Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Adventuregame comics, Agent, graphic novel, Jason Shiga

Jason Shiga Sells Graphic Novel Series Adventuregame Comics To Abrams

Published Sat, 30 Oct 2021 08:57:10 -0500

Last updated Sun, 09 Jul 2023 07:40:57 -0500

Adventuregame Comics by Jason Shiga is an interactive middle grade graphic novel series where readers make their own choices about how the story unfolds. The first of three books is Leviathan, about the quest through an old medieval village to vanquish a giant sea creature terrorizing the Cobalt Isles. Maggie Lehrman at Abrams has acquired world rights to Adventuregame Comics and the publication of the first book is planned for the autumn of 2022. Jason Shiga's agent Daniel Lazar at Writers House negotiated the deal.

Jason Shiga is an American cartoonist from Oakland, California who incorporates puzzles, mysteries, and unconventional narrative techniques into his work. His father, Seiji Shiga, was an animator who worked on the 1964 Rankin-Bass production Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Jason Shiga was credited as the "Maze Specialist" for Issue #18 (Winter 2005/2006) of the literary journal McSweeney's Quarterly, which features a solved maze on the front cover and a (slightly different) unsolved maze on the back. The title page of each story in the journal was headed by a maze segment labeled with numbers leading to the first pages of other stories. Shiga has also drawn and written several comics and illustrated features for Nickelodeon Magazine, some of which feature his original creations, and some starring Nickelodeon characters such as SpongeBob SquarePants and the Fairly OddParents, and in 2017 he won the Eisner for his graphic novel Demon which also won the Angouleme Festivl Prix du Public in the same year.

Exciting announcement everyone!!! I just signed a major deal with Abrams for a new series of interactive graphic novels called ADVENTUREGAME COMICS. First book, LEVIATHAN, comes out this Summer 2022, with a new book each Summer for the next 3 years.

Jason Shiga tweeted out the news, saying "LEVIATHAN is a bit of a mashup of my favorite media from the 80's: Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, comics, text adventure games, Legend of Zelda. I don't want to give away too much of the story so I'll just say it's set in an old medieval village that's being terrorized by a giant sea monster. The story begins as a leisurely exploration of the town and surrounding islands but eventually ratchets up. On the formal side, I introduce some new ways of "gating" sections of the story. There's a day/night mechanic I'm particularly proud of. But I'm most excited about the finale where the reader gets to use their imagination rather than choose from a list of choices. Hard to describe but you'll see for yourself. Can't wait to talk about it with you. Cover reveal and preorder announcement and such coming soon!"

Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc, is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael Jacobs, Abrams publishes and distributes approximately 250 titles annually and has more than 3,000 titles in print. Abrams also distributes publications for the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate, Vendome Press (in North America), Booth Clibborn Editions, SelfMadeHero, MoMA Children's Books, and 5 Continents. Founded by Harry N. Abrams in 1949, Abrams was the first company in the United States to specialize in the creation and distribution of art books. Times Mirror acquired the company in 1966 and Harry Abrams retired in 1977. For many years, the company was under the direction of Paul Gottlieb (publisher) until January 2001, eighteen months before his death. Abrams was acquired by La Martinière Groupe in 1997.

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