Vault Books has announced an expansion of its collaboration with Aethon Books, and will publish a selection of Aethon's popular LitRPG (literary role-playing game) webcomics in print as illustrated light novel adaptations. To date, the stories have only been available as e-books, audiobooks, and on Webtoon.
Light novels are serialized prose works that include scene illustrations, but are distinct from comics. More typically resembling manga editions in terms of size and paper quality, they often appear indistinguishable from that format on bookstore shelves. Vault explained that unlike the original webcomics, the light novels will not be structured in episodes; instead, they will follow a traditional novel format, enhanced with illustrations to complement the narrative.
Each new book will represent the first volume of its respective series, with plans for subsequent volumes to follow. The page count of Vault's editions closely mirrors that of their digital counterparts, the publisher said.
The initial slate of titles to be published includes The Primal Hunter by Zogarth, with art by Senchiro, and My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror by Actus, with art by Kisaragipanal, to be released this October. Mark of the Fool, by J.M. Clarke, and The Path of Ascension, by C. Mantis, will follow in the spring of 2025.
"The artists, visual concepts, designs, and treatments for these editions are completely separate from any existing webcomic or webnovel publications," a spokesperson for Vault Books said. This approach ensures that the content of these print editions will differ significantly from webcomics or webnovels currently available, the publisher added.
“These series are some of my favorite fantasy works I’ve read in recent years, but they’re conspicuously absent from bookstores everywhere,” Vault CEO Damian Wassel said in a statement. “It’s a privilege to work with Aethon Books to introduce a whole new group of fans to these incredible novels. I have no doubt folks will get hooked. But fear not. We have plans to bring lots more LitRPG to bookstores in the coming months and years.”
Rhett C. Bruno, Aethon Books CEO, added: “There’s a huge global audience for LitRPG novels, but we know there are more readers out there just waiting to discover their favorite LitRPG adventure. Alongside Vault, we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to bring some of our favorite books to bookstores everywhere.”
