Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2013

Comic book writer João Mascarenhas is best known for his Sad Boy character inspired by London punk, which became a hit in his home country of Portugal. He now turns his gaze toward Japan with Butterfly Chronicles, a science fiction-manga dealing with what it means to be a human living among robots. The central character, Hanako, is a researcher who makes a groundbreaking discovery with the potential to change humankind. Mascarenhas plans to release 10 chapters separately as e-books in Portugese, English and Japanese versions. If the series attracts a solid reader base, he will put out a full, 200-page paper edition. To celebrate the launch of the series, the first chapter is being offered for free in all three languages as PDFs and files for Kindle and comic reader apps. www.qualalbatroz.pt/en/hanako