Fantagraphics is planning to expand its publishing of comics from Asia by launching a new imprint with a 2026 list. The new imprint name, Takumigraphics, combines the second half of Fantagraphics with the Japanese word Takumi, which has the double meaning of excellence, skillfulness, adroitness, and ingeniousness and a person who has those characteristics.
In addition to manga, the imprint will also publish works from Korea, China, Singapore, Taiwan, the Philippines, and other Asian countries. Conrad Groth, Eric Reynolds, and Gary Groth explained the grouping of titles in a communication about the launch. “While this represents a wide range of nuanced cultures and backgrounds, comics from these countries often share an aesthetic and visual language that we believe readers will recognize and appreciate,” they wrote.
The new imprint will kick off with four titles in a variety of formats launching next summer.
Wandering Cat’s Cage, by Akane Torakai, Deb Aoki, Andrew Woodrow Butcher, and Chritopher Butcher, translated by Jocelyne Allen, is set in a near future world in which only a few women are able to menstruate and, and even fewer men will be born to them. The 344-page 7.1″ x 10.2″ b/w hardcover will be released May 26, 2026 at $34.99.
Lovers of the Empire: Vol. 1, by Yudori, is a manhwa set in South Korea in 1929. When the teen daughter of a wealthy merchant thrown together with a traditional teen from the countryside, sparks fly. The 224-page 6.69″ x 9.41″ full-color hardcover will be released June 23 at $24.99 MSRP.
Wandering Son Volume One & Two, by Shimura Takako, translated by Rachel Thorn tells the story of two middle school children who share a secret: the boy wants to be a girl, and the girl wants to be a boy. The anime is currently streaming on Crunchyroll. The double-sized volume collects the first two volumes of the manga in a 432-page 5.2″ x 7.2″ b/w paperback, which will be released July 7 at $22.99 MSRP.
On Their Frontlines: The Lives of Japanese War Brides Vol. 1, by Marina Lisa Komiya, translated by Diana Taylor, is set in Japan after World War II. Two Japanese women, separated by the war, end up marrying American soldiers after struggling to get by in post-war Japan. The 348-page 5.8″ x 8.3″ b/2 paperback will be released August 11 at $22.99.
Fantagraphics has been publishing manga for some time; last summer it launched Brain Damage, a horror anthology by Shintaro Kago (see “Fantagraphics to Publish ‘Brain Damage’“).
Source: ICv2
