Marvel Is Introducing America to Korean Manhwa Comics with 'Avengers K'

Asia’s comic book market is booming in North America. New Japanese manga releases frequently hit the top sellers list and tend to outsell the biggest, most prominent American comic book series. Not to miss a wave, Marvel has announced its manhwa (Korean-style comic book) Avengers K will be translated and released in North America this May.

A retelling of the Avengers’ battle with Ultron, Avengers K was first released in South Korea and published by Daewon C.I using what Marvel calls an “untapped pool” of top manhwa talent.

“Marvel’s popularity is growing exponentially throughout Asia – specifically within Korea – which has resulted in a vast catalog of visually kinetic original content,” David Gabriel, Marvel SVP, Print & Digital Publishing, said in a news release from the company. “Marvel is poised to introduce the international comic book community a bold reimagining of one of the most iconic Avengers stories ever told through the vibrant and action-packed manhwa format presented for our English-speaking fans for the very first time.”

This isn’t the first time the House of Ideas leapt on an international trend. In 2008, the publisher translated comics from French imprint Soleil and released them stateside. From 2000 to 2006, Marvel had an entire “Mangaverse” which had the heroes and villains of Marvel inhabit a Japanese-style comic book universe.

Avengers K: Book 1, written by Si Yeon Park, will be released on American shores May 2016, and will retail for $24.99.