Beloved indie publisher Glacier Bay is at it again. Their new manga slate- the 2025 Fall Program- enters in September its last few weeks of Kickstarter pre-orders for five new titles: True Blue Never Fades, Universe from the Balcony, Box Garden Beetle, The Cursed Body, and Baku Chan. At a glance, Glacier Bay’s manga stands apart from the. books lining chain store shelves. Seekers of strange and rare reads: you’ve found it.
The 2025 Fall Program’s books include a working class love triangle, historically-influenced ghost stories, casually psychedelic dream comics, to say nothing of a little tapir from space who got that shit on. Sort of. On the one hand, these indie manga titles have plenty in common with what readers of indie comics and small press books encounter and pursue. On the other, manga has a tendency to cross genres- perhaps because genres tend to be defined by “Western” conventions. So not quite the comics you’re expecting, able to satisfy an aesthetic without adhering to it, proof that what is most personal is most universal.
1. True Blue Never Fades by Tada Yumi
“We return to Tada Yumi‘s early masterpiece, their classic adult drama about a trucker and waitress, errant star-crossed lovers. Bonny and Mickey are young and in love, but Mickey is married to the life of a long-haul trucker. Though they have a son together, the gulf between the two grows with each broken promise and passing year, until all that’s left are small mementos, postcards, and memories. After a naïve, pure-hearted young man enters their orbit, things slowly begin to change… This title, originally published in Japan in 1995, has been lovingly and painstakingly restored for our edition.”
Translated by Matthais Hirsh, lettered by Lauren Eldon. Printed in A5 format, sewn binding, with black ink on a cream-tone paper stock. 200+ pages.
2. Universe from the Balcony by Oumi Konomi
“Collecting a mind-expanding panorama of Oumi Konomi’s early short stories sure to inspire and delight: ethereal beings that slip into the cosmos, the faint smell of a goldfish bowl, the journey of wordless plant spirits, a brief and impossible love, a mermaid who’s forgotten how to swim, and many more.”
Translated by Matthais Hirsh, lettered by Tim Sunn. Printed in A5 format, sewn binding, tactile-residue interior stock (a bibliophile will have to explain that one to me), and a metallic-processed cover. 180+ pages.
3. Box Garden Beetle by Kondoh Akino
“Unfurling fields of morning glories and buttony polka dots. Wormholes of childhood memories and cabinets of magical curiosities. Balletic bands of laughter and creeping stippled shadows. Armies of insects and doppelgangers. An ethereal poetry of exquisite line and quiet space on one page, a surrealism of exploding form and whirling imagination on the next. Recognized both as a painter and as a master alternative manga artist whose early work was published by renowned alt-manga publisher Seirinkogeisha and lauded by masters like Seiichi Hayashi, Box Garden Beetle is the first full volume of [Kondoh Akino’s] manga to be translated into English.”
Translated by Ryan Holmberg. With an essay by Hayashi Seiichi. Printed in A5 format, lay-flat sewn binding, cream stock interiors, and a textured dust jacket. 200+ pages.
4. The Cursed Body by Kawakatsu Tokushige
“The first solo English publication from highly influential manga artist, editor, and historian Kawakatsu Tokushige, whose stories have previously been published in our Glaeolia anthologies, The Cursed Body collects two long stories from Kawakatsu’s ‘mysterious manga’ magazine Kagyu. ‘Cat Head Isle’ follows a group of three friends who boat out to a small, isolated island. The sole presence on the island is a cat shrine, but as they explore the friends start to exhibit increasingly erratic behavior. ‘Willow Weep For Me’ is the story of a mother and son who encounter a mysterious beggar on an afternoon walk. After the beggar’s body is fished up from the river later that evening, the strange and gruesome events begin to mount. Both stories are deeply influenced by kashihon (historical rental manga) and the classic ghost story form, and illustrate the author’s deep reading of Japanese and English literary traditions.”
With an interview of the author by Ryan Holmberg. Printed in A5 format, lay-flat sewn binding, deluxe cream stock interiors with a spot color ink, and a textured dust jacket. 270+ pages.
5. Baku Chan (original edition) by Masumura Jūshichi
“A devastatingly beautiful short comic about an immigrant tapir on Earth by the author of Children of Mu-Town (published by Glacier Bay Books, 2021). Baku Chan is a young tapir emigrated to Tokyo, Earth all the way from their home planet, the distant Star of the Tapirs. Once they arrive, they find Earth a strange and alien, yet somehow familiar, world full of surprises. With the help of their newfound friend Hana they navigate the various challenges, uncertainties, as well as the humorous and beautiful moments of their new life as an immigrant. Set in a world that’s a looking glass reflection of our own, and drawn in the wake of the escalating global politics of the 2010s, Masumura Jūshichi‘s timeless tale was awarded the 21st Japan Media Arts Festival‘s New Face Award in 2018.”
With new work made for this edition. Printed in full color, with a spot color, at A5 size, sewn binding, and a dust jacket. 60+ pages.
Glacier Bay also offers much of its back catalog as Kickstarter add-ons—you know how it works. Folks new to the publisher can go bonkers, and aficionados can fill in the gaps in their collection. As you can see from the variety on offer here, the mix ranges wildly, magically, creatively, and singularly. Read The Beat reviews of Mothers, Give Her Back to Me, The Strange and Funky Happenings One Day, and To The Sea; you can also find Glacier Bay on the Best Manga lists for 2023 and 2024, and in my self-indulgent gourmet cinephile listicle. If, y’know, you need to get even more hyped.
So what are you still doing here? Go get that manga!
