Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: abrams comicart, frank miller, Frank Miller Presents, Kana

Frank Miller's Ronin Leads New Manga Imprint, Kana, From Abrams

Abrams ComicArts is launching a new imprint, Kana, focusing on manga series inckluding Frank Miller Presents' Ronin Rising.

Publishers Weekly announces that Abrams ComicArts is launching a new imprint, Kana, focusing on manga series translated into the English language for the North American market, primarily for an adult audience. The imprint will primarily publish titles translated from the Japanese, in addition to select titles originally published in French. But also, as we have learned, Frank Miller Presents titled Ronin Book Two in a manga format by Frank Miller, Philip Tan, and Daniel Henriques, now renamed Ronin Rising.

Abrams ComicArts intends to publish around one book a week through Kana, or forty to sixty titles a year, including individual issues in ongoing series. Its first six titles aside from Ronin Rising, include Scars (Cicatrices) by Brandon Arias, Leviathan by Shiro Kuroi, Manhole by Tetsuya Tsutsui, Silence by Yoann Vorniere, Eden of Witches by Yumeji, and Space Punch by ZD.

The imprint made up of five employees, with "the full resources of Abrams and its other internal divisions" at its disposal, is to be led by Rodolphe Lachat, VP and publisher of Abrams ComicArts, and will "focus on more emotionally mature subjects, characters whose ages are older, or genres that are not usually suitable for children… other publishers tend to focus on shōnen or shōjo, but Kana will tap into the older market, as millennial readers, and Gen Z, will continue to age up and will want to find titles to fit their growing tastes." Distribution will be through Hachette, and the publishing style is intended to reflect the Japanese approach including "a dust jacket, a first signature in color, and beautiful paper." And that Kana will republish classic manga series from the 1960s and art books by popular mangaka as well as new work.. "We want to publish stories that resonate with us, classic works that deserve an English translation, and art that inspires us."

If you want, you can find other language versions already available.

Scars (Cicatrices) by Brandon Arias
Scars tells a love story between two middle school students, Kyonosuke and Akira, in a small town in the Japanese countryside. Kyonosuke is a young boy whose part of his face has undergone a skin graft and is left with a large scar. Akira is a young trans girl from the same school. Kyonosuke faces bullying from his classmates while Akira endures beatings from her father, who does not recognize her identity. Their meeting and the start of a romantic relationship will lead them to try to escape this toxic environment. But are they capable of accepting themselves and others as much as they think? The author addresses strong subjects (harassment, transidentity, loneliness, etc.) with delicacy and intelligence and knows how to focus his attention on each character.

Léviathan Vol 1-3 by Shiro Kuroi
Monster or human… who sleeps in the heart of darkness? Deep in the galaxy, the Leviathan, an immense spaceship, floats adrift. When wreck looters break in, they discover the diary of a schoolboy, Kazuma, recounting the events that took place in the bowels of the ship… When reading it, the obvious becomes obvious: a Survivor of the disaster is hiding somewhere in the maze of ruins!
Years earlier, young Kazuma was on a school trip to Earth. The party is cut short when explosions of unknown origin destroy part of the ship's hull! Here are the passengers stranded in the middle of nowhere… The teenager and his friend Futaba then overhear a conversation between their teacher and a maintenance robot: the oxygen reserves are insufficient to last until help arrives. .. The only hope of survival is a cryogenic chamber nestled in the heart of the metal giant. However, it can only contain one person… Unfortunately for the students, the teacher quickly understands that he has been heard. It's the start of a bloody fight to preserve secrecy!
In a distressing setting depicted with extreme detail, Leviathan takes us on a journey to the end of hell. How to maintain your humanity in the icy expanse of space?

Manhole (Manhoru) by Tetsuya Tsutsui
A naked man wanders haggard down a shopping alley in the town of Sasahara. Suddenly, he collapses, struck down by a virus as mysterious as it is deadly: filariasis. This is perhaps the start of a large-scale contamination which risks decimating the Japanese population. But behind what everyone takes for a natural epidemic lies, in reality, a terrible and merciless plot… A thrilling race against time by Tetsuya Tsutsui.

Silence by Yoann Vorniere Vol 1-3
The young Lame and his village are cut off from the rest of the world. The monsters, who locate them by sound and, more particularly, by voice, have forced them to communicate using sign language. But in a world where permanent night reigns, resources are running out. While Blade accompanies Gray, the village hunter, on a supply expedition outside, they are attacked because the young boy inadvertently breaks the silence. Lame, consumed by guilt, will do everything to redeem himself and will make a discovery that could completely change the destiny of the village…

Eden Of Witches (L'Eden des Sorcières) Vol 1-6 by Yumeji 

In a world abandoned by nature, witches are humanity's only hope! In the past, plants and animals lived in harmony… until the arrival of man. Unable to coexist with other species, he destroyed them without remorse. Fauna and flora then decided to flee and hide… For hundreds of years, the world has been nothing but a vast, desolate expanse. However, there are still rare green enclosures: these are the secret lairs of witches, these exceptional women sensitive to the call of plants. Made responsible for their disappearance, they are the target of human hatred… Pilly grew up in one of these sanctuaries. Raised by the powerful Toura, she tries to develop her powers… without success! To encourage her, the old woman offers her a seed which will one day lead her to Eden, a green garden reserved for the elite of their community. The young apprentice has no desire to leave and would prefer to spend her life hidden from view. But his world collapses the day armed men break into his hiding place! Faced with the violence of the invaders, all seems lost… when suddenly Pilly's seed gives birth to an enormous wolf, half-animal, half-plant! Could he be the guide to the land of the chosen ones? With a fine and delicate line, Yumeji brings to life a dark fantasy universe imbued with poetry! In a world in distress, Pilly will have to choose his own path and discover the truth about the conflict between man and nature. The quest for lost paradise has only just begun!

Space Punch, by ZD.
Joe and Zack lost their father when they were children. Since then, the two brothers have chosen completely different paths. Zack, the eldest, became a police officer like his father and Joe, a noodle delivery boy. But the discovery of mysterious artifacts will change their lives forever…

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