French publisher Glénat releases a "Prestige Edition"

[Aazealh]

The French publisher for Berserk, Glénat, has announced a new "Prestige Edition" for the series that will debut next year. It will feature two volumes in one. The first two volumes will come out in June 2025. No other information has been given beyond that so far.

I'm sadly not expecting a new and improved translation, but I hope they will at least be larger (which they did with their collector's edition for volume 41) and feel premium. Glénat's been known to put out 'deluxe' editions that weren't worth their price in the past.

It's noteworthy that Glénat doesn't usually release these sorts of prestige editions until a series is over. They'd said they wouldn't do it when volume 41 came out, for example. Maybe they figure the Continuation will be done by the time they catch up to volume 42. That's another question of mine, by the way: will they be bundling volumes 41 and 42 together? That would be distasteful.

 

[Judo]

Same with Panini Manga in Germany. We already have the normal volumes, the 2in1 "Max Edition" and the so called "Ultimative Edition" which is basically just the Max volumes with a larger format and different covers.
Next year they will release a "Master Edition" that will probably resemble Dark Horses Deluxe Edition.
Especially the first three volumes are definitely in need of getting a new translation. But I don't expect them to do anything about it.

 

[Walter]

That's another question of mine by the way: will they be bundling volumes 41 and 42 together? That would be distasteful.

I'd wager so.

Same with Panini Manga in Germany. We already have the normal volumes, the 2in1 "Max Edition" and the so called "Ultimative Edition" which is basically just the Max volumes with a larger format and different covers.
Next year they will release a "Master Edition" that will probably resemble Dark Horses Deluxe Edition.
Especially the first three volumes are definitely in need of getting a new translation. But I don't expect them to do anything about it.

Man, that is a LOT of different SKUs for bookstores to keep up with for the same content.

 

[SotoJX]

The French publisher for Berserk, Glénat, has announced a new "Prestige Edition" for the series that will debut next year. It will feature two volumes in one. The first two volumes will come out in June 2025. No other information has been given beyond that so far.

I'm sadly not expecting a new and improved translation, but I hope they will at least be larger (which they did with their collector's edition for volume 41) and feel premium. Glénat's been known to put out 'deluxe' editions that weren't worth their price in the past.

It's noteworthy that Glénat doesn't usually release these sorts of prestige editions until a series is over. They'd said they wouldn't do it when volume 41 came out, for example. Maybe they figure the Continuation will be done by the time they catch up to volume 42. That's another question of mine by the way: will they be bundling volumes 41 and 42 together? That would be distasteful.

Just like Panini Spain and Italy did, but they called it as “Maximum Berserk”, but that “Maximum” it’s a cheaper version of any of the another “deluxe” or prestige. The vol.42 will come on Spain on October, so I also wonder if they will release a Maximum vol 21.

 

[hsvfan-jan]

Next year they will release a "Master Edition" that will probably resemble Dark Horses Deluxe Edition.

Do you have some link with more information? I don't find anything really about it searching online and also not on their website, only the "Ultimative Edition"

Berserk | Panini

Der Kult-Manga Berserk von Kentaro Miura gehört zu den beliebtesten und bekanntesten Manga-Serien! Jetzt neu auch als Ultimative Edition erhältlich.

www.panini.de

Especially the first three volumes are definitely in need of getting a new translation. But I don't expect them to do anything about it.

I only read those in German and almost stopped reading Berserk all together because of it. I don't remember much of it (apart from the ominous villain "Fermuth" ) and that everything sounded like the "How do you do, fellow kids" meme, 90s edition

 

[Judo]

Do you have some link with more information? I don't find anything really about it searching online and also not on their website, only the "Ultimative Edition"

Berserk | Panini

Der Kult-Manga Berserk von Kentaro Miura gehört zu den beliebtesten und bekanntesten Manga-Serien! Jetzt neu auch als Ultimative Edition erhältlich.

www.panini.de

Panini Manga plant weitere „Berserk“-Neuausgabe für 2025

Panini Manga plant für 2025 eine weitere Neuausgabe von Kentaro Miuras „Berserk“. Bei dem Release soll sich an der US-amerikanischen Deluxe Edtion der Dark-Fantasy-Reihe orientiert werden.

www.manga-passion.de

I only read those in German and almost stopped reading Berserk all together because of it. I don't remember much of it (apart from the ominous villain "Fermuth" ) and that everything sounded like the "How do you do, fellow kids" meme, 90s edition

They changed the translator after volume three and it got way better.

 

[Aazealh]

Some more information about the coming "Prestige Edition", and pictures to boot. They'll be 188 x 264 mm (so basically double size, close to the JIS B5 format), feature hardcovers with a special design (ugly IMHO), and include color pages for the early volumes, plus the standard cover illustrations (and posters for later volumes).

This edition will also feature a "revised" translation, which is great news but I'm worried it might only be small fixes and not a major overhaul (which it really needs). The first two volumes will come out on June 4, priced at 24,90€. No date has been set for the third one yet, but Glénat plans to publish three volumes per year going forward.

 

[Lawliet]

Looks cool, except for the pattern on the cover. Very ornate and un-Berserk-y. They could have left it at the Brand and Dragon Slayer.

Looking forward to when you post a thread announcing the Japanese special editions one day, Aaz.

 

[AndroidLB]

Color pages is quite something. When Dark Horse or any other publisher couldn't get them. Were they too stingy/lazy to license them (could have updated the poor scans in the process), most likely, or is it Hakusensha's fault of not wanting to provide them?

 

[Aazealh]

Color pages is quite something. When Dark Horse or any other publisher couldn't get them. Were they too stingy/lazy to license them (could have updated the poor scans in the process), most likely, or is it Hakusensha's fault of not wanting to provide them?

It's not like Hakusensha has alternate black and white versions they can give them instead. The only version of those pages that exist is in color. Dark Horse (and other publishers) just didn't put in the money to do color printing.

 

[Aazealh]

Glénat held a little event in Paris this weekend (at the Parvis de la Gare Saint-Lazare) to promote the release of their Prestige Edition. It took place over three days: Friday 6 (from 12:30 to 19:00), Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 (from 11:00 to 19:00).

I didn't go but from the pictures I saw, the space looks to be around 200-250 m². There were a number of small attractions, the main one being "a replica of Guts' sword". On social networks Glénat was saying this was a world first, which confused me at first because there have been many life-sized replicas of the Dragon Slayer. It turns out the difference is that it's actually made of metal. Glénat says it was forged, but I wouldn't be surprised if if was produced by CNC machining. Regardless, SKnet member @Chiba had a Dragon Slayer replica actually forged in 2006.

Besides the Dragon Slayer replica, they had a blacksmith doing some forging, a fortune teller doing tarot reads using the set of Berserk-themed tarot cards Glénat released as part of their volume 42 collector's edition, some "town criers" in medieval garb "recounting Guts' adventures", and of course a booth selling the first volume of the Prestige Edition (in partnership with Fnac), with a couple of free bonus illustrations for the first 1000 customers. From what people were saying, the line to visit the place took as long as one hour during the height of the event.

Here are some pictures I grabbed from people on Twitter (WorldOfTwinsen / Matma / SAbdelhamid) that I'm rehosting so they'll remain available.

 

[Walter]

Cool! A touch of corniness, but honestly not too corny. I’d have gone to that if it was near me.

How would you rate that new edition, by the way?