Bonnier Rights Nordic Manga Spring 2026

Nordic Manga Spring 2026

Northern Lights

Sonja is an ordinary Viking girl – until one night, when she is mysteriously visited by a boy who feels strangely familiar. He comes from a magical realm hidden just beyond her world and invites her to step through a glowing portal into his. Together, they ride the Northern Lights themselves, soaring into a Norway unlike any you’ve ever seen: vast, wild, and brimming with ancient magic.

In this breathtaking fantasy series, Sonja finds herself at the heart of an epic struggle. She teams up with new friends Espen and Lotta for a perilous quest through the troll mountains, where towering giants roam and long-forgotten secrets lie buried beneath stone and snow. Along the way, they face fierce trolls, treacherous Vikings, and forces that threaten the fragile balance of their world. To survive – and to protect Jotun Valley – they must rely on courage, loyalty, and unexpected allies. But will their combined strength be enough when the fate of both worlds hangs in the balance?

The Northern Lights series is a modern fairytale deeply rooted in Nordic myth and landscape, blending adventure, emotion, and wonder. Created by Malin Falch, the series has become a phenomenon, selling over 400,000 copies in Norway alone. Planned as a ten-book saga, the first seven volumes are already published in Norway, with book eight scheduled for release in 2026 – bringing the story closer to its anticipated final return.

Reminiscent of Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet series – with a hint of Frozen’s sweeping northern magic – Falch’s vibrant illustrations bring Norway’s dramatic landscapes and mythical creatures vividly to life. Each page is a visual feast, making the books as immersive as they are thrilling.

A multiple award-winner, the series has received all major Norwegian children’s book prizes, including the ARK Children’s Book Award, the Pondus Prize, and The Children’s Book Prize. With film and TV adaptations currently in production, Northern Lights is a must-read – and a must-watch – for fans of epic fantasy, graphic novels, and unforgettable adventures.

Malin Falch (b. 1993) in Trondheim, Norway. She studied and worked in video game concept art in San Francisco for five years before moving back to Norway to be a full-time comic book creator. Northern Lights is her debut series, for which she has won awards including The Pondus Price 2018 and the Ark Children Book 2018. This modern-day fairytale by Malin Falch has captivated readers worldwide, selling over 300,000 copies in Norway. Planned to span ten books, the long-awaited 8th chapter in the series has just been published in spring 2026.

Original series name Nordlys • Author & illustrator Malin Falch • Publication Egmont, TNT, 2018–2026, 144–192 pages, 8 books • Rights sold series Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Faroese, Finnish, French, Georgia, Georgian, Icelandic, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Swedish, Ukranian

Valiant

Step into Valiant – a virtual fantasy world where you can live exactly as you want, finding your true self. You have adventures, battle monsters, and fulfill all your dreams, and if you’re strong, you can even be popular in the real world. When we meet young Victor, however this is not his experience. At school, he’s bullied and feeling lonely, but in the fantasy world he has two best friends, and together they embark on a quest to become the strongest players ever. Valiant is a Nordic manga series set in a future where the virtual world is more important than our own. Life on the screen goes hand in hand with life at school. But this also means that people who would have remained strangers in real life actually get to know each other. Some even fall in love…

Victor Sotberg (b. 1991) is from Steinkjer but now lives in Oslo. He is a well-known media personality, producer, and content creator in Norway, but also writes the script for Valiant, which is his first graphic novel series.

Odin Helgheim (b. 1996) spent a few years in the U.S. as a child, where he developed a deep passion for comics. His debut book, Ragnarok – Fenrisulven, won the ARK Children’s Book Prize in 2020. Originally from Sandefjord, Odin now lives in Oslo and works full-time as a series creator.

Cathrine Sandmæl (b. 1991) is an illustrator and author living in Nordre-Follo. She has a bachelor’s degree in Illustration from the University of Wolverhampton and another in visual communication from the University of SouthEastern Norway. As an illustrator, she has been professionally active since 2013 and worked on several books for Cappelen Damm and Gyldendal. She is the winner of the Dina Norlund Debut Award and Children's Book Institute Award for Best Comics for her series Girls.

Original series name Jenter • Author & illustrator Cathrine Sandmael  • Publication Egmont, TNT, 2024–2026, 144 pages, 2 books • Rights sold Danish, Dutch

9–12 Years

Eli has recently moved to a suburban town just outside Oslo and feels like a fish out of water. When she finds a group of girls who love manga and admire her drawing skills, things finally begin to look up. Through them, Eli meets Nina – and when a joking kiss at a birthday party suddenly won’t leave her thoughts, Eli is thrown into the confusing question of what a crush really feels like. Did Nina kiss back as a joke, or was it something more?

In the second book, Eli is certain of one thing: polished, preppy girls are the worst. With one possible exception. Camilla. Camilla reads manga, smiles beautifully, and seems to belong to a perfect world Eli can’t quite imagine herself fitting into. As new feelings stir once again, Eli must navigate friendship, longing, and the fear of not being enough for someone else’s life.

Girls is an award-winning funny and poignant coming-of-age series about nerdy girlhood, friendship as a life raft, first love, and the slow, brave process of discovering who you are – and who you can become.

Wild Paws

© Hedda Kverndalen

Victor Nordahl (b. 1990) lives in Finland and has been working on the Wild Paws-series for many years. This is his first children’s series to be published, and Wild Paws was nominated for the ARK Children’s Book Prize in 2022.

Original series name Ville Poter • Author & illustrator Victor Nordahl

• Publication Egmont, TNT, 2022–2026, 130–184 pages, 4 books • Rights sold series Danish, English (W), Swedish

A Norwegian children’s series for ages 6 and up, Wild Paws is a gripping saga about foxes Lukas and Ty, which delves into themes of being different, mental illness and the journey of self-discovery. The wild fox Ty has never felt like the other foxes in the clan, shying away from fighting, being bullied by crows and dependent on family to be fed and protected. One day, it all becomes too much, and Ty runs away to prove to the others that he can catch his own prey. Instead, he winds up being caught on a fox farm. There he meets Lukas, whose sheltered life couldn’t be more different from Ty’s, and together they decide to see the world. Humorous and warm, Wild Paws is a stand-out children’s book series that impresses with its gripping storytelling.

Odin Helgheim (b. 1996) is from Sandefjord, Norway but spent a few years in the US as a kid, where he discovered comics and started honing his drawing skills.

His debut book, Ragnarok  – Fenrir won ARK’s children’s book prize in 2020. There is a total of six titles in the popular children’s book series. Odin lives in Oslo and works full-time creating graphic novels.

Dragon Vikings

When thrall Sigurd survives the Dragon King’s wrath, he vows revenge. Enslaved, powerless, and burning with purpose, Sigurd’s fate changes when a rampaging golden warthog leads him to a hidden rune stone, a fierce dragon named Fafnir who holds hidden powers, and a tiny as well as adorable sidekick piglet called Gulli. Together, the unlikely foursome of a vengeance-driven thrall, a treasure-hungry dragon, a stone-seeking Stein and a piglet with attitude embark on a thrilling quest to collect all Rune Stones – the only force strong enough to defeat the tyrannical Dragon King. Epic battles. Ancient magic. One thrall’s quest for vengeance. Dragon Viking – The saga begins.

Written by bestselling and award-winning comic creator Odin Helgheim, the Dragon Viking series is full of hilarity, adventure and finding friendship in the strangest of places. The first two books in the planned eight book series is already out in Norway, perfect for thrill-seeking readers everywhere.

Original series name Drageviking • Author & illustrator Odin Helgheim

• Publication TNT, 2025, 124 pages • World rights excl. Scandinavia and Finland with PRH UK © Christopher Helberg Odin Helgheim

Zoia’s Core Frida

Tessa Nelissen (b. 1994) is an illustrator, storyteller, and trained dentist from the Netherlands, now living in Norway. A lifelong lover of fantasy novels, films, manga, and games, she grew up immersed in magical worlds – and never stopped exploring them. Her work often features her other great passions: cats, plants, and sustainability. The Sky World is the first volume in her debut graphic novel series, Core of Zoia, a sixbook fantasy saga inspired by the stories that shaped her childhood and continue to inspire her today.

Frida finds herself in the middle of the strangest adventures as soon as her head hits the pillow. This time, she is shipwrecked on a stormy sea and rescued by fishermen Mica and Nico. They inform her that she has ended up in the land of Aquador. It isn’t long before Frida is put to work diving for fresh sea apples, an ingredient that is essential for making medicine in Aquador. Frida is given a special type of bubble seaweed to eat, which allows her to hold her breath for a long time underwater. But during her dives, she hears cries for help – cries that neither Mica nor Nico hear. What is happening down there in the depths?

xFredrik

Frode Øverli is one of Norway’s most beloved comedians. He has been a fixture on the bestseller lists for almost a lifetime with his Pondus books a universe from which Frida  – Pondus’ daughter – springs. What people are saying about Frida book number 1, Jakten på nesehårene (The Hunt for Nose Hairs): ‘Pondus’ daughter is giving her dad a run for his money!’ (Bergens Tidende, which gave it five stars) “Frode Øverli is recognisable both in his ugly style and his brutal humour. This is fresh entertainment for the whole family.‘ (Anne Cathrine Straume, NRK Kultur) ‘Frode Øverli has created a warm and perfectly tart extension of the Pondus universe, with impressive results.” (Walter Wehus, barnebokkritikk.no)

Supernova

In a world where hearts beat on borrowed time, survival has a price – and innocence may be the greatest illusion of all.

Set in the ruins of a distant future, Supernova tells the story of Finn, a lone hunter tasked with tracking down the Makina  – strange beings whose hearts fuel the very marrow that keeps humanity alive. It’s a brutal existence, built on a grim dependence. But everything changes when Finn stumbles across Nova, a curious, fearless girl wandering the heart of the Death Zone  – alone. She shouldn’t be alive, yet she is.

As the two form an unlikely bond over strange stories, cinnamon sticks, and a pinky promise that lingers like hope in a dying world, questions begin to surface: Who is Nova? And what secrets lie buried in the silence between her words?

Supernova is the debut graphic novel by the promising creator Peder Hornseth Nygaard, a post-apocalyptic tale of survival, found family and the fragile boundary between hunter and hunted  – between love and betrayal.

Peder Hornseth Nygaard (b. 1998) is a Norwegian illustrator and animator with a bachelor’s degree in Animation and Digital Art from Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. In 2021, he won second place in Egmont’s comics competition. Nygaard’s work blends a love of storytelling with a strong sense of mood and place. This autumn, he makes his debut with the dystopian graphic novel Supernova

Cha Sandmæl (b. 1992) is a comic creator and illustrator living in Oslo, Norway. Eye of the Dragon is their first published graphic novel, published January 2021 with Egmont. Their books have been translated into three languages and counting.

Before making this book series they worked as a freelance illustrator while they also made a webcomic. They have both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Fine Art from Aberystwyth University in Wales.

Eye of the Dragon

Eye of the Dragon is an epic fantasy book series by Cha Sandmæl, set in an immersive and visually stunning universe that draws you in, and its own, modern twist. It is centred around the ash elf Kha and their unlikely friend Ranja, dragon by day and woman by night, offering large-scale drama, perilous quests and true friendship.

Spanning six books, the story of Eye of the Dragon begins when ash elf Kha is forced to leave their world under ground – a world which worships the moon and fosters a tight-knit community  – to go to the surface above for a chance for a new beginning. Dark forces are conspiring against them, when they find an unexpected source of friendship in Ranja, and the adventure begins. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles in their way?

Mia Myhr

The Mia Myhr series is a thrilling portal fantasy with a dose of humour and mystery. When Mia moves with her parents and sister Hanna to the edge of a forest, she begins to look into the mysterious disappearance of her grandmother five years ago. As she takes her drawing pad into the woods she finds a tarn that wasn’t there before, and catches a glimpse of a terrifying animal within it. When her sister also goes missing, she must find out what happens beneath the surface – and dives into the terrifying water to an eerie world beneath. What creatures live below? And will she be able to find and save her sister? A Stranger Things for children, Mia Myhr will send chills down your spine, make you laugh, and be blown away by the immersive world and amazing drawings.

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Sara Hjardar (b. 1998) is born and raised in Fredrikstad, Norway. She completed a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and illustration in the spring of 2021 at the University of the Arts in Oslo, but now lives again in her hometown. The publication of the first Mia Myhr book came after Sara won a talent competition in 2021, and since then she has published four books in the series: Mia Myhr and the missing children, Mia Myhr and the Chaos Crystal Mia Myhr and the Rotten Water and Mia Myhr and the Sisters of Skår The fourth book in the series will be published autumn 2025.

H. L. Phoenix (b. 1982) is an awardwinning author, illustrator and comic book artist who grew up in a suburb outside Oslo. Arkin is his first graphic novel series, a portal fantasy series which won the inaugural Raven Rings Prize in 2022 with the nomination below.

“Arkin is gorgeous, with worldclass illustrations. Captivating and emotional, like beloved animated movies… But Arkin is so much more than beautiful, it’s a life raft… It goes to the very core of what fantasy can be: Stories that provide meaning in meaninglessness. Hope, when everything seems hopeless.”

Arkin

Arkin is a beautiful portal fantasy series where dreams come true, where loneliness and longing saves lives, and where the smallest person casts the biggest shadow. Arkin is a lonely, creatively gifted and anxious boy who has always felt like an outsider, and since the death of his mother, loneliness threatens to devour him completely. Everything changes one day, when a mysterious older caretaker at his school leaves him with a strange riddle. As the clever Arkin solves the riddle, a magical world unravels before him. The Arkin series, planned to be six instalments, is a stunningly illustrated epic for children and adults ages 8 and up. The first five books in the series are already published, and the last, longed for last part is due to be published in 2026.

The Dark Elf

The Dark Elf is an epic manga for young adults, and a visceral tale about not belonging. We follow Caim, a little dark elf who is the last of his kin after all others have been exterminated following a great war between dark and white elves. He grows up among the white elves, and is destined to have a hard life, treated with contempt and wished to be dead by the elves around him. One day, he learns of a place called Joker where everyone is rumoured to live in peace, regardless of who they are. But can this place be real? Joker begins to loom large in his head, and he decides that he must get there, whatever the price may be. The Dark Elf is hailed to be Norway’s first manga, with book four published in April 2025.

Helen Kaldheim (b. 1995) was raised in Odda, Norway but now resides in Oslo. Today, she makes a living as a lecturer, cosplayer, and manga artist. With The Dark Elf, she aims to contribute to spread manga among the youth in Norway. The first book in the series, Alone was published in 2022, and book two and three soon followed. Her style is firmly within the Japanese manga tradition, and when she is not writing on The Dark Elf she travels around libraries, schools and festivals to teach the art to young children.

Original series name Ragnarøk• Author & illustrator Odin Helgheim • Publication Egmont, TNT, 2020–2024, 144–172 pages, 6 books • Rights sold series Czech, Danish, Finnish, German, Swedish

Ragnarok is an exciting graphic novel series set in a Norse fantasy universe. We meet the young Viking boy Ubbe Gunnhildsson who has everything he could ever wish for, and who lives a fun-filled, adventurous life filled with joy. But when mythological monsters and gods decide to intervene, Ubbe realizes that he has to grow up and change overnight: he must become a true Viking. Over six books, Odin Helgheim tells a saga about losing all control to forces much stronger than yourself and about the journey to take it back. With Odin’s enormous talent for storytelling, and with humour as a sharp weapon, Ragnarok has become an immediate favourite among children, who simply cannot get enough of Ubbe’s world.

The Snowcat Prince

Immerse yourself in this enchanting fairytale, a stunning fantasy novel about bravery, overcoming shame and confronting one’s own prejudices.

The Snowcat Prince is a beautifully illustrated tale of bravery and honour.

Syv is a snowcat and the youngest in a family of princes. When his father dies, Syv and his brothers are all in line for the throne. Eager to become kings themselves, Syvs brothers send him on a dangerous quest to find the long-lost magical crown that once belonged to their royal ancestor, the Eldking. Legend says that the snowcat who finds the crown will break the curse on their land and bring great honour to the family. Along his journey, Syv will face dangerous beasts, dark powers, and the everlurking sandfoxessworn enemies to the snowcats.

The Snowcat Prince was a 2023 ALA Best Graphic Novel for Children.

Norlund (1995–2023) was a concept artist, fantasy novel author and illustrator. Growing up in the lush forests of Norway, she took inspiration from the culture and folklore when writing and illustrating her stories. The Snowcat Prince began as a crowdfunded project, but was later picked up for publication, and sold internationally. It received a starred review for exceptional merit from Kirkus magazine after the US publication by Oni Press, and was nominated for the ARK Children’s Book Prize in Norway.

The Inventor

An imaginative and truly unique science-fiction series about invention, consequences, and courage.

In a quiet island village where giant turtles help with farming, young Kobolt Kogg dreams of becoming an inventor like his eccentric grandfather. But when a reckless experiment goes wrong, Kobolt is seriously injured – and the island’s peaceful life is shat tered. Still determined to follow his dream, he sets out on a journey to set things right.

In the bustling trade city of Basara, where everything is ruled by profit, Kobolt meets an unusual gnome tinkering in the shadows. Together, they embark on a bold new invention – one that challenges the city’s values and could change everything.

This Norwegian children’s series by Lars Henrik Eriksen explores curiosity, resilience, and the unexpected costs of innovation, all through a wildly original and imaginative lens.