One notable thing about the manga industry today is in how many mangaka, possibly even the large majority, aren't exactly easy to find photographs of, instead simply masking their identities behind self-portraits that either exaggerate their faces or simply use something else entirely, like Hiromu Arakawa using a cow as her avatar or Paru Itagaki literally wearing a giant chicken mask when in public. Considering today's always-online world, which can make things more difficult to maintain privacy the more famous you become, it's a completely understandable thing to see happen. In the past, though, many mangaka were more willing to show their faces & let readers know what they look like; pretty much every single icon in the manga industry has a recognizable face. For a perfect example of how things were different, just take a look at the covers of a manga magazine like Weekly Shonen Jump. Today, it's always about the manga that's being serialized within its pages, but for a period of time the mangaka themselves were given a single, solitary issue every year that let them be the stars featured on the cover.
Looking over the history of Shonen Jump's covers, which are all amazingly archived over at Comic Vine, the magazine had the rare cover which starred a single mangaka, like Go Nagai in 1970 on Issue #23, Hiroshi Motomiya in 1971 on Issue #21 (up above), or Noboru Kawaski on Issue #47 that same year. However, Jump would never put all of its mangaka on the cover together until 1978, when Issue #47 showcased the creators of all 15 manga currently serialized in the magazine at the time, though this was done by way of self-portraits, each of which featuring a quick message from said creators. I can't verify it due to age, but I'd wager that this was the beginning of the author's notes that would appear in the table of contents of each issue, which continues on to this day. However, a mere 11 weeks later, 1979's combined Issue #5+6 celebrated the New Year with a group shot of the mangaka themselves... And not via self-portraits. Yes, for the first time ever, Shonen Jump put all of the creators themselves on the cover in photographic glory, and this marked the start of a yearly tradition every January that would last for nearly 20 years. So let's take a look at all 19 "mangaka covers", across two parts, & see how Jump celebrated the New Year over & over, not to mention which mangaka took part in this old tradition.
Naturally, we begin with that aforementioned 1979 issue, which featured creators of all 15 manga... But not ALL of the creators. Specifically, any manga that was done by a writer/artist duo are only represented by the artist on this cover, so Doberman Deka only sees artist Shinji Hiramatsu but not writer Buronson, for example; this would be a regular thing over the course of these covers, minus a single exception. Overall, it's rather basic, simply featuring everyone wearing kimonos to celebrate the New Year (& reaching 3 million readers) with some sort of happiness, though Yoshinori Kobayashi (Todai Icchokusen) is sadly cut off on the left, likely only seen on the spine. Really, the only notable person on this cover, in terms of visuals, would be Masami Kurumada (Ring ni Kakero) in the upper-middle, who's literally jumping for joy, arguably showing the most enthusiasm of them all. Also, this mangaka cover features many one-time appearances by to the likes of Jo Biggu (Studio HELP), Kontarou (Ruse! Ruse!), & Norihiro Nakajima (Asataro-den), though we also see early appearances from many who'll be on numerous covers, like Yoshihiro Takahashi (Akutare Giants), Hisashi Eguchi (Susume!! Pirates), Hiroshi Motomiya (Sawayaka Mantaro), Osamu Akimoto (Kochikame), & the previously mentioned Hiramatsu & Kurumada. However, this issue also marked the debut of Masaharu Kojima's Yasei no Bible, though this wasn't Kojima's debut work for Jump. Really, though, this kind of humble beginning would be the status quo for the first few years of mangaka covers, so let's move on to the next year.
The cover for 1980's combined Issue #5+6 is another "New Years kimono" style cover, though at least this time it's easier to actually make out what each of the 16 mangaka look like. While there are some returning faces, like Kurumada, Motomiya (Mannen'yuki no Mieru Ie), Eguchi, Hiramatsu (Ricky Typhoon), Takahashi, Akimoto, & even Buichi Terasawa (Cobra), there are just as many new faces, some of which would become notably prevalent across these covers. The duo of Yudetamago (Kinnikuman) debut here, featuring both writer Takashi Shimada & artist Yoshinori Nakai (guess the secret is to use a combined pen name), alongside Akira Miyashita (Shinritsu Kiwamemeichi Koukou), who'd become much more well known later on. The biggest thing about this cover, though, is that goofy-looking guy in the top right, which is some nobody named Akira Toriyama. Yes, not only is this issue Toriyama's first mangaka cover... But it's literally his debut as a serialized mangaka, as this is the issue in which Dr. Slump first appeared; Toriyama technically debuted back in 1978, but only did one-shots until this point. Still, considering how insanely successful he'd go on to be, it's wild to think that Toriyama's serialized debut came with him putting his face out like that; that'd be like if Eiichiro Oda debuted One Piece with a mangaka cover issue. Overall, this is an improvement over the previous year's cover from a visual aesthetic, but aside from it being Akira Toriyama's proper debut, it's still pretty basic.
Another year, another basic "New Years kimono" cover for 1981's Issue #6, and it's both better than 1979 by being easier to see everyone's faces, but worse than 1980 by going back to the awkwardly angled style of that first cover. Also, the cover only lists the names of the mangaka, removing the manga they were making at the time, which is an odd choice to make; this & the following year are the only covers to do this, though. At this point, I should point out a common element among all of these covers, and that's in how you can generally get a good idea as to who Shueisha prioritized as the biggest names amongst the mangaka in Jump just by seeing who's at the forefront, which for this cover would be the bottom row. For 1981 that'd be Yoshihiro Takahashi (Otoko no Tabidachi), Masami Kurumada (who would be ending Ring ni Kakero at the year's end), Hiroshi Motomiya (Yamasaki Ginjiro), Osamu Akimoto (who'll be up front pretty much every single cover from here on out), & Shinji Hiramatsu. Meanwhile, Akira Toriyama has moved from being almost hidden in a top corner to being one row above the bottom, and Akira Miyashita (Geki! Gokutora Ikka) has now grown the mustache that would become his trademark visual. In terms of notable appearances, Motoei Shinzawa marks his first appearance here as the creator of gag manga classic San-nen Kimengumi (the first in an entire franchise), while Buichi Terasawa surprisingly makes his final appearance on a mangaka cover, even though Cobra wouldn't end until 1984. Finally, Hisashi Eguchi's Susume!! Pirates had ended by this point, and in this issue he debuted his short-lived follow up, Hinomaru Gekijou. Again, a decent cover, but following this Jump would seemingly realize that, since they have the creators themselves on hand, these covers should start feeling special.
That brings us to 1982's Issue #5, which is the last of these generic "New Years kimono" covers, but this time they decided to let the 17 mangaka have fun, creating a composite image of everyone jumping with joy. By far the two most notable are Masami Kurumada (Fuma no Kojirou) & Akira Toriyama in the center, with both looking like they're having an absolute blast, especially Toriyama, who gives one of the all-time best reactions amongst the entire history of these covers. Meanwhile, Osamu Akimoto & Hisashi Eguchi (Stop!! Hibari-kun!) at the bottom look a bit more subdued in their faces, but otherwise are the next two most prominent. Meanwhile, Yudetamago are hiding up at the top, Tsukasa Hojo (Cat's Eye) makes his cover debut at the very bottom (wearing his trademark shades, of course), Yoichi Takahashi (Captain Tsubasa) also debuts over on the very right, and Hiroshi Motomiya is nowhere to be found, as he was in between series at the time. Finally, we have our second mangaka debut here with Taku Chiba (just below the Jump logo) & his soccer manga Kick Off, which wound up being Chiba's longest manga in his career. He'd stay with Jump throughout the 80s & later make a sequel to Kick Off after leaving the magazine, before passing from pelvic cancer in 2016; this is also the last time a newbie mangaka would make his debut with a mangaka cover until 1996. Really, there's not much else to say about this cover, because while it's way more fun & amusing than what came before, it's also yet another generic kimono theme. Thankfully, things finally start getting interesting after this point.
It's 1983's combined Issue #5+6, and while the "Golden Age of Jump" wouldn't really start until the near the end of the year, Shonen Jump was still starting to ride somewhat high. At least, that's the only reason I can think of as to why Shueisha decided that actually start having fun with these mangaka covers & not simply reuse the same motif as the previous four years... So here are all of the mangaka dressed up like astronauts! In terms of our "front row" at the bottom, we now have Masami Kurumada, Yoshihiro Takahashi (Sho & Daichi), Osamu Akimoto, & a returning Hiroshi Motomiya, who not only was making Yaburekabure at the time but was also doing a two-issue mini-sequel to Otoko Ippiki Gaki Daisho, likely to celebrate Jump's 15th Anniversary later that year, which this issue housed the latter portion of. Beyond them, there's a decent amount of overlap with the previous year's cover, including Hisashi Eguchi, Akira Toriyama, Motoei Shinzawa (High School! Kimengumi), & Shinji Hiramatsu (Black Angels), as well as the first appearance of Ryuji Tsugihara (Yoroshiku Mechadoc). Truly, the main appeal of this cover is simply in just how amusing it is to see all 16 mangaka dolled up like spacemen, and how bemused nearly all of them look. I mean, how can you NOT like a cover in which Akira Toriyama (second row, second to the left) has a face like that? Also, this issue does indeed feature a new mangaka debut in the form of Masakazu Katsura's Wingman, but he is not included on this cover; also, this marks the last manga debut for a "New Year" issue of Jump until 1996. With this cover out of the way, we now leave Jump's "Bronze Age" & head into the period where the magazine would eventually reach its apex, at least in terms of readership. Blast off!
Next we take a look at 1984's combined Issue #5+6, the first mangaka cover for Jump's "Golden Age", which arguably started with the debut of Fist of the North Star a few months prior. As you can tell, all 16 mangaka are ready to hit the gridiron, as they've all become American football players! Most notable in his absence is Masami Kurumada, as Fuma no Kojirou had ended not too long before this issue. Therefore, our front row is headed up by Shinji Hiramatsu, Hiroshi Motomiya (Tenchi wo Kurau), & Osamu Akimoto, which according to football uniform numbering means that any of them would be eligible to play quarterback or kicker/punter, which actually makes sense! Right behind them are Yoshihiro Takahashi (Ginga -Nagareboshi Gin-), Akira Toriyama (who looks mighty happy to play a game I'm sure he'd never have any real interest in playing himself), & Yudetamago in their closest to the "front" so far. Of course, Tsukasa Hojo is still donning those shades, while Akira Miyashita (Bogey the Great) probably looks the most likely to actually play football... And maybe even beat some people down. The most notable newbies, however, would be Masakazu Katsura, Masaya Tokuhiro (Shape Up Ran), Koji Maki (Kikai Senshi Gilfer), & a shockingly baby-faced Tetsuo Hara (Fist of the North Star) smack dab in the center of the entire cover; seriously, Hara still looks like a teenager at age 22. Overall, this is probably one of the most amusing mangaka covers, if only because of the American football motif.
We move on to 1985's Issue #6, which sees 16 of the currently active mangaka dressed up as if they were ready to be part of a giant New Years matsuri. Leading everyone on the front row are Shinji Hiramatsu (the last year he'd be doing Black Angels), Hiroshi Motomiya (Bakudan), & a returning Masami Kurumada (Otoko Zaka), while Yoshihiro Takahashi, Yudetamago, & Osamu Akimoto immediately flank them. In terms of new appearances, who are at the very top, we see Izumi Matsumoto (Kimagure Orange Road), Jun Tomizawa (Gakuen Jouboubu HIP), & an early sight of Hirohiko Araki, who was in the middle of doing Baoh the Visitor, which would suffer cancellation just five issues later; hey, at least he got a mangaka cover from it. Notable in absence would be Akira Miyashita, who was in between manga at the time, & Tsukasa Hojo, who had ended Cat's Eye in late 1984, but this issue actually sees a special 45-page "Final Chapter" for that series, so you can say that he's there in spirit. In kind of an interesting change of pace, Akira Toriyama is NOT up front at the bottom half, but rather is seen right in the middle. I can only guess that this is because Dr. Slump had ended by this point, and Toriyama had only recently started a new manga series, so maybe Shueisha was just a little hesitant to put Toriyama up front again, whereas mangaka like Motomiya, Kurumada, Hiramatsu, & Akimoto were more guaranteed success stories to highlight. All of this is amusing in retrospect, however, when you consider what manga Toriyama had debuted by this point: Dragon Ball. As a mangaka cover, though, this one is kind of in the middle, as it's nothing special, but at least it's still better than the "New Years kimono" covers.
Speaking of which, we have 1986's Issue #6... Which is a return to the "New Years kimono" motif, but at least this time around everyone's in multi-colored outfits, which is a nice change that automatically makes this better than the original ones. Also, in a neat touch, all of the 16 mangaka are holding an image of the lead character from their respective manga, which would become more commonly seen in the 90s. Hiroshi Motomiya is absent, once again, which allows Yoshihiro Takahashi to take a front row spot alongside Masami Kurumada (Saint Seiya) & Shinji Hiramatsu (Love & Fire), while Yudetamago, Osamu Akimoto, & Akira Toriyama follow right behind. One thing I didn't note last cover is that Tetuso Hara has remained relatively back behind on the covers he's been a part of, and it really wouldn't be until the 90s, AFTER Fist of the North Star ends, that Hara would really start appearing closer to the front row; I won't make any conclusions from that, but take it however you want. We also see the return of Akira Miyashita (Sakigake!! Otokojuku) & Tsukasa Hojo (City Hunter), as they've since debuted the manga they would become most identified with. In comparison, both Masakazu Katsura (Chokidouin Vander) & Ryuji Tsugihara (Road Runner) have now switched over to lesser known later works, and while Katsura would eventually return to these covers later on, this is the end for Tsugihara. Finally, we have two new mangaka in the form of Koichi Endo (Tsuide ni Tonchinkan) & Nonki Miyasu (Uwasa no Boy), though only the former would become notable for Jump. At this point, we're starting to see a lot of consistent appearances from one mangaka cover to the next, establishing the legendary strong set of manga that Jump's Golden Age would become renown for.
So now we reach 1987's Issue #6, and this time it looks like Jump has entered its own Warring States period, as the 17 mangaka featured have all become daimyo! Also, this cover is the last one to feature Hiroshi Motomiya (Sekiryu-Oh), who always was positioned at the center of the front row on every mangaka cover he was featured on. After another six issues, Motomiya would move over to Super Jump to finish up Sekiryu-Oh, ending a 19-year run with Shonen Jump that started with the very first issue back in 1968. Surrounding him are Masami Kurumada, Osamu Akimoto, Yoshihiro Takahashi, & Shinji Hiramatsu (Kirara), the last two also making their final mangaka cover appearances. Right behind all of them are Yudetamago, Akira Toriyama, & Akira Miyashita, and I love how Toriyama's face is meant to convey seriousness (since he's holding a katana), but instead looks more like nervousness, as if he's thinking "Why am I the one holding this?!". Also, while Yoichi Takahashi has been a consistent presence ever since he first appeared in 1982, this cover advertises that he drew a new one-shot story called Basuke. Finally, we see the return of Hirohiko Araki, who had just debuted JoJo's Bizarre Adventure a couple of issues prior, so he's currently making the Phantom Blood story arc, and this cover begins Araki's continual presence on these covers until Shueisha simply stops making them; therefore, don't be surprised if I don't mention often anymore. Personally, this is probably one of my favorite mangaka covers, as the daimyo motif is nice & unique, and there is some historical relevance to it, since it marks the end of Motomiya, Hiramatsu, & Yoshihiro Takahashi's run.
Finally, we end out this first part with 1988's Issue #6... Which is easily one of the most bizarre mangaka covers of them all. First off, all of the 18 mangaka's names are romanized in "First Initial. Last Name" format, which is the only time this is ever done. Second... Well, just look at it. Everyone's wearing some sort of futuristic jumpsuit & is flying high above a city! Some of the mangaka look like they're having fun, like Yudetamago (Yurei Kozou ga Yattekita!), Hirohiko Araki (JoJo: Battle Tendency), Tsukasa Hojo, & Koichi Endo. Others look a little less sure, like Osamu Akitomo ("I'm getting too old for this!", Akira Miyashita ("What else do you want?"), & Akira Toriyama ("This is fun!... Help, I'm out of control!"). And then there's Masami Kurumada, who looks like he's having waaaaaaayyyyyy too much fun with this ("Let me show you all how to do this, okay?"); without a doubt, Kurumada makes one of the all-time greatest appearances here. There's also a lot of new notable mangaka gracing this cover, like Makoto Niwano (The Momotaroh), Koji Koseki (Kenritsu Umisora Koukou Yakyu Buin Yamashita Taro-kun), & Tadashi Sato (Moeru! Onii-san), as well as the return of Koji Maki (God Sider). However, poor newcomer Ryo Watanabe (Haruka Kanata) is shunted off below the logo, as if he was a last-minute addition. Also, once again, this cover advertises a special one-shot from a popular mangaka, in this case the third chapter of Masami Kurumada's rarely-appearing Raimei no Zaji. This is definitely nowhere near the worst of Jump's mangaka covers, but I also don't know whether or not I'd call this one of the best. It's just so bizarre, which does make it memorable, but it's also just so weird that I don't know if I actually love it, or if I just like it.
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Weekly Shonen Jump © Shueisha
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