First Second Books, the Macmillan imprint launched in 2006 with a mix of graphic novels for adults and young readers, will focus exclusively on titles for children and teens going forward, and a new sister imprint, 23rd Street Books, will publish graphic novels for adults.  Three First Second veterans will head up both imprints: Mark Siegel as Vice President, Executive Editorial & Creative Director, Calista Brill as Editorial Director, and Kirk Benshoff as Creative Director.  All three will report to Macmillan SVP and Publisher Allison Verost. Tess Banta will join 23rd Street as Editor, with more new hires anticipated.

23rd Street Books will launch in 2025 with a catalog that will include new work by First Second creators Gene Luen Yang and Ben Hatke; new talent including Jesse Lonergan, Anna Meyer, and Laurel and Mia Boulton; actor/comedian Damon Wayans, Jr.; and poet/performer Saul Williams.  Adult titles first published by First Second, including The Adventure Zone and Homicide, by The Wire creator David Simon (see “First Second to Publish ‘Homicide’”), will move to the 23rd Street catalog.

“Far more than a publishing catalog, this new imprint is a creative lab, an incubator for the future of the medium,” Verost said in a statement accompanying the announcement.  “Beyond capitalizing on an existing market, 23rd Street aims to lead it, shape it, and champion its most visionary minds.”

First Second launched in 2006 with a lineup that included Lewis Trondheim’s A.L.I.E.E.E.N., Eddie Campbell’s The Fate of the Artist, and Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert’s Sardines in Outer Space (see “New Graphic Novel Publisher Debuts this Spring”).