Announced last month, Square Enix Manga & Books announced the new Comic Partner Initiative to help the medium of manga to be spread in comic stores. To comment on the new initiative, Miso spoke with Square Enix Manga & Books Marketing Manager Morgan Perry regarding the amazing success of manga in recent years.
Miso: Comic Partner was announced recently to spread awareness of manga to comic stores nationwide. How is the team feeling about their goal of getting manga into the hands of more readers?
Morgan Perry: Optimistic! While manga is not new to many comic shops, it is still unfamiliar territory for many, and something that we communicated in our presentation at ComicsPRO is acknowledging those challenges while also highlighting that ordering and stocking manga is not dissimilar to that of periodical comics and graphic novels. I think that clicked for a lot of comic shops who attended that conference because the desire to carry more manga is very apparent, but a lot of comic shop retailers expressed they didn’t know where to start.
And that’s where we come in. We’re not only offering in-store support through Comic Partner but also an open-door policy when it comes to providing guidance about the trends and terminologies as well as answer their specific questions. This is all in hopes that it will help comic shops pinpoint which manga series will do well in their stores based on the types of periodical comics and graphic novels that their diverse communities are already gravitating towards while also freshening up their existing manga sections for more seasoned manga readers.
Manga are comics, and we’re approaching them as such with comic shop retailers.
Manga is getting more popular over the years, and a lot of titles have ranked high on the graphic novel charts in the west. What are some observations you might have for this recent shift?
Manga’s popularity in the west has been steadily increasing over the last ten years, but we really saw a dramatic shift in sales during the Covid-19 pandemic. I think a lot of that shift had to do with accessibility of both manga and anime and the growth in the online community around it. More people were binge watching anime on various streaming platforms, which lead to more purchasing of manga to continue the story and more people sharing their reviews and thoughts online and on social media to connect with each other.
An additional component to this dramatic rise was due in part to the Diamond Comics Distribution shut down. Most comic shops weren’t able to receive new periodical comics for about an 8-week period, and many diversified their product offerings to carry manga or took the opportunity to expand their sections during this time because they were still able to order and receive new shipments from their book distribution partners like Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette.
Is there a genre of manga you’d like to see represented more in the western market?
I think that’s difficult to answer because there’s such a wide variety of readership in the western comics community (as there is with manga readers), but if we’re looking at which genres and categories are doing well in the western comics market, I think there’s a lot of opportunity for the horror genre given the success of such titles as Feral by Tony Fleecs (Image Comics), Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV (BOOM! Studios), and the recent Creepshow anthology by Skybound Entertainment.
We’re also seeing a wide variety of representation when it comes to licensing LGBTQIA+ manga out of Japan, and there’s a huge opportunity to cross-sell those titles with existing graphic novels and periodical comics from western creators, many of which are also influenced by manga.
On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance and Love in the Palm of His Hand are the first titles from the Comic Partner initiative. What was the rationale for featuring these debut volumes?
When we were looking at potential titles for the Comic Partner initiative, it was important for us to select titles that readers in the manga community were already hyped for but also had the ability to reach across the metaphorical aisle and appeal to western comics readers as well.
Like I mentioned earlier, we’ve seen a huge growth in the variety of queer stories and representation within the LGBTQIA+ community through recent manga licensing and acquisitions, and having come into Square Enix Manga & Books with a background in western comics publishing, it was clear that both Love in the Palm of His Hand and On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance were perfect picks to kick off this initiative. Both titles have clear one- or two-line pitches that are essential for any comic shop to have at the ready, and there were enough comparable titles or “comps” for manga and western graphic novels that were easily recognizable to comic shop retailers to give them a sense of who their in-store audience could be for either title.
Additionally, both titles were already incredibly popular on social media and being discussed amongst the tuned-in BL and queer manga communities well ahead of their official English-language print announcements at last year’s Anime Expo. We all saw the chatter around the green yuri (The Guy She Liked Turned Out Not to Be a Guy At All), and it felt similar though definitely less intense for both Love in the Palm of His Hand and On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance haha.
And finally, these were two titles that we as a team at Square Enix Manga & Books were incredibly excited about announcing and bringing to fans. From the story to the artwork, there was something special about each of them that we as a team were behind 100%.
What are some recommendations you have for someone who wants to read more manga and just got into the scene?
As a reader, start with what you already know and love. Regardless of the type of media you consume, you’re bound to have a favorite or one genre you gravitate to more than the others. The same can be said for your hobbies. Manga is very much for anyone so there’s a title for everyone!
And even with that, the sheer amount of manga available to us now is intimidating, I do also recommend checking out resources such as My Anime List’s You Should Be Reading This Manga annual listing to find new and exciting titles or checking out various review blogs or following people on social media who talk about manga.
If that’s too much, it’s also ok to watch the anime first before diving into a series. A lot of manga fans start off with anime first!
And if you have a bookstore or comic shop that has someone on staff that also loves manga, don’t be afraid to ask them for a recommendation!
What are some future things you’re planning to do with the Comic Partner initiative?
We envision Comic Partner to be ever evolving as we go through our first year and receive feedback from participating retailers.
A big part of the initiative is that we’re working with retailers on a one-on-one basis to help them evaluate, restructure, and/or expand their manga sections as well as answering any questions they might have about manga, terminology, and trends while also providing them with external resources.
Hopefully manga fans will start to see more familiar faces inside their local comic book shop!
What are some ways our readers can connect or follow up with updates for Comic Partner?
Readers can always connect with Square Enix Manga & Books on social media. We’re (at) SquareEnixBooks on a variety of platforms including Twitter/X, Instagram, and Bluesky.
However, if readers really want to connect, support, and help facilitate the growth of Comic Partner, visit your local comic shop, start chatting with them about manga, maybe set up a preorder for Love in the Palm of His Hand, vol. 1 or On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance, vol. 1, and become a part of that community locally. Manga is still very new for a lot of comic shops both in terms of awareness and carrying the physical product in-store so, show them some love and be patient with them!
Finally, any last words you might have for us?
Manga are comics and please support your local comic shop – it’s especially important now more than ever!
You can check out Square Enix Manga titles wherever manga is sold. You can also read on with our Square Enix Manga Minis Showcase. Stay tuned for more anime and manga news here on Miso!
