Tokyopop will release Remember by Benjamin, a graphic novel new to the U.S. early next year.  Benjamin is the creator of Orange, a graphic novel originally published in China and released in the U.S. by Tokyopop earlier this year (see “Tokyopop Looks to Break the Color Barrier”). 

We talked to Tokyopop Director of Marketing Marco Pavia about Benjamin and Remember. 

What’s the response been like to Orange, and what are you expecting from Remember?

Orange was very well received both critically and by consumers, and sold out of its entire first print run.  We brought Benjamin to New York Comic Con earlier this year and we had a line around our booth.  He has this beautiful, kind of painterly graphic novel style.

We’re coming out with Remember early next year.  It’s a stand-alone volume.  It really speaks to that kind of teen, angsty. not overly sentimental but somewhat romantic storyline, and the art’s purely breath-taking. 

We felt that way with Orange.  We thought the art was gorgeous, and that the storyline really would appeal to not only our core audience but to people looking for that kind of dark, brooding kind of teen angsty story.  It’s found a crowd. 

Benjamin’s really been an international phenomenon who’s now arrived, it seems, in the States both with our publications and with Marvel.  We’ve actually done really well with it in our German office too.  He’s definitely a name in Europe and Asia.

Are you doing a reprint of Orange?

We haven’t yet.  I think once we come out with Remember we’ll also put a reprint in for Orange as well.  We want to you know accumulate enough demand.  In this market we want to be very careful.