Vol.2 – Black Edition

Cover distributed exclusively at Lucca Comics & Games 2014 at publisher’s booth (J-Pop) to celebrate the series’ debut in Italy. Gifted, while supplies lasted, to anyone who purchased the regular volumes of Tokyo Ghoul. Named “Black Edition” because guess what? It was identical to the regular white one but with black background color.

For a long time, it was considered the rarest, most coveted, and most expensive cover on the Italian market. But to understand why, let’s take a step back.

In Italy, there has always been a significant divide between variants of mainstream titles that everyone wants and niche variants sought after only by dedicated collectors. In simpler terms, there’s a gap between variants of popular series – expensive because widely desired – and niche variants, expensive because valued for their “scarcity”.

During Italy’s variant craze in 2021-2022, while casual collectors dreamed of owning One Piece Gold, Bleach 74, or Attack on Titan 21, hardcore collectors competed fiercely to hunt down Sakura Mail 14, A Bride’s Story, Liar Game, XBlade Gold…

For those in the first group, the niche variants might as well not have existed, they simply weren’t on their radar. Meanwhile, those in the second group looked down on the more mainstream variants, seeing them as unremarkable because they weren’t truly rare

Tokyo Ghoul’s Black edition bridged these two worlds, combining massive popularity of a beloved series with the extreme scarcity of a low print run. So in an endless loop of whispers, murmurs, and speculation, the Black Edition’s legend grew. Like a self-fulfilling prophecy, the buzz became reality, with sales at outrageous prices only fueling its myth.

Over the years the hype cooled down a bit, and even if nowadays it’s not considered the “rarest” (but really…who cares?!) it remains a legendary piece to flex with maximum pride.

Released together with vol.1 – Black Edition