'Sherlock' Japanese manga slated for Western release this June

Fans of the BBC television series "Sherlock" will finally get their hands on the show's manga series as English versions will be published by Titan Comics on June 9.

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson, BBC's famed "Sherlock" became such a massive hit when it came to Japan. Following the show's success, it received a Japanese manga adaptation. This time, the manga series will have an English version. After four excruciating years, the manga series heads west for the U.S. and U.K. fans.

During last month's ComicPro summit in Oregon USA, Titan Comics confirmed that they will indeed publish the series entitled "Sherlock: A Study in Pink." The manga series features various cover art illustrations done by different artists, namely: Jay, Alex Ronald and Rod Reis. In a report by The Mary Sue, the manga was first introduced in Young Ace magazine. Since not everyone can understand Japanese, fans posted English translations of the manga on the Internet for others to read.

The Guardian recently caught up with Titan Comics editor Andrew James, who got the manga series for the publisher. "It's really interesting seeing such a British thing being reinterpreted in Japanese manga," he said. "It's still dynamic and full of action, but compared to American comics, there's often a quietness and reflectiveness about manga," James added. He further said that he partnership between Sherlock and Dr. Watson is "not made any more explicit than it is on the television, but it's certainly something the television has hinted at ... so [the manga] is not a thing with love hearts appearing, but it's definitely something in which the subtext is just as strong."

Titan Comics is also the publisher of another Sherlock series entitled "Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," wherein the detective deals with various villains like aliens and vampires.