- Interview Location: New York Comic Con 2026
- Interview Format: In-person, One-on-One
Anime Herald: I overheard that you’re a fan ofSpider-Man. Do you know what baseball team Spider-Man roots for?
Acky Bright: I don’t know off the top of my head, but in chapter six there will be a spider-ish character coming in to play.
Anime Herald: Got it. Just to share,Spider-Man roots for the New York Mets.
The same team Kingpin roots for.
You’ve been working on theGalaXic Baseball Leaguemangafor quite some time. Can you share the backstory?
Acky Bright: This was a few years ago. It was originally an idea from the MLB Players Association. They had their IP and wanted to do something. Two years later, we have this, but there were a lot of contracts to be signed in that time. For them it was their stage one of a big IP. Now, after all of the contracts, we finally have the manga.
Anime Herald: Roughly how many issues do you think the manga will run?
Acky Bright: With the current tournament, I foresee it being about five volumes. But, that is just the tournament. That’s not getting into the league. We can think of the tournament arc as season one. There is the potential for season two and season three once we get into the league. If people keep buying it, I will keep writing it.
Anime Herald: I am curious about something. The GAIA on the player’s uniforms is crisp and clear. On the poster for the tournament, it is not. What was behind that decision? Did you want to show how run down it was?
Acky Bright: When we first see team GAIA, it’s very run down. Luna comes in to do a full renovation. The poster is handwritten. When we first meet team GAIA, they are the underdogs. Once Luna comes in, there is a full refresh.
Anime Herald: Who was your favorite player to draw? It could be from any team, it doesn’t have to be team GAIA.
Acky Bright: That is always a hard question. In general, I would say the characters who are fun and it is easy to express their movements. A lot of the times, the characters that make it to cover are like that. But honestly, I need to have love for all of my characters. I have leanings, but I can’t point to a specific character.
Anime Herald: I can say Kiba is my favorite character. I was very sad when he gave up the home run.
Acky Bright: It makes me happy that you already have a favorite.
Anime Herald: What would you like our readers to know about theGalaXic Baseball League?
Acky Bright: If you love baseball and are an MLB fan, it is very easy to get into it. But, I also want people who don’t know baseball, people who might not have watched a game in their entire lives, to know that this is also for them. As a manga artist, I have those folks in mind. To make it accessible for everyone.
I also wanted to make it accessible specifically for kids who love baseball. I’ve kept them in mind.
Anime Herald: Given the popularity of (Shohei) Ohtani-san, how much did you have to resist making him a main character?
Acky Bright: I actually do treat everyone equally. When I think about Ohtani, he wouldn’t want to be the star here. It’s baseball, it’s a team sport. Naturally, from game to game, the hero of each game is going to change. Everyone gets to be a main character during the games. As I am writing the story, there are times I am surprised at who becomes a hero throughout the storytelling.
You saw that the players have the powered suits. They’ll have special abilities that will emerge. José Ramírez is the first one. I hadn’t planned that. That was something that occurred naturally once I was telling the story. Once these characters start moving, they take on their personality and tell me what the story is. That’s when it is really fun and interesting for myself, and the audience. I don’t know what to expect. Currently, they are down by ten runs. What is going to happen next? I don’t know, and neither does the audience. The characters will tell me.
Anime Herald: As someone known primarily as an artist, how did it feel to be able to flex your writing muscles?
Acky Bright: As a writer and storyteller, I’d actually already been doing that. I think this is probably a unique way of living life. With this work, and all of the other past works in my mind, I’ve always been thinking like a mangaka from the get go. Doing this has felt natural for me. It’s a muscle that has always been there.
Anime Herald: Do you have any questions for us?
Acky Bright: We’ve had a long relationship. You know me, I know you. I want to ask you, as this is my first manga, what do you think?
Anime Herald: I know what I hope will happen. It doesn’t have to do with which team wins. I just want you to lean into the wackiness. Like when the ball smashes through the huge glove. Keep it wacky.
Acky Bright: I’m glad you pointed that out, because that is exactly why I wanted to write this manga. To have those wacky crazy moments. You know my work. I think I will meet your expectations in the future.
You’ve been following me since before anyone in the US knew me. For you to say that, that’s something I will always keep in mind. This relationship is very big for me. Thank you for following me from the very beginning. I will think about that input and folks like you as I keep writing the manga.
Anime Herald: Thank you.
