super Mario 3D World overworld. This cover gets you right into the mood of being ready to read a magical adventure. Ginka and Gluna are also wonderfully drawn and colored to have their respective personalities shine simply with what they are each doing on this cover.
KAIJU NO. 8 CHAPTER 73.1 SPECIAL ILLUSTRATION
Soshiro Hoshina has been a breakout character in 2022 for Kaiju No. 8. The big reveal that Soshiro use Kaiju Number 10 as his combat suit added to how much of a badass he was. This special illustration by Naoya Matsumoto does a great job putting over how sinister Kaiju No. 10 is even in a container. Eve with Kaiju No. 10 sinisterly looming over him Soshiro shows no concern. Instead, he is simply drawn as someone motivated to get the job done however necessary.
MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLE CHAPTER 114 COLOR COVER
Hajime Komoto draws straight-up fire with this stylish cover for Mashle: Magic And Muscle Chapter 114. The characters all look like they are ready to go to a party and then get into a gang fight. The red paper flying around the characters adds to the style of each one is showing. Mashle in particular has never looked cooler.
MISSION: YOZAKURA FAMILY CHAPTER 145 COLOR COVER
With a lot of the special chapter covers, we see the mangaka getting out of the normal style to do something completely different. That is what we see with the special cover for Mission: Yozakura Family Chapter 145. Hitsuji Gondaira gives us something you could find in a children’s picture book with how all the characters are dressed up in different rabbit costumes. The little touch of the cat on the moon adds to the joy of this cover for Mission: Yozakura Family.
MY HERO ACADEMIA CHAPTER 359 8TH ANNIVERSARY COVER
It doesn’t feel like My Hero Academia has been around that long but that just shows how much time flies as Kohei Horikoshi’s series hit its 8th anniversary in 2022. To celebrate such a milestone Horikoshi put together the above color spread cover for My Hero Academia Chapter 359. Seeing all of the characters in red, black, and white suits and dress is great. Horikoshi made sure to pay attention to keeping the characters in mind with what style of clothing they are wearing that fit who they are.
ONE PIECE CHAPTER 1054 COLOR COVER
Chapter 1053 was a major chapter for One Piece as we got the declaration to the world of who the new Four Emperors of the pirate world are. This declaration saw Monkey D. Luffy and Buggy taking Kaidou and Big Mom’s spots as part of the Four Emperors. Both Red-Haired Shanks and Marshall D. Teach kept their spots. To celebrate this major change for One Piece Chapter 1054 Eiichiro Oda put together this special cover spotlighting the new Four Emperors roster. Having Luff appear in his Gear 5 mode makes this cover stand out even more.
ONE PUNCH MAN CHAPTER 166 COLOR COVER
Sometimes simple is better and that is definitely the case with the color cover for One Punch Man Chapter 166. At first glance, it appears that it’s just Saitama and Garou fist bump. But when you take into account the cosmic background you can see how this is really still a shot of a clash of fists between Saitama and Awakened Garou in their epic fight. It’s simple but does so much for what Yusuke Murata was delivering in the story arc featuring Saitama vs. Awakened Garou.
SAKAMOTO DAYS CHAPTER 64 COLOR COVER
The Order is a collection of the most badass assassins in the Sakamoto Days universe. This color spread cover by Yuto Suzuki gets over not only how badass but also cool each member of The Order is. Each member is given their own style which makes them come off as deadly on their own. What makes it work even better is how Suzuki takes care of how the individuality of each character’s style and facial expression compliments the other members. It all leads to a spread cover that presents a group of badass assassins that The Order has proven they are.
SPY X FAMILY CHAPTER 64.1 SPECIAL ILLUSTRATION
Spy x Family is a series that’s such a serotonin boost and the seventh special illustration that Tatsuya Endo gets that vibe. The colorful earth tones used as Anya and her classmates jump into a new adventure fit so well. From Anya jumping for joy at what they are about to do to Damian acting as though he is annoyed at the world hits home with the fun the series is.