Manga Mavericks Books announced that it has licensed two new manga titles during its panel at New York Comic Con 2025: the 1980s manga series Sinbad and the indie manga Horon of the Closed Country. Both titles will be added to its print and digital catalog in 2026.
Here are the details on the new licenses:
Horon of the Closed Country
Story and Art: Sen
Release Date: Early Winter 2026 (digital) and Summer 2026 (print)
Horon of the Closed Country is a complete indie manga series that published four total volumes in Japan, each of which will be released at A5 (5.83″ x 8.27″) size.
Synopsis:
What the Forest Deity takes will never return.
A forest deity hides and protects an ancient land from foreign enemies, but in order to do so, sacrifices must be made. In recent times, the forest deity has been encroaching more on humankind, with only people with special powers, diviners, able to drive them back. One child has the power of these diviners, but their memory has been stolen from them, leaving only the aforementioned warning. An unlikely trio, each of whom has lost something dear to them, find themselves journeying to unravel the secrets of the forest deity. Little do they know that what they have lost, the frequent appearance of the deity, and the need for sacrifices are all connected…
Manga creator Sen provided the following message with NYCC attendees:
Horon of the Closed Country came from my desire to draw the kind of fantasy story that I would have loved to read as a child. It’s an incredible feeling to know that an English version is coming and that people worldwide will be able to read it! It’s as if the world is expanding right before my eyes! I can’t wait to see the story that I dedicated to myself as a child gain a new life and new readers through the translation! I hope everyone enjoys it!
Sinbad
Story and Art: Atsuji Yamamoto
Release Date: Summer 2026 (Digital and Print)
The manga series was originally published in Japan in 1989. It was collected into four volumes in Japan, each of which will be released at A5 (5.83″ x 8.27″) size.
Synopsis:
Sinbad is a young man with bravery, agility, and a strong sense of justice. Despite this, his looks not only make it impossible for him to get a date, but also cause him to stand out from his fellow villagers and even his family. He’s long known that he’s different from everyone else, but it’s only after he helps a girl recover her lost crystal ball that he gets a peek into his past and learns his feelings are true. To get the whole picture of his past, he’ll need to set out on a life-changing journey, where foes and danger await. Join in this legendary time-spanning adventure crafted by storied manga creator Atsuji Yamamoto.
Yamamoto provided the following message with NYCC attendees:
“I’m Atsuji Yamamoto, a Japanese manga artist. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. If you’ll allow me a brief self-introduction, my manga teacher was the artist of Lone Wolf and Cub, Mr. Kazuo Koike. I was one of the first students in 1977 to join his art technique school alongside Rumiko Takahashi. I was still a teenager back then, and now I’m 66 years old.
To have an English version of my manga Sinbad announced at New York Comic Con is a huge honor. Sinbad takes place within the Arabian Nights storyline that I’m sure everyone is familiar with. In Arabian Nights, there’s a tale of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, and Aladdin is Chinese. Though this isn’t the case in the movies, haha.
This manga is the result of me wondering what would happen if the character Sinbad were actually Asian as well. I read a Japanese translation of the Arabian Nights for research purposes, but in the end, the story and characters in the story became my own original concepts, wholly different from the original. I truly hope that everyone will enjoy this story, and I wish for nothing but the best for all of you. Thank you. ♪”
Source: press release
