North American publisher Manga Mavericks continues to grow with the announcement that well known manga expert Erica Friedman will be joining publishing team as Managing Editor.
Currently a staff writer for Anime News Network, (and an occasional Beat contributor in the past) Erica is no stranger to the publishing world. She has interviewed multiple Yuri creators and reviewed multiple Yuri anime, mangas, and other related topics on her blog Okazu since 2002. Additionally, Erica has written about Yuri for the Japanese literary journal Eureka, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Dark Horse, Del Rey and has contributed her thoughts to Forbes, Slate, Huffington Post, Anime Herald and the Mary Sue online. Erica has also presented around the world, notably at the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival and the London Lesbian Gay and Film Festival. Alongside her lectures at events, she has been a part of academic lectures as well for MIT, University of Illinois, Harvard University, Kanagawa University, Keio University, and many others. Erica is also the author of By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime which was published by Journey Press and has also had her work appear recently in Hajimete no Yuri Studies: Queer/Feminist no Shiten Kara (はじめての百合スタディーズ: クィア/フェミニストの視点から).
CEO of Manga Mavericks LLC Varun Gupta noted that Erica’s passions for manga and dedication to their mission in the industry made her the perfect addition to the team. He also noted the growth of the company with Erica’s involvement alongside them, citing that “2027 will bring forth an aggressive growth with the release of over 40 titles covering the alternative, shojo/josei, LGBTQ+, and classic manga.” Launched in 2025, Manga Mavericks Books is a publishing house dedicated to bringing underrated Japanese creators and comics to the North American market. Holding a high quality standard for its print, localization, and presentation, Manga Mavericks Books is committed to pushing the industry forward while also having a deep respect for its creators.
Erica is a long time Beat contributor and supporter and we wish her well in her new position!
