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Newly Independent Magnetic Press Plans Full Slate for Spring/Summer 2020
More Middle-Grade Titles, Same High Production Values
Posted by Brigid Alverson on March 11, 2020 @ 2:06 am CT
Six years after its founding, Magnetic Press is going into 2020 with a solid backlist of about 100 graphic novels and plans to publish 36 new titles this year, most of them imported from France and other countries.
The company is independent once more, after being acquired by Lion Forge in 2016 (see "NYCC: Magnetic Press Splits from Lion Forge, Stays with Polarity"), and founder and publisher Mike Kennedy said in an interview with ICv2 that his plans include more graphic novels for middle-grade and young adult readers. Although Magnetic has published some serial titles, including Jazz Maynard and Infinity 8, as monthly comics, Kennedy said the focus would be on graphic novels going forward.
Although the COVID-19 situation in China has caused some production delays (see "C2E2 Attendance Up Despite Coronavirus Fears"), Kennedy hopes to have a fairly consistent release schedule and avoid publishing more than one title a week. "We really want to give every title the TLC it deserves," he said.
"We're still going to do the nice, high‑quality hardcovers," he said, including the curved corners that have become a Magnetic trademark. "We're doing some a little bit larger, at 9" by 12". We're also going to start introducing more consumer‑friendly price point softcovers, still at a nice, quality, thicker‑mill cover stock." Kennedy thinks the softcovers will be an attractive format for middle-grade readers, and he’s considering reprinting some older titles in softcover when their hardcover print runs sell out.
Here’s a look at the books Magnetic will be publishing in Spring and Summer 2020.
Rise of the Zelphire, Book 3: The Heart of Evil: Sylvann Khelmann, is a Zelphire, a human with unusual powers that stem from the natural world (in his case, trees). He and his equally strange friends have been kidnapped by a cult and must make their escape. This is the third volume of a young adult series that has elements of the X-Men and Tim Burton with a steampunk feel. The 128-page, 6 x 9 hardcover is scheduled to be released later this month with an MSRP of $19.99.
Klaw, Volume 3: The Cycle Renewed: This is the third volume of a young adult series that Magnetic Press launched in 2016, and Kennedy is looking forward to relaunching it. "It is the third volume, but we're treating it like a reboot, because I don't know how many people even knew that a second volume came out," he said. The second volume came out during the Lion Forge transition and got lost in the shuffle, so Kennedy plans to get readers interested again by releasing the early part of the trilogy as digital singles on comiXology. The third volume is scheduled for April and will be published as a 144-page, 8" x 11" softcover with an MSRP of $19.99 and as a limited-edition hardcover with an MSRP of $24.99.
GenPet: Kennedy describes this middle-grade graphic novel as "Pokèmon meets Blade Runner in a Saturday morning Disney cartoon approach." The sci-fi adventure features a boy and his genetically engineered "pet" who are on the run from a gang of criminals. The 112-page 8" x 11" softcover is scheduled for May and will have an MSRP of $16.99.
Milo’s World, Book 3: The Cloud Girl: This is the third volume of a middle-grade trilogy that Kennedy describes as "like a Miyazaki book." In fact, the artist, Christophe Ferreira, works in the anime industry in Japan. The story is about two children who live in a quiet village and have magical adventures together. Magnetic will publish it in May as a 112-page, 8.5" x 11" softcover with an MSRP of $16.99 and also as a limited-edition hardcover with an MSRP of $19.99.
Mister Invincible: Local Hero: A superhero with an unusual power, Mister Invincible can reach outside the border of whatever panel he is in to affect what’s going on in other panels. It’s both meta and middle-grade, done in a four-panel comic strip format. "It really plays with how you read comics," Kennedy said. "It breaks that fourth wall, that he uses all of the tropes of the comic book format in creative ways. I think kids will really get a kick out of following how his mind is working non‑linearly." The 96-page, 8 x 11 softcover will be published in June with an MSRP of $15.99.
Streamliner: Bye-Bye Lisa Dora: This is the first book in a two-volume series about drag racing in the desert. The winner of the race will be the leader of the pack, but the owners of the gas station at the center of it all are not all that happy about it. With lovingly drawn cars, crazy characters, and a mystery to boot, this book is "very Rocket Bill," Kennedy said. A mature title, it is scheduled for release in June as a 160-page, 8.5" x 11" hardcover with an MSRP of $24.99.
Gunland, Book One: A strange sci-fi Western featuring dinosaur steeds, cybernetic robots, and a girl who knows how to handle a pair of revolvers, this young adult graphic novel is scheduled for June and will be published as a 200-page, 6.5" x 9" softcover with an MSRP of $19.99.
Paris 2119: "It has a very classic look to it, like a mix between Bilal and Moebius," Kennedy says of this graphic novel by the Swiss creator Zep. "It really hearkens back to those classic '70s, sci‑fi, French, BD books. I think that's going to really appeal to art fans, certainly." This book, which had not been previously announced, is scheduled for July release. (The image is of the French cover.)
Newly Independent Magnetic Press Plans Full Slate for Spring/Summer 2020
More Middle-Grade Titles, Same High Production Values
Posted by Brigid Alverson on March 11, 2020 @ 2:06 am CT
Six years after its founding, Magnetic Press is going into 2020 with a solid backlist of about 100 graphic novels and plans to publish 36 new titles this year, most of them imported from France and other countries.
The company is independent once more, after being acquired by Lion Forge in 2016 (see "NYCC: Magnetic Press Splits from Lion Forge, Stays with Polarity"), and founder and publisher Mike Kennedy said in an interview with ICv2 that his plans include more graphic novels for middle-grade and young adult readers. Although Magnetic has published some serial titles, including Jazz Maynard and Infinity 8, as monthly comics, Kennedy said the focus would be on graphic novels going forward.
Although the COVID-19 situation in China has caused some production delays (see "C2E2 Attendance Up Despite Coronavirus Fears"), Kennedy hopes to have a fairly consistent release schedule and avoid publishing more than one title a week. "We really want to give every title the TLC it deserves," he said.
"We're still going to do the nice, high‑quality hardcovers," he said, including the curved corners that have become a Magnetic trademark. "We're doing some a little bit larger, at 9" by 12". We're also going to start introducing more consumer‑friendly price point softcovers, still at a nice, quality, thicker‑mill cover stock." Kennedy thinks the softcovers will be an attractive format for middle-grade readers, and he’s considering reprinting some older titles in softcover when their hardcover print runs sell out.
Here’s a look at the books Magnetic will be publishing in Spring and Summer 2020.
Rise of the Zelphire, Book 3: The Heart of Evil: Sylvann Khelmann, is a Zelphire, a human with unusual powers that stem from the natural world (in his case, trees). He and his equally strange friends have been kidnapped by a cult and must make their escape. This is the third volume of a young adult series that has elements of the X-Men and Tim Burton with a steampunk feel. The 128-page, 6 x 9 hardcover is scheduled to be released later this month with an MSRP of $19.99.
Klaw, Volume 3: The Cycle Renewed: This is the third volume of a young adult series that Magnetic Press launched in 2016, and Kennedy is looking forward to relaunching it. "It is the third volume, but we're treating it like a reboot, because I don't know how many people even knew that a second volume came out," he said. The second volume came out during the Lion Forge transition and got lost in the shuffle, so Kennedy plans to get readers interested again by releasing the early part of the trilogy as digital singles on comiXology. The third volume is scheduled for April and will be published as a 144-page, 8" x 11" softcover with an MSRP of $19.99 and as a limited-edition hardcover with an MSRP of $24.99.
GenPet: Kennedy describes this middle-grade graphic novel as "Pokèmon meets Blade Runner in a Saturday morning Disney cartoon approach." The sci-fi adventure features a boy and his genetically engineered "pet" who are on the run from a gang of criminals. The 112-page 8" x 11" softcover is scheduled for May and will have an MSRP of $16.99.
Milo’s World, Book 3: The Cloud Girl: This is the third volume of a middle-grade trilogy that Kennedy describes as "like a Miyazaki book." In fact, the artist, Christophe Ferreira, works in the anime industry in Japan. The story is about two children who live in a quiet village and have magical adventures together. Magnetic will publish it in May as a 112-page, 8.5" x 11" softcover with an MSRP of $16.99 and also as a limited-edition hardcover with an MSRP of $19.99.
Mister Invincible: Local Hero: A superhero with an unusual power, Mister Invincible can reach outside the border of whatever panel he is in to affect what’s going on in other panels. It’s both meta and middle-grade, done in a four-panel comic strip format. "It really plays with how you read comics," Kennedy said. "It breaks that fourth wall, that he uses all of the tropes of the comic book format in creative ways. I think kids will really get a kick out of following how his mind is working non‑linearly." The 96-page, 8 x 11 softcover will be published in June with an MSRP of $15.99.
Streamliner: Bye-Bye Lisa Dora: This is the first book in a two-volume series about drag racing in the desert. The winner of the race will be the leader of the pack, but the owners of the gas station at the center of it all are not all that happy about it. With lovingly drawn cars, crazy characters, and a mystery to boot, this book is "very Rocket Bill," Kennedy said. A mature title, it is scheduled for release in June as a 160-page, 8.5" x 11" hardcover with an MSRP of $24.99.
Gunland, Book One: A strange sci-fi Western featuring dinosaur steeds, cybernetic robots, and a girl who knows how to handle a pair of revolvers, this young adult graphic novel is scheduled for June and will be published as a 200-page, 6.5" x 9" softcover with an MSRP of $19.99.
Paris 2119: "It has a very classic look to it, like a mix between Bilal and Moebius," Kennedy says of this graphic novel by the Swiss creator Zep. "It really hearkens back to those classic '70s, sci‑fi, French, BD books. I think that's going to really appeal to art fans, certainly." This book, which had not been previously announced, is scheduled for July release. (The image is of the French cover.)