Influencers as Comic Creators

Earlier this week, YouTube storyteller MrBallen announced the details of his first graphic novel with Ten Speed Press, news of which first came out in May, becoming the latest in a flurry of influencers to enter the comic book and graphic novel category recently. Many of the YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch-based celebrities in this space to date are associated with comedic content, but other genres are involved as well (as MrBallen’s deal illustrates). These influencer-driven publishing programs typically focus either on stories the celebrities have created for social media or stories starring the influencers as superheroes or in autobiographical tales.

Some examples:

• MrBallen’s deal with Ten Speed (an imprint of Random House’s Crown Publishing Group) is for a graphic novel collection, MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious, based on the YouTuber and podcaster’s series of dark and spooky crime stories of the same name. The graphic novel, licensed by MrBallen (a.k.a. Jonathan B. Allen) and his company Ballen Studios, features nine stories, including adaptations of existing episodes as well as some new tales. The visuals are drawn by Robert Venditti and Andrea Mutti (interiors) and Rob Prior (cover). The title will be released on October 1, 2024, in hardcover, paperback, and e-book editions.

• Tony Weaver Jr. paired with Macmillan’s First Second Books imprint in October 2023 for an original fantasy manga series called The Dream Frontier, with illustrator Irene Yeom providing visuals. The first title in the series is expected to publish in 2026. Weaver is also releasing an autobiographical middle-grade graphic novel series with Macmillan, previously announced, called Weirdo, with the first title set for September 2024. The creator has a TikTok account focused on nerdy pop-culture content, as well as a webcomic called The UnCommons.

• Jyoti Chand, momfluencer, comedian, and self-care advocate known as Mamajotes on social channels, signed with HarperCollins in 2023 for a young-adult graphic novel called Fitting Indian, illustrated by Tara Anand. It is scheduled for publication in spring 2025. The story, a coming-of-age comedy-drama inspired by Chand’s own upbringing, is about a teen struggling with her mental health while facing the pressures of high school and her traditional South Asian family.

• Minecraft content creator Karl Jacobs announced a partnership with Dark Horse Comics in September 2023, for Time Traveler Tales, an all-ages comic book mini-series in five parts based on his streaming series Tales from the SMP. Tales from the SMP is a spin-off of the Dream SMP, a Minecraft-based, invite-only survival multiplayer roleplaying server, featuring characters loosely based on the server’s players and set within the Minecraft universe. The new comic book story stars a character named Oliver who time-travels to locations from the Wild West to Victorian London. The creative team includes writer Dave Scheidt, artists Kelly and Nichole Matthews (Kicking Shoes), letterer Joamette Gil, and cover artist Wendi Chen, along with Jacobs. Issue #1 of the monthly print and digital comic came out in December 2023 and the fifth and final issue is set for publication in April. A paperback collecting all five is scheduled for publication in August 2024. Jacobs appeared in MrBeast’s social media productions before becoming a Twitch and YouTube creator in his own right, specializing in Minecraft content.

• Khaby Lame, a Milan, Italy-based TikToker who became the most-followed person on the platform in 2022, is featured as a collaboratively created character called K1NG CHR0M3 in a comic book called EY3K0N, from Rebel Studios. EY3K0N debuted on Kickstarter as an NFT-powered comic anthology in November 2023. The creative team includes Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Adam Pollina, Blake Northcott, and Pat Oliffe. Previously, Lame paired with Italian publishing giant Mondadori for a comic book for kids, Super Easy (published in January 2022) as well as a journal, distributed throughout Europe. Authored by Lame with Giulio D’Antona and drawn by Piero B. Zemolo (both collaborators have worked on Mondadori’s Disney comics), Super Easy features a hybrid of autobiographical details and action themes. The Lame-based protagonist, who shares a similar backstory with the author, takes on the role of “the superhero of simplicity,” facing off against Mr. Domino, “master of useless complications.” Lame gained fame through his wordless videos lampooning overly complicated how-to content from other influencers.

• Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, known for his Fortnite streaming and related content on Twitch and other platforms, and his management company Loaded collaborated with Random House back in 2019 for graphic novels with Ten Speed, along with two books, Get Good: My Ultimate Guide to Gaming and Ninja Notebook, an aspirational gaming journal, both published by the Clarkson Potter imprint. The graphic novels, written by Justin Jordan and illustrated by Felipe Magaña in collaboration with Blevins, feature fictional stories starring Ninja as the protagonist. The first title, Ninja: The Most Dangerous Game, was published in December 2019, followed by Ninja: War for the Dominions. Both are currently available as e-books.

These influencers are able to promote their new publishing ventures to their large and loyal followings, whose demographic characteristics tend to overlap with those of graphic novel and comic book fans. They also have existing storytelling to build on, or at least an interesting and identifiable theme around which to build new content. So their entry into comic books and graphic novels is a logical one. Expect more relevant influencers to jump into this space, especially if some of the upcoming releases mentioned here end up generating significant sales.

If you’re interested in licensed publishing news, check out Karen Raugust’s recent coverage of that topic for Publishers Weekly, or sign up for the free PW Children’s Bookshelf e-newsletter, where her articles typically appear first.