San Diego Comic-Con 2012

Yen Press Panel

Due to technical difficulties, the Yen Press panel presentation was slightly delayed, giving the audience the chance to ask a few questions. During this time, Co-Publishing Director Kurt Hassler mentioned that starting next year, Yen Press was looking to publish three novels a year. Answering another fan, Hassler mentioned that they were looking into a few Tokyopop manga titles to pick up, but could not comment further.

With regards to domestic graphic novels, Yen Press will be releasing Zoo: The Graphic Novel, based on a story by James Patterson, and adapted and illustrated by Andy Macdonald. Also slated for release is Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children: A Graphic Novel, and a graphic novel adaptation of Brent Weeks' The Way of Shadows . An artist has not yet been announced for the latter project.

Yen Press also had several new acquisitions to announce. Amongst them was BTOOOM!, the debut title for mangaka Junya Inoue. Main character Ryoto Sakamoto is one of the top-ranked players in the BTOOOM! online battle game, but his life changes when he wakes up on an island, forced to participate in a real-life version of the game where players must fight each other to the death. The first volume of BTOOOM! is slated for Spring 2013.

Also announced was Pon Watanabe's Welcome to the Erotic Bookstore, a comic memoir that chronicles the author's experience managing a used bookstore that decides to add erotic merchandise to their product offerings. This two-volume illustrated essay will be released as a digital exclusive, with the first volume available this winter.

Lastly, Yen Press has acquired the rights for both the Another novels by Yukito Ayatsuji, and the Another manga adaptation by Hiro Kiyohara. The horror story follows a boy who discovers a dark secret at his school, and becomes entangled in a series of mysterious deaths. The novel will be released exclusively as an e-book, but if it sells well, a print edition may be considered. The four-volume manga will be collected into an omnibus. Both will be released in 2013.