Strong storytelling, eye-popping graphics, empowering themes and a dash of irreverence are the hallmarks of Perfect Square books, the newly launched imprint from VIZ Media, the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga, graphic novels and anime in North America.
Aimed at kids and "kids at heart," Perfect Square produces comics, graphic novels and other children's books. Traditionally, VIZ Media has transformed Japanese content for English-speaking audiences. Perfect Square will continue to publish titles from overseas, including favorite manga series like Pokémon and The Legend of Zelda previously branded VIZ Kids, while also expanding its offerings to include more works produced in the United States.
Playing on VIZ Media's strength, Perfect Square has teamed up with select companies to publish graphic novels based on popular licensed properties. While seeking out additional business initiatives, "We saw there were licensors that would lend themselves to great storytelling and fun, funny, action-packed books," said senior editorial director Beth Kawasaki.
Among the characters Perfect Square is bringing to readers are Mattel action figure Max Steel, the Cartoon Network's Ben 10, Sanrio's Hello Kitty and the Uglydolls. In addition to graphic novels and comics, the imprint's lineup includes other kinds of books. In summer 2014, it's rolling out illustrated books tying in to Bravest Warriors, the animated, science fiction/adventure web show created by Adventure Times's Pendleton Ward.
Perfect Square's books don't retell stories fans already know but expand on the existing realms--spinning fresh tales, illuminating lesser-known aspects and sometimes even creating new characters. "We brainstorm and talk with our writers and the licensors to bring the property to another dimension and add it to the canon," Kawasaki explained. Books are available in print and digital editions, and there is also a Perfect Square app for the Apple iPad and iPad Mini.
While the majority of Perfect Square's titles are aimed at seven- to 12-year-olds, there is also a secondary market for the books. Many older teens and college-age kids who grew up collecting Pokémon, Hello Kitty or Uglydoll merchandise, or who watched the Ben 10 cartoons, have a continuing affinity for these brands and characters. And some books are intentionally multi-faceted to draw in adults. In the graphic novel Hello Kitty: Here We Go!, an episode follows Hello Kitty in a James Bond-style caper. Grown-ups will understand the spoof on 007, while kids are entertained with a fun spy story.
Graphic novels and comics have increasingly "become woven into the fabric of society and into the entertainment landscape," Kawasaki noted. In turn, this has created a crossover audience for many of Perfect Square's books beyond brand loyalty. "Watching cartoons or reading comics, or even YA fiction for that matter, isn't just for kids anymore," she added.
Likewise, Kawasaki expects the Bravest Warriors tie-ins to appeal to readers of varying ages and collectors, in addition to the teens they're targeted toward. Created by Emmy Award-winner Pendleton Ward, the animated comedy follows the adventures of four teenaged heroes-for-hire as they warp through the universe to save aliens using the power of their emotions. "It's the next thing on the verge. Their audience has grown exponentially since it launched," said Kawasaki. Bravest Warriors is shown on the YouTube-funded channel Cartoon Hangover. Each episode of the first season has averaged more than 1.8 million views, and the second season, which launched in October, is on track to build an even broader audience.
Perfect Square is developing two illustrated books based on the series, slated for publication in July 2014. The first is Bravest Warriors Presents: Catbug's Treasure Book, a sort of journal featuring thoughts and ideas from the mind of Catbug as the part cat-part ladybug creature travels through the universe. Bravest Warriors: The Search for Catbug is a compendium showcasing illustrations by more than two dozen artists. Editor Joel Enos describes it as "a fun book and also a beautiful one."
Perfect Square's vividly rendered titles span a breadth of topics and styles to interest avid and reluctant readers alike, from humorous books to sweet and quiet stories to action and adventure tales. The imprint's name, a play on different factors, evokes a panel like those in comic books, as well as the experience of looking through a window into other worlds. "Graphic novels are a fantastic way to grab kids' attention and to get them to read," said Kawasaki. "In my own experience, with the kids I'm around, I see how engaged they get with the content. Their worlds light up, and they go places they never imagined."