Yen Press, the prolific American publisher, publisher of such localized manga series as Kingdom Hearts, Soul Eater, Spice and Wolf and Azumanga Daioh, is teaming up with comiXology to provide a slew of new content on the service. According to a press release shared with CGMagazine, Yen Press and comiXology have engaged in a distribution agreement that will host “more than 1200 manga from Yen Press available for sale” from comiXology, available now.
A variety of popular series are hitting comiXology from Yen Press. These includes the Akame ga KILL! series, Black Butler, Fullmetal Alchemist, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Kingdom Hearts, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Spice and Wolf, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Yotsuba&!, just to name a few. Suffice to say, the agreement means a wide variety of iconic manga series are now available digitally for fans that would prefer to pass on physical releases.
“I’m thrilled comiXology will deliver an even greater selection of fan-favourite manga like Fullmetal Alchemist, Black Butler, Kingdom Hearts and so many others from Yen Press,” comiXology CEO and Co-Founder David Steinberger noted. “Yen Press is bringing a massive catalog of wide-ranging manga titles to comiXology’s best-in-class shopping and reading experience, and I can’t wait to dig into it.”
Yen Press was similarly enthusiastic about the opportunity. “Since 2006 Yen Press has focused on bringing outstanding popular and unique manga titles to English-readers – so we couldn’t be happier introducing comiXology readers to the Yen Press digital catalog,” reported Yen Press Managing Director Kurt Hassler.
Yen Press’ move to comiXology isn’t a coincidence. Piracy has been a serious issue in the manga world, with many fans opting to pirate digital scans over purchasing officially licensed manga releases sold in English. With Yen Press available on comiXology, it seems likely that many manga fans will turn to digital content services to support creators and localizers in both North American and Japan. Check back as more news develops.
