During a panel at Otakon 2026, Manga Mavericks announced three new licenses, including of Oni King and Royd by ZENZO and Town Walking with Ghost Dog by Ippan Nakamura for print and digital. The two titles from ZENZO is scheduled for release through digital formats in December 2026 while Nakamura’s will be both available for print and digital in May 2027.
The publisher also announced all pre-orders from their for The Sword of Paros by Kaoru Kurimoto and Yumiko Igarashi will include a special shikishi board.
Manga Mavericks new licenses
Oni King
Author: ZENZO
On Sale: December 2026
13+, 16 pages, $0.99 (Digital)
Like many things, revenge is a choice. A choice where the results may not be worth the price…
In what should have been a straightforward tale, Oniou is a demon child whose mother is kidnapped by the nefarious monster Kurokazemaru. He’s powerless to stop the fiend, but happens upon the cursed club Gako which will grant him power to defeat his foe at…the cost of his life force. Pouring everything into revenge sounds good in the moment, but when the dust settles, will he find that revenge truly is a dish best served cold or not served at all?
Royd
Author: ZENZO
On Sale: December 2026
13+, 36 pages, $0.99 (Digital)
Who determines a heart’s worth?
Royd is a boy with abundant magical potential. So much so, that a goddess takes him under her tutelage and is impressed with his growth…except she deems his heart full of kindness to be an obstacle. Under pressure to pay back the one who raised him, Royd “gives” his heart to a sentient, nameless golem. Upon receiving Royd’s heart the Golem witnesses the beauty of the world, while Royd becomes a powerful mage—at the cost of his humanity. Will the Golem, now entranced with the world, have the “heart” to return what was once Royd’s, or is the magician’s humanity too far gone to be saved?
Town Walking with Ghost Dog
Author: Ippan Nakamura
On Sale: May 2027
8+, 176 pages, $14.99 (Physical) / $6.99 (Digital)
Travel along with Ghost Dog!
See Japan through trails, trains, back alleys, and of course, on foot. Pulling triple duty as a guidebook, memoir, and manga, Town Walking with Ghost Dog takes on the streets of Japan with picture-book-esque artwork framed by the personal experiences of the manga creator Ippan Nakamura. From a hot bath in Sangenjaya to the recesses of Okutama, you’ll feel immersed in a side of Japanese history and locales like never before, in this travelogue of Japan as seen through the eyes of a lone traveler and their ghostly canine companion.
