News

San Rafael, CA, January 4, 2012 - Manga Hero, LLC (Manga Hero), a publisher of original-English-language manga, has announced the hiring of Regina Doman as editor.  Regina’s role will be to collaborate with Manga Hero’s writers to ensure that readers' needs are met, the integrity of the writers’ works is not compromised, and that stories are delivered on time.  Regina is also the writer for Manga Hero’s next book, Habemus Papam!, an expanded edition of Gabrielle Gniewek’s short story about Pope Benedict XVI that was distributed to 300,000 youths during World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain.

Regina Doman is a wife, mother, author, and editor. As an author, she has written the Fairy Tale Novels, a series of books for teens that places fairy tales in modern settings with Christian themes interwoven. The fifth book in that series, Alex O'Donnell and the 40 CyberThieves, won the 2011 Catholic Arts and Letters Award for best young adult fiction. Her picture book, Angel in the Waters, has sold over 100,000 copies. Regina has also edited novels for Sophia Institute Press, including the historical fiction, The Spanish Match, and was one of the creators of the John Paul 2 High series of young adult novels. She also runs Chesterton Press, which specializes in publishing and distributing quality Catholic fiction. Regina and her husband, Andrew, make their home on a small homestead in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley with seven of their eight children, assorted livestock, two dogs, and three cats.

September 20, 2011 - Lisa Hendey, creator of the popular blog, CatholicMom.com, reviews Sean Lam and Gabrielle Gniewek's latest book, Many Are Called.

September 12, 2011 - What would you do if you lost what you loved most?  What if your world was literally coming to an end?  Would you fight back?  Would you know how?  Would you be brave enough?  Or would you go with the flow?  This advice, offered to the protagonist from her ailing husband, present the theme of Judith: Captive to Conqueror, a two-volume release from Manga Hero, a publishing company creating solid, Christian-themed comics.  After finding Paul: Tarsus to Redemption so compelling, I was eager to dig into another release from the company.

Rome, Italy, July 27, 2011 - Young people attending the World Youth Day (WYD) gathering in August will get to see Pope Benedict in a new role as a hero in a manga comic book called Habemus Papam!. The new book is being specially produced for the WYD in Madrid with over 300,000 copies being printed and distributed to participants. Susy Hodges spoke to the publisher of the manga book and also to the student who wrote the story that speaks about Pope Benedict's life and his message...

San Rafael, CA, July 25, 2011 - A comic book entitled Habemus Papam!, chronicling the life of Pope Benedict XVI, will be distributed during the World Youth Day gathering in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 16-21...

Singapore, July 17, 2011 - A Singapore artist who worked on manga comics featuring Pope Benedict XVI, St Paul, and Old Testament figure, Judith, says he hopes people would be inspired by them...

July 6, 2011 - Beneath the Tangles, a popular blog that writes about the intersection of anime / manga and Christianity, continues their week long series on Christian OEL manga. They had an opportunity to posit some questions for Gabrielle Gniewek, a writer for Manga Hero.  Her works include Judith: Captive to Conqueror and Many Are Called.

July 5, 2011 - For each of the next three days, Beneath the Tangles, a popular blog that writes about the intersection of anime / manga and Christianity, will be presenting interviews with those involved in the Christian OEL manga industry as part of their week long series on the business.   Today’s interview is with Jonathan Lin, founder of Manga Hero.

June 9, 2011 - Move over, Spider-Man. Here come some new comic book heroes.  Among this new breed of heroes are Pope Benedict XVI, St. Paul, and Old Testament figure, Judith...

June 8, 2011 - Kate Oates writes about Manga Hero's recent titles, Judith: Captive to Conqueror and Paul: Tarsus to Redemption in the April 2011 edition of Catholic Digest.  In her article, she interviews the writers and artist about their inspiration to create these stories, as well as what young readers might experience when reading these stories given the recent popularity of manga.

"A Japanese art form that has become wildly popular with young people is now being used to tell the stories of our faith.  Maybe you’ve seen a young person reading them. Maybe you’ve run across shelves of them in your local bookstore. Or maybe you’ve never encountered them at all. But whatever your familiarity with the books of visual storytelling known as manga (pronounced mahn-gah), you may not have heard of its recent connection to the Catholic faith..."

June 8, 2011 - Almost everywhere one travels in Madrid this August, there will be a free-for-the-taking comic book titled “Habemus Papam!” with a beaming Pope Benedict XVI on the cover, that aims to introduce a pope that young people in particular may not know well...

June 6, 2011 - Popular blogger, Lisa Hendey of CatholicMom.com, posted an article about Manga Hero:  "Summer is upon us and many of you will probably find yourselves looking for a way to distract children from screens in your home with forms of entertainment that are fun and uplifting. I’ve discovered the perfect solution: Manga Hero! I can’t get enough of these great books, designed to both entertain and inform..."

San Rafael, CA, April 1, 2011 - Manga Hero, a California company that produces Japanese-style comics with Catholic themes, will offer World Youth Day attendees a special comic about the life and papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, called “Habemus Papam!”

Madrid, Spain, March 31, 2011 - A manga comic book on the life of Pope Benedict XVI will be distributed for free during the pope's visit to Madrid in August for World Youth Day festivities, organisers said on Wednesday. The manga will feature drawings by Singapore-based professional artist Sean Lam and it will cover key moments in the 83-year-old German-born pontiff's life.

Madrid, Spain, March 25, 2011 - Manga has experienced a growth in popularity in recent years. Manga Hero, a manga publisher based in San Rafael, California, has produced two Biblical themed manga in the U.S. This August Manga Hero will bring a special edition manga to Madrid for World Youth Day.

The manga, titled “Habemus Papam!”, is written by Gabrielle Gniewek, a student at John Paul the Great Catholic University (JP Catholic) in San Diego, California. JP Catholic was founded in 2006 and is dedicated to finding ways to bring Christ into popular culture using new forms of mass media. Students at JP Catholic train in emerging media. The book is illustrated by Sean Lam, an artist based in Singapore.

San Rafael, CA, August 18, 2010 – Manga Hero, a publishing company based in San Rafael, CA, announces the launch of the second volume of PAUL: TARSUS TO REDEMPTION, written by Matthew Salisbury and illustrated by Sean Lam.  Volume 2 continues the story about Paul, the Christian missionary, as he evades capture and certain death, all while growing a young church. The graphic novel is 160 pages and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 US / $11.00 CAN. Volumes 1 and 2 are now available on Amazon.com.

San Rafael, CA, August 6, 2010 - Catholic News Agency reviewed Judith: Capitve to Conqueror (Volume 1).  This OEL (original English language) manga is published by Manga Hero, written by Gabrielle Gniewek, and illustrated by Sean Lam.  The series tells the story about Judith, an Israelite heroine, who saves her nation from certain doom by the invading Assyrians.  This 160 page graphic novel is available on Amazon.com for $9.99.

The Catholic News Agency (CNA) has been, since 2004, one of the fastest growing Catholic news providers to the English speaking world. CNA strives to provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, giving particular emphasis to the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See, to any person with access to the internet. CNA takes particular pride in offering free access to its news items to Catholic Dioceses, parishes, and websites in order to increase awareness of the activities of the universal Church and further create a Catholic culture in the life of each of the faithful.  Though its focus is spread throughout the world, CNA also keeps a close eye on the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and on news related to the creation of a culture of life.

San Rafael, CA, July 10, 2010 - Rome Reports, a news agency that covers the Pope and the Vatican, released a segment on Paul: Tarsus to Redemption (Volume 1).  The OEL manga is published by Manga Hero, written by Matthew Salisbury, and illustrated by Sean Lam.  The series tells the story about the life and mission of Paul, the famous Christian missionary.  This 160 page graphic novel is available on Amazon.com for $9.99.

ROME REPORTS is a private and independent international TV news agency based in Rome, Italy, specializing in covering the Pope and the Vatican. With its ethnically diverse and talented team of journalists, producers, cameramen and editors, the agency instantly offers the latest news from Rome as well as a half-hour Weekly Newsprogram.

San Rafael, CA, July 9, 2010 - Catholic News Agency reviewed Paul: Tarsus to Redemption (Volume 1).  This OEL (original English language) manga is published by Manga Hero, written by Matthew Salisbury, and illustrated by Sean Lam.  The series tells the story about the life and mission of Paul, the famous Christian missionary.  This 160 page graphic novel is available on Amazon.com for $9.99.

The Catholic News Agency (CNA) has been, since 2004, one of the fastest growing Catholic news providers to the English speaking world. CNA strives to provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, giving particular emphasis to the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See, to any person with access to the internet. CNA takes particular pride in offering free access to its news items to Catholic Dioceses, parishes, and websites in order to increase awareness of the activities of the universal Church and further create a Catholic culture in the life of each of the faithful.  Though its focus is spread throughout the world, CNA also keeps a close eye on the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and on news related to the creation of a culture of life.

San Rafael, CA, June 7, 2010 – Manga Hero, a publishing company based in San Rafael, CA, announces the launch of a new original-English language shonen manga (graphic novel), JUDITH: Captive to Conqueror (Volume 1). The new two-part series, written by Gabrielle Gniewek and illustrated by Sean Lam, is 160 pages and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 US / $11.00 CAN. Volume 1 is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

San Rafael, CA, May 22, 2010 - Patrick O'Hannigan, a blogger for The Paragraph Farmer, released his review of PAUL: Tarsus to Redemption (Volume 1), published by Manga Hero, written by Matthew Salisbury, and illustrated by Sean Lam.  Patrick has been writing about politics, religion, and other subjects since 2004.  This OEL manga tells the story about the life and mission of Paul, the famous Christian missionary.  This 160 page graphic novel is now available on Amazon.com for $9.99.

San Rafael, CA, May 19, 2010 - The Curt Jester, a popular Catholic blog edited by Jeff Miller, reviewed PAUL: Tarsus to Redemption (Volume 1), published by Manga Hero, written by Matthew Salisbury, and illustrated by Sean Lam.  This new OEL manga tells the story about the life and mission of Paul, the famous Christian missionary.  This 160 page graphic novel is now available on Amazon.com for $9.99.

San Rafael, CA, May 16, 2010 - Johanna Draper Carlson, creator of the Comics Worth Reading blog, reviewed PAUL: Tarsus to Redemption (Volume 1), published by Manga Hero, written by Matthew Salisbury and illustrated by Sean Lam. Johanna has been reviewing comics for over fifteen years, reading them for multiple decades, and running Comics Worth Reading since 1999. She also has a Master of Arts in Popular Culture, focusing on online fandom and the portrayal of hackers in popular culture.

San Rafael, CA, April 23, 2010 - The Catholic blog site, Catholicsm Wow, from Germany discovered PAUL: Tarsus to Redemption (Volume 1), published by Manga Hero, written by Matthew Salisbury, and illustrated by Sean Lam.  This new OEL manga tells the story about the life and mission of Paul, the famous Christian missionary.  This 160 page graphic novel is now available on Amazon.com for $9.99.