Ah, Minx. So many memories and feelings. The very first, so ahead of its time modern graphic novel line aimed at tweenage and teen girls was launched ten years ago, on May 2, 2007. And on May 2, 2017, Papercutz will launch Charmz– a new graphic novel imprint for tween girls. The line is edited by Mariah Huehner, herself one of the Charmz launch creators, and a veteran of Minx and what worked and what didn’t.

So make that yet ANOTHER Vertigo ex-editor with her own line. Man, I need to get on the stick.

Here’s the publisher blurb:

Perhaps no trend in book publishing has been stronger in recent years than the growth of the kids’ graphic novel category (at the recent Children’s Institute, Nielsen cited 62% growth in year on year sales). Hand in hand with that growth has been the emergence of female readers and female creators like Raina Telgemeier and Noelle Stevenson. But not all female fans of graphic fiction have been served equally. For tween girls who have loved but outgrown properties like THE SMURFS or Disney Comics but aren’t quite ready for the more mature content of books like THIS ONE SUMMER or HONOR GIRL, there’s been a distinct lack of material available. Now that’s all about to change.

In May 2017, Papercutz, one of the companies behind the current boom in kids’ graphic novel publishing will be launching Charmz, a new imprint specifically targeted to tween girls. The ambitious launch plans for the new venture include the debut publication of four new series, with subjects and settings ranging from outer space to graveyards to (perhaps the most terrifying of all) new schools. While each of the series will have its own distinct look and feel, they’re tied together by a common theme – a focus on friendships and relationships, something that’s sure to resonate with their target audience.

Here are the three debut titles:

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STITCHED by NYT best-selling author Mariah (The Last Unicorn) Huehner & Aaron Alexovich tells the story of Crimson a patchwork girl who wakes up in a graveyard with no memory of her past. She’ll need to deal with a variety of foes, friends and first crushes if she’s ever going to find out where she came from.

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CHLOE by Greg Tessier and Amandine who has to navigate the treacherous waters of a new school, new friends, and new interests like fashion and boys. All while dealing with her “so embarrassing” family.

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SWEETIES by Veronique Grisseaux and Anna Merli adapts the popular CHOCOLATE BOX GIRLS series of juvenile novels by Cathy Cassidy in to graphic novel format. When Cherry Costello’s father remarries, she finds herself with four new stepsisters and all the complicated relationships that go along with them.

BTW if you want a real mind kick, read that first link up there, my commentary when Minx was announced with only two female creators on the line. Now it’s four out of six. Such a different and better world now.

4 COMMENTS

  1. MINX was so good. I did a large paper on it some years ago, interviewing as many creators who worked on it as I could. Thats one of my best memories. Awesome books, you can find them for a very low price nowadays.

  2. Minx was too far ahead of the market.
    At the time, Barnes & Noble had no GN category in Young Adult (those readers were over in manga, shelved with the regular graphic novels).
    Kids comics… You had Bone, and a few media tie-ins, but it was a shelf, at best.

    I knew the line was in trouble when B&N only ordered the first two titles. They might have been featured on a display for the month. Sales were not good.

    Papercutz already publishes many graphic novels aimed at young girls (and libraries and bookstores) so I think this will work better.

    YA graphic novels? Unlikely. That readership is over in manga, or reading up in the adult section.

  3. I mean, in hindsight there were three women creators on the launch of Minx, but we didn’t know that yet and certainly had no way of telling.

    Also, most of the Minx lineup was so great and I’m always sad it didn’t perform better.

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