Yen Press announced a number of new manga and light novel licenses on the last day of New York Comic Con; all are slated for release in March and April 2024.

The most notable is probably Black Summoner, by Doufu Mayoi and Gin Ammo, an isekai story with a twist: Usually the main character remembers his past life and uses that knowledge to game the system, but in Black Summoner, Kelvin, the hero, has traded that knowledge for upgraded powers. He arrives in the new world as its strongest Summoner and quickly finds he has a taste for fighting. This series is based on a light novel series; both are published digitally by J-Novel Club and by Yen Press under its JNC imprint in print. There’s also an anime, which streams on Crunchyroll. The series is ongoing, with 16 volumes so far.

Two of the newly announced titles are spinoffs of existing Yen Press series: Sword Art Online Progressive: Canon of the Golden Rule, by Reki Kawahara and Mugetsu, is a continuation of the multi-arc story about a group of players caught inside a multilevel virtual reality game, and Trinity Seven Revision, by Youichi Nishio and Kenji Saito, is a new story set in the world of the fantasy action series Trinity Seven.

The publisher also announced a new manga adaptation of the light novel series The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life. The new manga by Usata Nonohara and Aya Obara, follows an alchemist who escapes a monster attack by putting herself in suspended animation for 200 years; when she wakes up, she just wants to stay low-key, but in the interim, potions have become more valuable and her skills are in high demand. Yen Press published an earlier adaptation in 2019 (see “Yen Press, Seven Seas Announce New Manga Titles”).

Here are the other manga announced at NYCC:

Adults’ Picture Book, by Kei Itoi, is a slice-of-life seinen drama about a young man who is tasked with raising the child of a recently deceased friend; in order to give the little girl a proper family, he promptly proposes to a woman he has just met.

The Tiger Hasn’t Eaten the Dragon Yet, by Hachi Inaba, is a fantasy/comedy slice-of-life story about a female tiger who has captured a young dragon but decides not to eat him just yet, despite the fact that doing so would grant her immortality.

My Gemini, by Yuu Morikawa, is a one-shot shoujo manga with an intriguing premise: John is the only one at his school who can tell twins Jekyll and Hyde apart, and the brothers enjoy switching places to confuse their classmates. When one of them dies in an accident, though, even John is not sure which one has survived.

All or Nothing, by Shikke, is another one-shot with a very different vibe: It’s an adult yaoi manga about two friends whose relationship begins to change when they learn that two other friends have been dating for a month.

Fox-Colored Jealousy, by Machi Suehiro, is a supernatural yaoi romance between a college student who seems to attract animals and a newcomer who is possessed by a fox spirit. This story is also complete in one volume.

I Want a Gal Gamer to Praise Me, by Geshumaro, is a shonen rom/com about an avid gamer who hires a pro coach to help him level up, not suspecting that the coach would be a beautiful girl who is just his age.

Click Gallery below for all covers!