Interest in manga is currently at an all-time high in America, and publishers cannot keep up with the demand for printed books. Manga sales increased by nearly 43% in 2020 and according to NPD Bookscan, the manga buying spree continues in 2021. Sales of print manga titles in the U.S. increased by 3.6 million units in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.
The future for manga has never looked so bright, and now VIZ Media is forging a new path and setting the trend by creating local manga-inspired graphic novels (essentially American manga). This means, the American market will not have to wait for stories to come from Japan, and VIZ will be able to publish across more genres directly to Western audiences.
With titles such as My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Chainsaw Man dominating the market and outselling popular mainstream fiction titles in America, there has never been a better time to publish local talent and locally produced stories.
This is why VIZ will be publishing an American manga by the name of World Piece this June by Eisner-nominated writer Tierney (Spera) and artist Agroshka, the duo behind the webcomic Warm Blood!
VIZ describes the manga as follows:
Lucas Densen has earned his easygoing reputation through hard work and optimism. When not playing basketball for his high school team, the Pulsars, Lucas enjoys visiting his mother’s archaeological excavations. During one visit, Lucas accidentally triggers an ancient alien artifact that suddenly transforms Earth into a small glowing orb no larger than a basketball! Transported to a mysterious realm with nothing but what’s on his back and the planet in his hands, Lucas encounters a friendly alien, Lully, who offers to help. What awaits him in this new realm where worlds are the size of your palm, and can he find out how to restore Earth?
You can check out more of this manga at the following link: VIZ | The Official Website for World Piece
