LibraryPass, Inc. signed distribution agreements with several new publisher partners in 2021, expanding the catalog of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga available to schools and libraries through Comics Plus. In addition to Humanoids, Kodansha, Yen Press, and TKO Studios, hundreds of titles from ABDO, AWA, Frederator, Graphic Mundi, and Scout Comics also joined the collection last year.
“2021 was a great year for Comics Plus, and it’s partly thanks to all of our publisher partners who understand the overall value of making their comics available in schools and libraries,” said Guy LeCharles Gonzalez, LibraryPass’ Chief Content Officer. “Comics overall had another big year last year, and backlist sales were a big driver, something we saw reflected in our own circulation data. Each of these publishers add something unique to our catalog, and we’re excited to work with them and help expand their readership.”
ABDO is a family of educational publishers that provides fiction and nonfiction books for PreK–Grade 12 students, in both library-bound hardcover and ebook formats. The company, which started small in Minnesota in 1985, now boasts six divisions and releases more than 600 new titles each year. ABDO’s Magic Wagon division proudly offers original graphic novel sets through the Graphic Planet imprint, including engaging series like Fractured Fairy Tales and Get in the Game, which includes Spanish-language editions.
“We are thrilled to offer our strong graphic novel selection through Comics Plus and LibraryPass,” said Paul Abdo, the company’s president. “This new collaboration will ensure many more schools and libraries can connect young people with ABDO stories that inspire and help kids learn and grow.”
Graphic Mundi launched in Spring 2021 as an imprint of Penn State University Press, publishing graphic novels for adults and young adults that address important topics such as health and human rights, politics, the environment, science, and technology. Notable titles include COVID Chronicles: A Comics Anthology, featuring short comics by more than 70 creators; the Eisner-winning anthology Menopause: A Comic Treatment; and Crude: A Memoir by Pablo Fajardo, Sophie Tardy-Joubert, and Damien Roudeau. The Washington Post named COVID Chronicles one of the best graphic novels of 2021 and the New York Public Library identified Crude as one of 2021’s Best Books for Adults. Both books made the NYPL’s “50 New Must-Read Comics” of 2021.
“We’re pleased to be working with LibraryPass to make digital editions of our graphic novels available to library patrons,” said Brendan Coyne, PSU Press’ Sales and Marketing Director. “The growth in ebook lending we’ve seen the past couple of years is exciting and every indicator we see tells us that readers want more digital graphic novel content. The model LibraryPass provides is perfectly poised to ensure that readers of graphic novels can satiate their hunger for the sort of new, innovative, and important books we publish, wherever they are and on demand.”
Founded in 2015, Scout Comics & Entertainment develops and publishes creator-owned comics with potential for development in other media, including TV, film, and video games. Among their key titles are Black Cotton, a political series set in an alternate reality where the social order of “white” and “black” is reversed; Metalshark Bro, a bonkers comic about an anthropomorphic shark; and Action Tank, an all-ages epic sci-fi adventure special.
“At Scout, we want to get these amazing stories into as many hands as possible,” said Nicole D’Andria, Scout’s Director of Digital, “ranging from all-ages appropriate titles in our Scoot! Lineup, to our more mature Black Caravan imprint. Partnering with great organizations like LibraryPass will help us further this goal, allowing us the wonderful opportunity to introduce new and existing series to schools and libraries, vital communities in the comic book sphere.”
With Comics Plus, schools and libraries have unlimited, simultaneous to thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga, allowing them to maximize circulation through book clubs, reading programs, makerspace activities, and other engaging initiatives. For more information about Comics Plus sign up for a FREE demo at comicsplusapp.com, follow us on LinkedIn, or contact us at info@librarypass.com.
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