Yen Press Manga

From ORBIT comes the hot news that they're launching a whole new MANGA series with a new imprint, YEN. Here are the details of the first few titles from Yen Press:

	WITH THE LIGHT: Raising an Autistic Child, Volume 1 By Keiko Tobe Born during the sunrise - an auspicious beginning - the Azumas' newborn son is named Hikaru, which means "light." But during one play date, his mother notices that her son is slightly different from the other children. In this alternately heartwarming and bittersweet tale, a young mother tries to cope with both the overwhelming discovery of her child's autism and the trials of raising him while keeping her family together, This is a story that resonates not only for those whose families have been affected by autism, but also for all past, present, and future parents. Excellence Prize (manga) recipient, 8th Annual Japan Media Arts Festival, 2004. Keiko Tobe was born in Hyougo, Japan. With the Light is universally considered her masterwork. This title began its serialization in Akita Shoten's For Mrs. magazine in 2000 and continues to be serialized today, with the compiled volumes currently published up to Vol. 10. Tobe-sensei lives in Japan with her husband and two sons.
	SPIRAL: The Bonds of Reasoning, Volume 1 Story by Kyo Shirodaira \| October 2007 ?Art by Eita Mizuno "I'm going to uncover the mystery of the Blade Children." World-class detective Kiyotaka Narumi's last words prior to his sudden disappearance continue to haunt his younger brother, Ayumu. The cheeky tenth-grader becomes further embroiled in the mystery when he is mistaken for the prime suspect in a murder at his school. Led by Ayumu's sister-in-law, Kiyotaka's wife and fellow detective, Madoka, the investigation into the murder gives Ayumu a chance to clear his name. But in doing so, he not only uncovers ties to the Blade Children but also more questions than answers about who and what they are.
	ZOMBIE-LOAN, Volume 1 By PEACH-PIT A girl and two boys spin a soulful tale of death and resurrection. Michiru Kita's a weak-spirited girl who has a hard time saying what's on her mind. One day, she notices mysterious, ring-like markings around the necks of two of her classmates, Chika Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana - two boys who miraculously survived a horrible accident six months ago. Michiru, possessing the rare ability to see these rings, knows that they warn of impending death. Thinking that, perhaps, she can do something to save her classmates' lives, she approaches them... but it seems the boys have already made a different kind of deal and garnered themselves a heavy debt... PEACH-PIT is female mangaka duo known for its illustrations of pretty girls (bishoujo) and is composed of Shibuko Ebara and Banri Sendo. The duo derives its name from the Beverly Hills 90210 hangout, the Peach-Pit. You can visit them online at www.p-pit.net.
	BLACK GOD, Volume 1 Story by Dall-Young Lim \| October 2007 Art by Sung-Woo Park Wending his way home after a bender one evening, master moocher and game programmer Keita Ibuki decides to satisfy a craving for ramen at a noodle stand. Instead of slurping soup, though, he surrenders his meal to a manic girl who, unbeknownst to Keita, is a Mototsumitama, a guardian of the coexistence equilibrium. When his new acquaintance is attacked, Keita gets caught in the crossfire and loses an arm. Awakening from the shock of his injury, Keita finds himself back in his apartment... arm intact! But just whose arm is it?! Asking the strange girl raiding his refrigerator reveals only that Keita's life has become a great deal more complicated.
	THE WORLD OF QUEST By Jason T. Kruse The adventures of a young prince who teams up with a brave, but reluctant knight, to battle evil and save his parents. In the land of Odyssia, former hero Quest unwittingly becomes the body guard to Prince Nestor a young smart-alec who knows the whereabouts of a mystic dagger that is key to ultimate power. Together, they'll face creatures, bounty hunters and other evils vying for the weapon. In the meantime, they'll have to deal with each other. Jason T. Kruse is not only a veteran of the prestigious CalArts university in sunny Southern California, he is also a maker of fine comic books. In the animation world Jason has worked as a clean-up animator and fill-in story artist as well as working on such films as Stuart Little and Cats and Dogs. He has also animated and storyboarded various pilots for such companies as Disney and Nickelodeon. Jason works at Helixe Studio outside of Boston on the handheld Nintendo adaptations of Pixar's next films. Jason is also acting as a consultant on "The World of Quest" animated series, which will air Saturday mornings on the CW.
	ALICE ON DEADLINES, Volume 1 by Shiro Ihara Poor schoolgirl Alice discovers that angels of death are anything but angelic! As punishment for slacking on the job, the shinigami Lapan is ordered to go to the Human Realm in the body of a skeleton to retrieve a wandering soul. However, much to Lapan's lecherous delight, a slip-up lands his soul in the body of young Alice, a buxom student at a local all-girls school. With the skirt-chasing shinigami (as Alice) leaving a storm of sexual harassment allegations in his wake, whatever is poor beskeletoned Alice to do?!
	Y SQUARE by Judith Park Yoshitaka Kogirei is not very successful with girls, which wears him out a lot. His new classmate, Yagate, on the contrary, seems to attract the ladies just with ease. Frustrated to no end, Yoshitaka asks Yagate for his recipe for success - and the master agrees to give him a few tips! When Yoshitaka learns that Yagate is a judge in the school's upcoming Beauty Contest, his new friend proposes that Yoshitaka should join him by standing in for a sick member of the judging committee. But when his dream girl steps the stage, Yoshitaka can no longer keep his macho temperament in check - and everything goes downhill from there! Judith Park, born in 1984, began drawing manga at six-years-old. When she doesn't draw, Korean-born Park plays piano and violin. In 2005, she won the Sondermann prize for Best German Manga.

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WITH THE LIGHT: Raising an Autistic Child, Volume 1 By Keiko Tobe

SPIRAL: The Bonds of Reasoning, Volume 1 Story by Kyo Shirodaira | October 2007 ?Art by Eita Mizuno

ZOMBIE-LOAN, Volume 1 By PEACH-PIT

BLACK GOD, Volume 1 Story by Dall-Young Lim | October 2007
Art by Sung-Woo Park

THE WORLD OF QUEST By Jason T. Kruse

ALICE ON DEADLINES, Volume 1 by Shiro Ihara

Y SQUARE by Judith Park