At their Saturday panel at New York Anime Festival, Yen Press pumped up their new manga anthology magazine, Yen Plus. Due to hit the newsstands in summer 2008, Yen Plus won't be your little brother's manga magazine. Co-publishers Rich Johnston and Kurt Hassler shared more details about this hotly-anticipated addition to the manga publishing landscape.
First off, because it will feature original English language (OEL) manga, Korean manhwa and Japanese manga, the magazine will feature pages that read both right-to-left (manga style) and left-to-right (Western style). It'll also be a hefty offering, with 12 stories featured per volume and an estimated page count of 460 pages for $8.99.
Here's a peek at the diverse line-up of the first issue.
- James Patterson's Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment Manga - Just announced a day before NYAF, Patterson's best selling young adult novel series about "genetically-modified teens who are 98% human and 2% bird" will be serialized monthly. The artist for this series hasn't been announced yet, but look for word on that to hit the wires in the next month or so.
- Night School by Svetlana Chmakova - So far the sole OEL manga offering in Yen Plus, Night School is "the manga series I've wanted to write since I was in high school," said Chmakova. "It's an urban fantasy," she said. "Think Harry Potter meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer." The main character Alex is a Weirn, a type of witch who has a guardian demon spirit, and Night School is about a high school attended by witches and vampires. A darker tale than her recently completed anime convention love story Dramacon, Night School is sure to appeal to Chmakova's fans, old and new.
- Jack Frost by Jin-Ho Ko - Yen Press makes the most of its strong ties to Korean comics creators by adding this new manly manhwa series to their mix. Described as "a fantastic adventure story about the land between heaven and earth" Jack Frost will be serialized monthly.
- Pig Bride by Kook-Hwa Huh and Su-jin Kim - The second new manhwa offering is a quirky romantic comedy about young couple who are engaged to be married. The catch? It's an arranged marriage and the guy has never seen the girl's face because it's always obscured by a cutesy pig mask. Say it together with me: "Guh?" Well, at least it's an original concept...
The new 4-panel comics series are:
- Shoulder A Coffin, Kuro by Satoko Kiyuduki - Associate Editor Tania Biswas described Shoulder A Coffin Kuro as being a 4-panel comic strip about a little girl dressed in black who carries a coffin on her back. She's often mistaken for a boy, and she travels with her friend, a little talking bat and two cat girls who talk in broken Japanese. "The author is very nervous about how it will be accepted here, since this is her take on Western fairy tales," said Biswas. "But anyone who loves Azumanga Daioh will love this." We'll find out when this title debuts in May 2008.
- Sunshine Sketch by Ume Aoki - Another 4-panel comic strip, Sunshine Sketch is about the lives and friendships shared by girls living in a dorms at an all girl school. Look for this in June 2008.
- Suzunari! by Shoko Iwami - A girl meets another girl who could pass as her twin -- except this doppelgänger has cat ears! When this cat girl gets "adopted" into her family, the pair then deals with the cat girl's mishaps as she learns how to live in the "normal" world. Suzunari! will make its way into bookstores in July 2008.
- SS Astro: Teachers' Room by Ashaio Sogo - Another 4-panel comic strip, this time about what the "cool teachers do and talk about in the faculty lounge." Class is in session on October 2008.
The boys love titles by Lily Hoshino were announced in late October, around Yaoi-Con weekend, but here's a refresher in case you missed it:
- Love Quest - Biswas described this first title from Lily Hoshino:
"This one is hilarious! It's about a boy who has a crush on a girl, but the girl turns him down because she likes another boy. These two boys get sucked into an RPG alternate universe, and the aliens tell them that in order to get back, they'll have to 'exchange bodily fluids.'"
Needless to say, this one will be rated "M" for mature readers, and will make the scene in October 2008. - Mr. Flower Bride and Mr. Flower Groom - These two volumes of short, but related stories are about a traditional family with an unusual tradition: In every generation, two male heirs must "marry." Some take to this situation like fish to water, while others come around to the idea in true "No, no, I mustn't, I just can't... well, okay, if you insist" yaoi fashion. These odd but hopefully loveable stories will make their way to bookstores in 2009.
Comments
I just saw it in my local grocery, so I bought it. I love manga, but Shonen Jump was a bust, (three different kinds of Yu-Gi-Oh? Having an interview with Masashi Kishimoto and asking him “Where is the manga going?” and he answering, “Well, I’m going to add Sasuke’s older brother.” while Itachi was already in a lot of the episodes? Give me a break.) so I welcomed the chance to find a new manga magazine.
It was great! The chosen manga were all of a consistently good quality, the advertisements were only in the front… actually, there was no front, only a Japanese (right-left) and a Korean/English (left-right) side…. well, they were only to one side with one more on the inside cover of the back.
It was awesome! I’m subscribing right now!