One indication that the North American manga market is flourishing is the number of new players publishing in the field. From micropublishers showcasing up-and-coming creators to larger companies adding specialty imprints, there’s lots to discover on the edges of the manga mainstream.
Alien Books
Alien Books’ comics offerings can already be found in comic shops, but this indie has now entered the manga publishing arena with five new series licensed from Square Enix and Hero’s Inc. Fake Rebellion, a sci-fi thriller by Yuchang Sasaki, and Kinryo Rock, a vampire action-horror tale with a rock ’n’ roll twist by Bingo Morihashi and Manabu Akishige, will both hit shelves later this year.
Azuki Manga
While Azuki Manga is primarily a subscription service and app, it carries exclusive offerings, with some now available as e-books, such as My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files, a Taishoˉ-era romance/mystery series featuring a headstrong female sleuth.
Denpa Books and Kuma
Denpa Books and boys’-love imprint Kuma have a fiercely independent streak. The publisher champions manga with distinct voices, such as Odd Taxi, an animal-centric mystery, and March Comes in Like a Lion, about a young man who overcomes anxiety as he climbs the ranks of professional chess players.
Glacier Bay Books
This micro-press prides itself on publishing contemporary, artistic comics from Japan. Beside several volumes of its short story collection Glaeolia, Glacier Bay has also debuted works in English like Mothers by Umi Kusahara and is currently crowdfunding four new titles for winter 2024.
Ize Press
Korean comics have been a part of Yen Press since day one, but with the popularity of webtoons, the imprint Ize Press was launched to showcase stories from South Korea, including action-fantasy Omniscient Readers’ Viewpoint and The Uncanny Counter; romances with K-drama tie-ins, such as See You in My 19th Life; and K-pop-inspired stories featuring bands like BTS, Enhyphen, and Tomorrow x Together.
Last Gasp
Best known for publishing underground comics from the 1960s and ’70s, San Francisco–based Last Gasp stays true to its roots with its eclectic manga lineup, including Keiichi Koike’s Ultra Heaven, a sci-fi adventure set in a world where hallucinogens are legal and mind-blowing. It’s also released I’m Enough by Tenten Hosokawa, a manga about self-acceptance that was cowritten with a therapist.
Mangasplaining Extra
What started as a podcast has branched out into a boutique publishing venture. (Full disclosure, the author of this article is a Mangasplaining podcast cohost and contributing editor.) Mangasplaining serializes manga via its Substack newsletter, then works with publishers including Fantagraphics and Udon Entertainment to distribute print editions. Among its titles are dystopian sci-fi tale Search and Destroy by Atsushi Kaneko, along with Gigatown: A Guide to Manga Symbols, a whimsical explanation of manga iconography by Fumiyo Kouno.
One Peace Books
An offshoot of Japanese publisher Sanctuary Books, One Peace Books has published in an array of manga subgenres—from fantasy adventures with anime tie-ins such as The Rising of the Shield Hero, to slice-of-life boys’-love series like I Hear the Sunspot, to historical mystery series such as Usotoki Rhetoric by Ritsu Miyako.
Star Fruit Books
Manga’s rising tides allowed Star Fruit Books to expand from digital-only titles to print releases, including Panorama of Hell and The Red Snake, both cult classic tales by horror manga master Hideshi Hino. The press also announced Comic Bright, its first manga magazine, which will feature an eclectic array of comics, essays, interviews and more.
