The World of Warcraft site blizzplanet has confirmed earlier reports that Tokyopop is planning to publish new Warcraft manga. Richard Knaak, who wrote the original Tokyopop World of Warcraft trilogy, is writing Warcraft: Dragons of Outland, the first volume in a new graphic novel trilogy based on The Burning Crusade Expansion for the WoW online game. Warcraft: Dragons of Outland is slated for release in March 2009.
Tokyopop's original WoW: Sunwell Trilogy, which was written by Knaak and illustrated by the Korean artist Kim Jae Hwan, has been among the best-selling of all the publisher's world manga (OEL) titles.
According to the WoWwiki site the new trilogy will feature the popular Tyri and Jorad Mace characters and will touch on elements such as the questlines for Netherwing Dragonflight and Malygos' insanity (from WoW: Wrath of the Lich King). The World of Warcraft remains the most popular subscription-based MMORPG and has spun off a mass of merchandise including a trading card game, action figures, comic books, board games, and more.
Later this year Tokyopop is planning to publish its first volume of a manga anthology based on World of Warcraft-creator Blizzard Entertainment's Starcraft franchise (Amazon is currently listing an August 12th, 2008 release date for the Starcraft Anthology). Knaak will have stories appearing in the series.
Tokyopop would not confirm the involvement of author Keith R.A. DeCandido in the Starcraft manga.
