Star Comics

The Mondadori Group announces the completion today, through its subsidiary Mondadori Libri S.p.A., of the acquisition of a further 24.5% stake in Edizioni Star Comics S.r.l., Italy’s leading comic book publisher.

As a result of this operation, Mondadori Libri S.p.A. has now brought its stake in the publishing house to 75.5%, from the former 51%.

The increase in the stake in Edizioni Star Comics was carried out through the exercise of the call option envisaged by the agreement signed and disclosed to the market on 6 June 2022, which gave the Mondadori Group the right to acquire the remaining 49% stake in the company in two tranches of 24.5% each, exercisable in 2025 and 2028.

The provisional purchase price, paid fully in cash today, is € 5 million, determined on the basis of the average EBITDA for the three-year period 2022-2024 as well as the net financial position over the twelve months prior to the closing date (amounting to € 2.5 million).
This provisional price may be adjusted following the approval of the 2024 financial statements.

With an unprecedented live stream on Lucca Comics & Games‘ Instagram profile today from the headquarters on Corso Garibaldi, the community event and the Star Comics publishing house jointly announced the participation of an exceptional guest: mangaka Hiro Mashima will be in Italy for the first time, in Lucca, from 1 to 4 November, to meet fans during a series of appointments and signings.

The publisher unveiled a host of new publications ahead of the Master’s visit to Italy.

Rave – The Groove Adventure, Mashima’s debut manga published by Star Comics starting in April 2004, will be available in a new edition, with the first issue also distributed in a limited-run variant-cover edition. Variant covers are also planned for the first volumes of Hiro Mashima’s most famous series, Fairy Tail, and his latest work, Edens Zero. Star Comics will also offer an Edens Zero Starter Pack containing volumes 1 through 4, perfect for newcomers to this compelling sci-fi epic. Last but not least, Star Comics will publish the self-contained volume Mashima Hero’s, a crackling crossover that unites the best loved characters from his three main series – Rave, Fairy Tail and Edens Zero – in a single adventure.

A look at the career of sensei Hiro Mashima

Born in Nagano Prefecture on 3 May 1977, in 1998 Hiro Mashima won the 60th edition of the prize for first-time authors of Weekly Shonen Magazine, the historic and prestigious magazine of the publisher Kodansha, with Magician. He then made his debut in FRESH Magazine with the self-contained short story Bad Boys Song. At age 21 he embarked on his first serialization with Rave – The Groove Adventure, published in Weekly Shonen Magazine from 1998 to 2005. The serial took Mashima into the big time: Rave became a huge success, inspiring an anime, video games and merchandise, and raising the author’s notoriety and reputation.

Mashima achieved the ultimate consecration with his second serialization, Fairy Tail, also produced for Weekly Shonen Magazine from 2006 to 2017. Fairy Tail became one of the magazine’s all-time best-sellers and one of the most iconic manga of the 2000s, surpassing total worldwide sales of 72 million. During this period the author completed his evolutionary path, establishing a highly distinctive soft pop graphic style with an immediate impact. He is currently at work on the sci-fi battle-action Edens Zero, which began in 2018 and is now in its 26th volume. Successful anime and a variety of transmedia products have been derived from all his major works.

Hiro Mashima is also active in video game design and has produced a manga miniseries based on the hugely popular Monster Hunter franchise, Monster Hunter Orage. Recently the publisher Kodansha announced that the Master would soon begin his fourth serialization, simultaneously with Edens Zero: Dead Rock, for Monthly Shonen Magazine.

Fairy Tail was named best shonen manga at the 2009 Kodansha Manga Awards. Mashima also received the International Spotlight Award at the 2017 Harvey Awards, and the Fauve Special Award at the 2018 Angoulême Festival, where an exhibition and numerous events were dedicated to him. In July 2021, he met French President Emmanuel Macron during the latter’s visit to Japan, with Macron posting news about the meeting on his social media.

After announcing the appearance of the master, Norihiro Yagi – author of Ariadne in the blue sky and Claymore – Star Comics and Lucca Comics & Games revealed two other important international guests during the press conference for the 2022 festival that are linked to the massive Knights of the Zodiac – Saint Seiya fictional universe.

At Lucca we’ll be joined from neighbouring France by writer Arnaud Dollen and illustrator Jérôme Alquié, authors of the official Knights of the Zodiac – Saint Seiya spin-off that was announced during Lucca Comics & Games’ official 2022 press conference.

The series, entitled Knights of the Zodiac – Saint Seiya: Time Odissey, will consist of 5 volumes that will be released by the Star label.

The master, Kurumada, personally supervised the project, which has an art style very close to the anime, and gave fans a personal message that can be read in the first issue.

The 5 volumes will be available in a 21 x 28 cm hardback format. Additionally, each of them will also be available in a collector’s edition​, with volumes measuring 25.5 x 33.8 cm, containing unpublished extra material and exclusive content. Both the Regular and Collector’s Edition of the first album will be available from 28 October in comic stores, bookstores, online stores and, of course, at Lucca Comics & Games.

Jérôme Alquié and Arnaud Dollen will be at Lucca Comics & Games from 29 to 31 October. Events that are open to the public that they will be participating in will be announced soon.

From the dawn of time, the gods of Olympus have fought for control of the Earth. Against them stands the goddess Athena, aided by her knights! When a new opponent enters the scene, the Knights’ very future is at stake. Can Ikki, the Phoenix Bronze Knight, unravel the threads of destiny?

Jérôme Alquié

The French illustrator and colourist was born in 1975 and got his start illustrating artbooks for Japanese anime in the ‘80s. A big fan of Saint Seiya, he’s created numerous illustrations over the years, and helped create the trailer for Saint Seiya – The Hades in 2001. In 2003, he made studies for statues of Captain Future and Captain Harlock. In 2011, he formed an artistic partnership with Arnaud Dollen with the series The Supernaturals (Delcourt). In 2019, the Captain Harlock comic mini-series, written by Dollen, started being published with Kana. At the same time, the two were working on creating Saint Seiya Time Odyssey.

Arnaud Dollen

Aerospace engineer, novelist and comic book writer. He began collaborating with Jérôme Alquié in 2002, creating the fantasy novel, The Ring of Seven. After the Supernaturals​​series (Delcourt), he created the recent ​Saint Seiya Time Odyssey, again in partnership with Alquié. He currently works as the lead author on the Cross the Ages project (www.crosstheages.com).

The Mondadori Group announces the completion today, through its subsidiary Mondadori Libri S.p.A., of the acquisition of 51% of Edizioni Star Comics S.r.l., Italy’s leading comic books publisher.
The transaction, which takes place in execution of the agreement signed and disclosed to the market last 6 June, will be effective as of 1 July, the date from which Mondadori will also fully consolidate the company.

As a result of the acquisition – consistent with the strategy of increasing focus on the core business of books – the Mondadori Group gains a leadership position in the domestic comic books segment, with an approximately 30% market share (GfK, in terms of value, June 2022).
Under the agreement, Simone Bovini and Claudia Bovini retain their management positions in Edizioni Star Comics, continuing to serve as Managing Directors.

The price for the acquisition of 51% of the share capital of Edizioni Star Comics – paid fully in cash today – is € 14.28 million, defined on the basis of an Enterprise Value (for 100% of the company) of € 28 million and an estimated net financial position at closing of zero.
The price will be adjusted based on the final net financial position at 30 June 2022.

The transaction, including the impact of the put&call options giving the Mondadori Group the right to increase its stake up to 100% in Edizioni Star Comics, changes the Group’s guidance for 2022 as follows:

• free cash flow is expected to be € 10-15 million versus the previous estimate of € 40-45 million;
• the Adjusted NFP/EBITDA ratio (IFRS16) stands at a level below 1.3x versus the previous forecast (below 1.1x).