Ink Pop kickstarts debut with I WANNA BE YOUR GIRL launch

I Wanna Be Your Girl hits shelves in just a few short weeks as Ink Pop’s first print release.

Ink Pop, the Random House Graphic imprint for kid- and teen-friendly manga, manhwa, and webcomics, will finally debut its first webcomic-to-print series on July 1. I Wanna Be Your Girl, written and illustrated by debut author Umi Takase, breaks new ground by exploring LGBTQ+ themes—specifically focusing on a trans character and their experiences. The series continues to earn praise for Takase’s sensitive portrayal of queer identities.

Ink Pop describes the series as follows:

Hime has secretly been in love with her childhood best friend Akira for as long as she can remember. She was the first person who knew that Akira identified as a girl, and she made it her mission to be her Akira’s protector against the world. Hime is thrilled that Akira has finally decided to live as her true self now that they are starting high school.

However, as Akira starts to attract all types of attention, Hime takes it upon herself to aggressively stick up for Akira whenever necessary. Not wanting her to be singled out or bullied, Hime decides that her only option is to put herself in Akira’s shoes. Hime dresses like a boy in support of the friend she loves…too bad her plan only backfires on them both.

Takase earned an honorable mention for her short story “Ethnic Mirror” in the 78th Shogakukan Newcomer Comic Awards in 2016. She made her serialization debut with I Wanna Be Your Girl on the GANMA! manga app and has since written Toko-San Can’t Be a Good Grown-Up and Stay Away, Stork.

She drew inspiration for I Wanna Be Your Girl from her own struggles with identity and uncertainty. Initially conceived as a one-shot, the series evolved as she imagined Akira in a girl’s uniform and Hime in a boy’s uniform. “Through this story,” she shared in an interview with The Kitsune Network, “I wanted to tell people who are lost, ‘It’s okay. You’re not alone.’”

Pick up I Wanna Be Your Girl on July 1 in paperback, hardcover, or eBook formats.

Source: Ink Pop