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{{Infobox original English manga
| image           = Midnight Opera v1.jpg
| imagesize       = 
| caption         = {{Descript-cvr|A Midnight Opera|1||2005|art=[[Hans Steinbach]]}}
| alt             =   
| Horror          = y
| author          = [[Hans Steinbach]]
| illustrator     = 
| publisher       = {{flagicon|United States}} {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Tokyopop]]
| demographic     = Teens<!-- non-Japanese demographic -->
| magazine        = 
| first           = 2005
| last            = 2006
| volumes         = 3
| chapter_list    = 
| related         = 
| content         = 
| subcat          = Tokyopop
| OEL             = Y
}}
'''''A Midnight Opera''''' is an [[original English-language manga|original English-language (OEL) manga]] by [[Hans Steinbach]]. It was published by Tokyopop in North America from November 8, 2005 to November 7, 2006.

==Plot==
The series focuses on two brothers, Ein and Leroux DeLaLune.

==Development==
Born in Syria, Hans Steinbach lived in many countries, including Germany, France, Turkey and Canada, before moving to the United States; there, he decided to submit a story idea to Tokyopop after seeing it was a major publisher in the States. Steinbach considered the story "a little too straight forward, too linear".<ref name="Newsarama"/> Because it heavily focused on the missions Einblick carried out for the Catholic Church, Steinbech rewrote it, with help from his editor at Tokyopop, to allow Einblick's personality to develop. He changed Einblick from an assassin to "an undead, chain-smoking metalhead with a grudge".<ref name="Newsarama"/> Steinbach was inspired by ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (novel)|Phantom of the Opera]]'', since it combined horror and music, something Steinbach wanted to do for ''A Midnight Opera''. His goal for the series was "to combine fact and fiction, historical facts with fictitious (and not so fictitious) characters".<ref name="Newsarama"/>

Steinbach has been drawing since the age of ten and his art is influenced by [[mangaka|manga artists]], particularly [[Go Nagai]] and [[Akira Toriyama]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tokyopop.com/product/1557/AMidnightOpera/1 |title=Manga+Comics: A Midnight Opera |publisher=[[Tokyopop]] |accessdate=16 January 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111161632/http://www.tokyopop.com/product/1557/AMidnightOpera/1 |archivedate=11 January 2010 |url-status=dead |quote=Though Hans has had no formal art training, he has been doodling ever since he was ten and in the last eleven years has forged a unique style from his innate talent, worldly experiences and a passion for music... Hans' art sensibilities have been strongly influenced by Japanese artists, especially Go Nagai (Devilman) and Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball) }}</ref> Additionally, he is influenced by [[classical music|classical]] and [[metal music]] as well as the musician [[Yngwie Malmsteen]] and the bands [[Dark Moor]], [[Metallica]], [[Symphony X]], [[Iron Maiden]], [[Stratovarius]], [[Blind Guardian]], [[Rhapsody of Fire|Rhapsody]], and [[Judas Priest]].<ref name="Newsarama">{{Cite web |url=http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37450 |title=Hanzo's A Midnight Opera |author=Ong Pang Kean, Benjamin |date=5 July 2005 |publisher=[[Newsarama]] |accessdate=30 January 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121063334/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37450 |archivedate=21 November 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Media==
===OEL manga===
Written and illustrated by [[Hans Steinbach]], ''A Midnight Opera'' was published in North America by [[Tokyopop]] from November 8, 2005 to November 7, 2006.<ref name="Tokyopop catalog"/> However, as of August 31, 2009, the series is [[out-of-print book|out-of-print]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tokyopop.com/corporate/biz_dev/447 |title=Corporate: Biz Dev |publisher=[[Tokyopop]] |accessdate=23 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612054800/http://www.tokyopop.com/corporate/biz_dev/447 |archivedate=12 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In New Zealand and Australia, the series is distributed by [[Madman Entertainment]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.madman.com.au/actions/catalogue.do?method=view&releaseId=8284|title=A Midnight Opera (Manga)|publisher=[[Madman Entertainment]]|accessdate=16 January 2010}}</ref> The series is also licensed in Germany by [[Tokyopop Germany]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tokyopop.de/buecher/manga/a_midnight_opera/index.php |title=Bücher: Manga: A Midnight Opera |trans-title=Books: Manga: A Midnight Opera |publisher=[[Tokyopop Germany]] |language=German |accessdate=17 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804035913/http://www.tokyopop.de/buecher/manga/a_midnight_opera/index.php |archivedate=4 August 2009 }}</ref> and in Hungary by Mangattack.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mangattack.hu/index.php?action=kiadvanyok&cimid=9 |title=Éjféli opera 1 |publisher=Mangattack |language=Hungarian |accessdate=17 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912193421/http://mangattack.hu/index.php?action=kiadvanyok&cimid=9 |archivedate=12 September 2008 }}</ref>

===Volume list===
{{Graphic novel list/header
 | OneLanguage = yes
 | Width       = 90%
 | LineColor   = FCC
}}
{{Graphic novel list
 | VolumeNumber    = 01
 | RelDate         = November 8, 2005<ref name="Tokyopop catalog"/>
 | ISBN            = 978-1-59816-265-3
 | ChapterListCol1 = 
 | Summary         =
}}
{{Graphic novel list
 | VolumeNumber    = 02
 | RelDate         = April 11, 2006<ref name="Tokyopop catalog"/>
 | ISBN            = 978-1-59816-471-8
 | ChapterListCol1 = 
 | Summary         =
}}
{{Graphic novel list
 | VolumeNumber    = 03
 | RelDate         = November 7, 2006<ref name="Tokyopop catalog">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tokyopop.com/manga/book_catalog/browse?alphabet=A |title=Manga+Comics: Book Catalog |publisher=[[Tokyopop]] |accessdate=16 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214120043/http://tokyopop.com/manga/book_catalog/browse?alphabet=A |archivedate=February 14, 2010 }}</ref>
 | ISBN            = 978-1-4278-0007-7
 | ChapterListCol1 = 
 | Summary         =
}}
{{Graphic novel list/footer}}

===Animated shorts===
Menfond Electronic Art adapted ''A Midnight Opera'' into animated short episodes. The episodes  premiered on [[My Space]] along with the short episodes of ''[[Bizenghast]]'', ''[[I Luv Halloween]]'', and ''Riding Shotgun'' in summer 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-07-16/tokyopop-posts-world-manga-based-animation-on-myspace|title=Tokyopop Posts World-Manga-Based Animation on MySpace|date=16 July 2007|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|accessdate=10 January 2010}}</ref>

==Reception==
''A Midnight Opera'' received mixed reviews from critics. [[About.com]]'s Katherine Luther praised the series as "a gothic horror manga full of thrills, chills and okay, a little gore" and more appropriate for older readers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://anime.about.com/od/manga/a/aa111805.htm|title=A Midnight Opera|author=Luther, Katherine|date=20 November 2005|publisher=[[About.com]]|accessdate=16 January 2010|archive-date=19 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080819235507/http://anime.about.com/od/manga/a/aa111805.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> While noting that the plot and art lacked originality, KJB of [[IGN]] stated: "Steinbach has managed to take all of those elements and create a final product that is interesting enough to sit through until the last page."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comics.ign.com/articles/662/662574p1.html|title=A Midnight Opera: Act 1 Review|author=KJB|date=28 October 2005|publisher=[[IGN]]|accessdate=16 January 2010}}</ref> Manga Life's Craig Johnson commented on the "brave and experimental" art and that "the story is not as revolutionary as the art...neither is it accessible."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mangalife.com/reviews/AMidnightOperav1.htm |title=A Midnight Opera v1 Review |author=Johnson, Craig |publisher=Manga Life |accessdate=17 January 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517164942/http://www.mangalife.com/reviews/AMidnightOperav1.htm |archivedate=17 May 2006<!-- Subst. for date. --> |url-status=dead }}</ref> Zac Bertschy of [[Anime News Network]] heavily criticized the series as "[h]orrifically clichéd and hackneyed, with laughably bad dialogue and interior art", and wrote: "It's hard to tell if ''A Midnight Opera'' is an exercise in plain marketing hubris—[[pandering (politics)|pandering]] directly to the Hot Topic crowd—or simply a case of the author taking himself and his work far too seriously and churning out cliché after cliché, convinced of his own genius, unaware of the tripe he's created."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/a-midnight-opera|title=A Midnight Opera - Review|author=Bertschy, Zac|date=25 October 2005|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|accessdate=17 January 2010}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100111161632/http://www.tokyopop.com/product/1557/AMidnightOpera/1 ''A Midnight Opera''] at Tokyopop's website
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF1jOIY8Ems A Midnight Opera #1: Prelude to Good vs. Evil] at [[YouTube]]<!--This link is to a video uploaded by Tokyopop (the publisher)'s YouTube account (Tokyopoptv)-->

{{DEFAULTSORT:Midnight Opera}}
[[Category:Horror comics]]
[[Category:Tokyopop titles]]
[[Category:2005 comics debuts]]
[[Category:Original English-language manga]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=A Midnight Opera|access_date=2026-02-24}}