Magnetic Press has announced the acquisition of two titles from celebrated French Authors JD Morvan and Bengal, to be published for the first time in English next Spring.  Both NAJA and MEKA will each see their North American debut, presented in complete hardcover collections.

 NAJA is the story of an assassin who feels nothing, literally – her body registers no pain and her soul has been turned callous by cruelties trapped in her past.  When another agent within her organization conspires to have her killed, she must go into hiding to determine what is going on and who is truly responsible.  This neo-noire thriller is packed with globe-hopping locations, fast-paced action, and a cast of cold-hearted killers, each with a unique style and history.  The original 5-volume series received critical acclaim in Europe, and stood as an epic tour de force for artist Bengal, who has become one of the most respected artists in France.

Switching genres entirely, MEKA is the tale of two pilots in the far future whose vehicle – a giant walking war-machine designed to defend inhabited planets from alien threats – is disabled in combat, leaving them stranded and left to their own talents and judgment to survive the ruined urban warzone they themselves inadvertently created.  This sci-fi story is as much about the politics of warfare as it is about the two characters relationship during the trials faced during their escape.  The original series ran as two separate volumes, “Inside” and “Outside”, referring to the location of the events relative to the downed vehicle.

MEKA marked not only Bengal’s first published work in 2003, but the first collaboration between writer JD Morvan and the artist, who together went on to create LUMINAE in 2011.  Bengal has since contributed to popular anthology series such as FLIGHT, CHRONICLES OF SILLAGE, and SKYDOLL SPACESHIP COLLECTION.  He also co-created the French online art community CFSL (“Café Sale”), which is considered European equivalent of Deviantart.

Morvan’s career has spanned over a decade with published credits in over 170 graphic novels published in the US, France, and Japan.  He has created numerous popular, continuing series, including SILLAGE and NOMAD, and has acted as Director and Editor of many, many more for some of France’s largest publishers.  Both creators are now geared to enter the North American English-language market in full force.

“We’ve wanted to share these projects with readers outside of France for a long time,” says Bengal, “and I’m very happy to have that chance with Magnetic Press! We truly hope these books will find a new set of fans in English!”

“As a fan of both JD and Bengal, it was always baffling why these books have not already made it to American bookshelves in English,” says Magnetic Press’s Publisher, Mike Kennedy.  “We are absolutely overjoyed by the chance to rectify that!”

Both books will be released in collected hardcover editions in the first half of 2014.  They will be available through the direct/specialty market, book trade, and online.