Harlequin Enterprises announced on Wednesday that Dark Horse Comics will publish Harlequin manga titles in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Australia.  In a relatively short-term deal (for now), Dark Horse will publish six books under the Harlequin Ginger Blossom imprint beginning this December.  The titles are topsellers from Harlequin's extensive manga operation in Japan, where its licensee Ohzora Publishing Company has published manga versions of over 250 Harlequin titles. 

 

The six titles will be divided into two lines, color-coded for age levels.  The pink line will be aimed at younger readers, and the purple line at 'more sophisticated' customers.  A book for each line will be released around every three months.

 

The first two titles, slated for December release, are Harlequin Ginger Blossom: A Girl in a Million, written by Betty Neels with art by Kako Itoh; and Harlequin Ginger Blossom:  Response, written by Penny Jordan with art by Takako Hashimoto. 

 

The fact that one of the world's largest publishers of fiction for women is bringing its manga into the U.S. market is a clear sign that the audience and distribution for manga have reached a critical mass.