If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.
Fantagraphics’ next chapter in manga begins with Lovers of the Empire
After 30 years of publishing manga, Fantagraphics is going bigger with its new Takumigraphics line.
NewsbyChris Arrant, Editor-in-Chief
Published on Tue Aug 18 2026
Popverse’s top stories
- Will Avengers: Doomsday see Doctor Doom get his hands on Thanos’s Infinity Gauntlet? A cryptic message from Robert Downey Jr. has us wondering
- Critical Role has (lovingly) tortured DM Matt Mercer for years. His Campaign 4 character is revenge
- Amazing Spider-Man #1000 will be “a really big blowout” that will kickstart” the next chapter” of the Marvel’s Spidey saga, says Joe Kelly
Fantagraphics has been publishing manga since the early ’90s (and comics since the ’70s), but this week they’re broadening the scope to include all East Asian comics under the banner of Takumigraphics. With an ambitious plan for 16 releases a year, Takumigraphics debuts this week with Lovers of the Empire by Yudori, the first in an ongoing series that follows their previous Fantagraphics release, Raging Clouds.
“We’ve been talking about it for a couple of years, and really just came to a point where we had a critical mass of books in queue, and it made more sense to do it than to not do it,” says Fantagraphics’ VP/associate publisher Eric Reynolds who is overseeing the line alongside the father-and-son team of Fantagraphics co-founder Gary Groth and his son (and editor) Conrad Groth. “There are practical advantages in the book trade and library markets to housing all of these books under one umbrella.”
The name ‘Takumigraphics’ comes from a mixture of the Japanese word Takumi, meaning ‘excellence’ or ‘skillfulness,’ and Fantagraphics’ own name. Takumigraphics won’t be monofocused on Japanese manga (as its launch title from South Korea suggests), but will grow to include comics from across East Asia, including Taiwan, Singapore, China, and yes, Japan.
This isn’t the first dedicated manga line at Fantagraphics, with them being the primary US publisher of the works of Shintaro Kago and Moto Hagai, but Reynolds says the publishing staff has learned a tremendous amount about the nuances of such works.
“As to what we’ve learned, we’re certainly better at the nuts and bolts of editorial and production of eastern comics and in navigating some of the unique challenges they present over western translated works,” says Reynolds. “And I think we’ve gotten better at marketing and promoting them, just through experience.”
Fantagraphics has an ambitious plan of 16 Takumigraphics releases each year, starting with this week’s Lovers of the Empire Vol. 1, followed by September’s On Their Frontlines: The Lives of Japanese War Brides Vol.1 by Marina Lisa Komiya and Wandering Son: Volumes One & Two by Shimura Takako, October’s Wandering Cat’s Cage by Akane Torikai, and November’s The Ultra Power Mongol Invasion by Shintaro Kago. A second volume of Lovers of the Empire is already set for April of 2027.
One of the distinct differences between Fantagraphics’ approach to bringing East Asian comics to North America and many other US publishers is that they’re not targeting the known subsection of fans who read such works, but are aiming to find the best work and aim for anyone who loves great comics.
“We try to not target audiences as much as we try to find the best work that we can find, and trust that if they are as good as we think they are, that audiences will follow,” says Reynolds.
Interested? Here’s where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet, and here’s a guide to how (and where) to read comics online. If you’re looking for the best comics in recent memory, check out the Eisner Awards winners and the Harvey Awards nominees. And if you like free comics, here’s everything we know about Free Comic Book Day 2027.
Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news
Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant is the Popverse’s Editor-in-Chief. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher’s Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)
Let Popverse be your tour guide through the wilderness of pop culture
Sign in and let us help you find your new favorite thing.
