Oni-Lion Forge to Debut Choose Your Own Adventure Graphic Novels in 2021
This story was written by Chris Doucher, Editor-in-Chief, Writer and Comic Panel Moderator for GeekNerdNet.
For many reasons, I can’t wait for 2021. One of those reasons is today’s announcement that Portland-based Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group and Chooseco have partnered. They will be giving the famous Choose Your Own Adventure interactive book series (published by Chooseco), the graphic novel treatment. I can’t wait to see how they pull this off. Along with comics, this book series of (multiple) adventures got me into reading. I have no doubt that these graphic novels will do the same for many young readers out there. The series will be available in August 2021, and the first book will be: Choose Your Own Adventure: Eighth Grade Witch. For more details behind this fun project, read the official press release below.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PORTLAND-BASED ONI-LION FORGE PUBLISHING GROUP JOINS FORCES WITH CHOOSECO LLC IN LAUNCHING BRAND NEW LINE OF IMMERSIVE GRAPHIC NOVELS
The Official Choose Your Own Adventure Graphic Novels to Launch
in Summer 2021
Portland, OR: In a dynamic and exciting move, Chooseco, publisher of the world-famousChoose Your Own AdventureⓇ interactive book series, and Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group are pleased to announce their upcoming partnership with the launch of Choose Your Own AdventureⓇ graphic novels in August 2021.
“Bringing the Choose Your Own Adventure gamebook series to graphic novels has been a challenge we’ve pondered for many years—going back to before we even began publishing independently!” said Melissa Bounty, Associate Publisher at Chooseco. “It took the experience and muscle of Oni-Lion Forge to crack this one, and we are thrilled with the fresh spin they have brought to our classic books.”
The longtime comics publisher of such pop-culture characters as Gudetama™, Aggretsuko™, Rick and Morty™, and Invader Zim™, the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group is no stranger to bringing iconic and beloved figures to life; however, this is the first time such an innovative intersection of books and games will be brought to the graphic-novel medium for both companies. “As someone who didn't grow up with the original Choose Your Own AdventureⓇ gamebooks, adapting these stories into graphic novels has been an adventure in and of itself,” said Desiree Rodriguez, Editor at Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group. “They were a new experience to work on, and I hope readers unfamiliar with the originals like me can gain a new experience by reading them."
The series will kick off with the classic Choose Your Own Adventure: Eighth Grade Witch from the creative team of E.L. Thomas, Andrew Gaska, Valerio Chiola, and Thiago Ribeiro. In true Choose Your Own AdventureⓇ form, the reader is immersed in the story as Rabbit, the new kid on the block who enters a ghoulish world of nightmares, witches, and ghosts. From learning about the mysterious witch Prudence Deadly, trouncing through spooky graveyards, meeting ghostly ancestors, or channeling some witchcraft with classmates, the readers will choose which adventure or nightmare they’ll embark on. No one path leads to the same destination, and readers will face choices that will either lead them to the light—or a gruesome end. Choose Your Own Adventure: Eighth Grade Witch will release on August 25, 2021 with the long-standing Chooseco classic Journey Under the Sea as the next title in the official line.
For Robert Meyers, Senior Editor, Licensing at Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, the opportunity to share such a childhood foundation with a new generation offers an exciting challenge. "As a kid who spent hours in the backseat of a car, head buried in Choose Your Own AdventureⓇ gamebooks, this project is an absolute dream. I'm thrilled to be able to bring the near endless fun of a classic Choose Your Own Adventure book to a new audience. We've got some great titles lined up, and a few surprises as well."
Merged with Lion Forge Comics in 2019 but established in 1997, Oni Press (now branded as the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group) publishes a thoughtfully curated line of award-winning original and licensed graphic novels and comic books for readers of all ages, including such titles as Gender Queer, The Tea Dragon Society series, Rick and Morty™,Stumptown, and A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns.
Chooseco is a purpose-built publishing house which brought the groundbreaking Choose Your Own Adventure gamebook series back to print. Since its relaunch in 2005, Chooseco has sold over 15 million copies. Based in Vermont, Chooseco boasts a creative team dedicated to promoting literacy through immersive interactive stories.
About the Company
The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group is a premier comic book and graphic novel publisher located in Portland, Oregon. Merged with Lion Forge Comics in 2019 but established in 1997, Oni Press (now branded the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group) publishes a thoughtfully curated line of award-winning original and licensed graphic novels and comic books for readers of all ages. Oni Press also publishes inclusive sex education, gender studies & erotica graphic novels under the Limerence Press imprint. Notable titles from the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group include: The Tea Dragon Society, Sheets, Gender Queer, A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns, Scott Pilgrim, Stumptown, Sanrio's Gudetama™, and Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty™.