Many manga only run for a few years before either seeing a sudden cancellation or reaching the natural conclusion of their overarching story. Some series, though, manage to go on for a scarily long time. It can be easy to see the nearly 23 year-long run of ongoing pirate adventure One Piece, for example, and be overwhelmed by the massive length of the series. That kind of length is baby stuff compared to other series, though. The oldest manga still in publication, having run regularly since 1968, is a certain series called Golgo 13. The gritty crime manga about an impossibly talented professional hitman has run uninterrupted for decades, but now, for the first time in 52 years, the series is going on hiatus.
According to the Japanese news website Sankei Shimbun, Golgo 13 manga author Takao Saito and his company Saito Production have come to an agreement with the editorial department of Big Comic, the Shogakukan owned manga magazine in which the long-running series is printed. The upcoming 10th issue of the magazine is set to formally confirm the hiatus in print.
The announcement shared by Sankei Shimbun states that Saito Productions, with its 10 employees, has been struggling to get their regular work for the Golgo 13 manga done due to the current state of emergency Japan is under as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Big Comic and Saito productions have chosen to prioritize the health and safety of these employees, resulting in an unprecedented hiatus for the legendary manga series. A return date, unfortunately, has not been shared at this time.
A summary of Golgo 13, according to MyAnimeList:
Golgo 13 is not his real name. Then again, neither is Duke Togo, Tadashi Togo, or any number of the aliases he goes by. A man of mystery, not even the world’s most prominent intelligence agencies can determine who Golgo really is, or just where he came from. But all agree that his skills are nothing short of legendary.
Armed with a custom M16, Golgo is willing to take any job for any agency, from the FBI to the KGB. He has completed every contract he has ever taken and will work for anyone who can meet his price. He is both the greatest weapon and the greatest threat to any nation; no one is safe once they are in Golgo’s sights.
Source: Anime News Network
