Square Enix Manga & Books will launch a new retailer support program in April 2025, Comic Partner, that will offer in-store promotional materials, one-on-one calls with retailers, and advance galleys of the publisher’s upcoming series.  The program was first announced at ComicsPRO’s February 2025 meeting.  Stores that are currently enrolled in the Penguin Random House Direct Partnership Program will be automatically included in the new program.

"While we’re seeing significant market growth for manga among western audiences, our retailers have expressed challenges with overwhelming options and knowledge gaps," said Morgan Perry, Marketing Manager, Square Enix Manga & Books, in a statement accompanying the announcement.  "With the Comic Partner initiative, our aim is to make it easier for our comic shop partners to unlock the potential of manga sales by curating great content for them, providing marketing support and educating sales associates about this art form – after all, manga are comics."

The program will kick off with galleys of the first volumes of two upcoming series: On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance, the story of a boy and a girl with different fashion aesthetics, lolita and punk, who become friends but don’t realize they work together, and Love in the Palm of His Hand, a romance about two young men, one of whom is deaf, who communicate via sign language.  Both series will launch in May.

Oni Press also announced a retailer program at ComicsPRO (see "Oni Announces Retailer Appreciation Program").

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