SMAC, the Silent Manga Auction Committee, announced on their website earlier this month that they would be offering an English translation and serialization of Angel Heart, the spin-off to the popular 1980s manga City Hunter, by Tsukasa Hojo.

SMAC, in conjunction with Japanese publisher Coamix launched the ZENON International section of its website where it made available three titles from Monthly Comic Zenon in English: Ikusa no Ko – Legend of Oda Nobunaga, Nobo and Her?, and Arte. The titles were chosen by readers’ votes. Angel Heart, the fourth title, was chosen the same way.

Angel Heart takes place in an alternate universe, where Ryo Saeba and the other characters from the City Hunter manga exist, but in a parallel world. Here, Ryo’s partner Kaori Makimura has died in an accident, and her heart is transplanted into a girl who goes by the name “Glass Heart,” a deadly assassin for the Taiwanese mafia.

SMAC put the first chapter up on Friday, almost like a Christmas present for Western fans. New chapters will be posted monthly.

I’m really glad this series is finally getting a release. It was first licensed in the early 2000s by Rajin Comics, but never made it to print, as Rajin stopped publishing soon after. It’s heartening that this title got enough votes to make it to serialization in English. I know I voted for it. Maybe there is hope for the return of City Hunter as well.