New Penguin Random House Global Comics Imprint | News

Penguin Random House has announced Inklore, a new imprint dedicated to “global pop-comics” — manga, manhua, manhwa, webcomic adaptations, and light novels. Manga is Japanese comics; manhua, Chinese; and manhwa, Korean.

The first publication will appear in early 2024. My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999 is a gamer rom-com manga by Mashiro originally published in Japan. Inklore will operate in collaboration with Del Rey UK and is aimed at “celebrating the most popular, fan-driven tropes in visual storytelling, with a focus on digital-to-print licensed publishing in the romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, and slice-of-life genres.”

Future publications include:

• Under the Oak Tree, a Korean fantasy romance novel by KIM Suji, scheduled for summer 2024. There is a webcomic adapted and illustrated by Seomal, namu, & P currently published in English on Manta.
• The Heavens, an original graphic novel series written by Lev Grossman (The Magicians) and Lilah Sturges (Girl Haven), an adult fantasy space opera trilogy with no artist yet announced, scheduled for 2027.
• Northern Lights, a YA fantasy graphic novel series by Malin Falch, originally published in Norwegian, scheduled for 2024.
• Cherry Blossoms After Winter, a Korean BL manhwa by Bamboo featuring a childhood-friends-to-lovers story, scheduled for early 2024.

US Editorial Director Rebecca “Tay” Taylor, formerly of Boom! Studios and Vault Comics, said, “At Inklore, we are building a new home for creators of emotionally rich, visually dynamic, and transportive stories from around the world. As an imprint of Random House Worlds, Inklore will offer creators a multitude of opportunities to connect with a voracious global audience. We welcome storytellers from all backgrounds whose stories rekindle the effortless pleasure of reading for fun.” Taylor will be appearing at Anime Expo in Los Angeles this coming weekend.  

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Manga, News, Web Comics