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Your source for in-depth interviews, manga spotlights, and expert advice for your life as a mangaka.
Fall is a time of rest and renewal, a chance to watch the leaves change color and look back on your year. Another year is winding down, and it’s a good time to start thinking about our past successes and future goals. What went well for you this year? Is there something you can use as a foundation to build upon? What would you like to do next year? Are there any shows you’d like to exhibit at, projects you’d like to begin, or friends you’d like to collaborate? Now’s a good time to start thinking about what’s next while you appreciate all you’ve done! This is the newly quarterly VIZ Originals Creator Newsletter. Read on for advice, perspective, and opportunities!
CONTENTS:
Invaluable Experiences and the Power of Thumbnails
Here, Angels Have Claws: Samuel Sattin on LYNX
We’re Ready to Review Your Work Online This November!
New from VIZ Originals!
Come See Our Panel At New York Comic-Con!
Hisashi SASAKI has shepherded the VIZ Originals One-Shots Program as Editor-At-Large for the past three years, and what better time than now for a look at how the program is doing so far? Read on for a birds eye view of our program, to see advice for aspiring mangaka, and to learn what it’s like to work on a one-shot!
You’ve been publishing one-shots at a steady pace since the program debuted! How do you feel about the program’s success thus far?
Hisashi SASAKI: I feel incredibly proud and happy to have published nearly 40 one-shots spanning various genres in just three years. It has been an invaluable experience to meet and work with such talented and passionate mangakas from all corners of the globe. This three-year journey was akin to the nearly four decades of my editor’s life before launching this program.
One-shots mangaka submit thumbnails for editing instead of a script, making editing a very visual process. What are the strengths of editing thumbnails, rather than a script?
SASAKI: To be honest, I’ve been reviewing mangas only in thumbnail form, which makes it difficult for me to review the script format accurately. That’s why I ask that mangakas submit their works as thumbnails. Thumbnails are significantly easier to read than scripts, which I believe contributes to manga’s global popularity despite cultural and language barriers. Since thumbnails align with the way our audience actually reads, mangakas and I are literally on the same page when discussing it, making our discussions more productive. I believe the ability to translate their ideas into thumbnail forms is one of the most crucial skills of mangakas, as well.
On a related note, are there any best practices or must-have elements mangaka should aim for in their thumbnails?
SASAKI: Your approach to panel layout is super important. You should be meticulous about how effectively you lay out your panels to ensure that your manga is easy to read for your audience. In fact, popular mangas are generally going to be easy to read. If I were to offer one specific piece of advice about panel layout, it would be to avoid placing more than eight panels on a page, except in exceptional cases.
A one-shot is quite different from a series. What is appealing about reading one-shots to you?
SASAKI: It’s not as simple as it seems to showcase your character in such a limited number of pages. It’s even more challenging to capture the attention of your busy audience and encourage them to read your manga through to the end. The most accurate way to spot mangakas with the potential to captivate an audience in the first few pages, those who can make the audience read their manga to the end, is to review their one-shot.
Many mangaka submitting one-shots are new or aspiring artists. Do you have any tips or encouragement for people who may be too shy to submit to the program right now?
SASAKI: If you already have a work in progress or a brilliant idea in your mind but you’re too shy or intimidated to submit it to us, please don't worry about showing us your work. If you aspire to be a professional mangaka, your work will be scrutinized by an unspecified number of readers. Compared to that, it’s nothing to show it to just one editor. (And editors are generally kinder than most readers!) Unfortunately, we can’t provide direct feedback for every submission, but we do review all the submissions and try to give feedback to as many as possible. Please let us review your work! We’re looking forward to it so much!
Together, Samuel Sattin and tokitokoro make LYNX, the latest VIZ Originals debut! Lynx Takuma is a bio-enhanced detective in New Borealis. She battles hardened criminals and helps keep the peace in New Borealis alongside her talking cat Skua and partner Task, but this new case complicates her life beyond belief. New Borealis is no stranger to grisly murders, but this time…this is something new. Sattin sat down with the VIZ Originals Creator newsletter to discuss the recent release of LYNX, volume 1, and working with an artist as talented as tokitokoro.
Samuel, LYNX has been out for just under a month as we’re writing, but you’ve been working on it with your collaborator tokitokoro far longer than that. What do you enjoy about working with toki?
Samuel SATTIN:: When the two of us were introduced by toki’s manager, Aki Yanagi, I already had an abstract idea for LYNX. There was this image in my mind of haggard detectives beset by eternal winter, but beyond that, details eluded me—which is common when I begin a project. Coming upon toki’s art thus felt uncanny. I knew the moment I saw it that it was exactly what I was looking for, and it helped in turn create the world of LYNX.
I was thrilled when toki graciously accepted the project, and working with them has been a delight. They always think outside the box, and put a lot on the page that you might miss at first glance. As is true with many books, readers never understand just how long the road is from coming up with an idea to its actual creation and publication. LYNX is the result of years of work, and I’m so glad that toki and I get to introduce it to the world.
In your afterword, you mention that the book was created with toki’s aesthetic in mind. What does that look like from a writing perspective? What does toki’s artwork evoke in your mind?
SATTIN: Toki is not just immensely talented when it comes to character design, mood-building, and compositions. Their art shakes things up in both practice and ambition. You can’t help but be inspired by it, and let it guide the storytelling. From a writing perspective, this means internalizing toki’s art, and reflecting it back as the script progresses. The same thing goes for the characters. I write something with a certain mood in mind, toki interprets it, and then, when I’ve seen how they’ve interpreted it, I reframe what’s previously been built and take it into the future. We’ve had what I consider the privilege of working on LYNX in chapters, so that I begin to see what’s coming of the project before we move to the next big story segment. That really does make for an interesting and collaborative aesthetic.
Now that the first volume is out, you’re going to be meeting fans and new readers who are curious about Lynx. Do you have a slick sales pitch for the book ready to go already?
SATTIN: To be perfectly candid, this kind of thing has always been a challenge for me. Coming up with a pithy one or two line pitch that captures something that’s been jumbling around in my brain for a few years is never easy. But I’ll give it my best shot…
In one of the last habitable cities on earth, New Borealis, a haunted detective and her talking cat Skua finds themselves on the trail of a series of grisly murders. A trail that leads to what might look like an angel, but doesn’t come from any heaven they’d like to visit.
Lynx Takuma is a “bio-enhanced detective in New Borealis.” What’s the life of a bio-enhanced detective like? What kinds of things does Lynx dream about doing?
SATTIN: A bio-enhanced detective like Lynx is a highly prized asset in New Borealis—or at least that used to be the case, before creatures called Angels began haunting the streets. Lynx Takuma has had a storied career taking down crime syndicates for more than a decade. Though Quals are part and parcel of New Borealean society, her own Qual, Forder, is shrouded in mystery. While on its surface it provides enhanced strength and perception, it appears to also be part of a now-discontinued, dangerous technology program.
While Lynx is expected to cure whatever ails New Borealis, she’s also under the burden of a recent loss, not to mention having to raise her adopted son, Boro, alone…even if he disdains her. In a different time, Lynx’s dreams might have revolved around creating a loving home, and helping turn New Borealis into the dream her adoptive father promised her. But now, her dreams revolve around trying to unravel the past—particularly concerning her wife, Simone, and the circumstances that befell her.
The first few pages of a series can often feel like an invitation to readers to explore the world you’re about to unveil, so people put their best foot forward, so to speak. What did you most want readers to see and feel about New Borealis and Lynx as they worked through the opening chapter?
SATTIN: I think “see” and “feel” are essential words when it comes to LYNX. Though I have nothing against exposition dumps and have used them before, this series takes a different route. Though the book begins with Lynx Takuma’s thoughts, we arrive at she and Skua as characters through the point of view of an arctic hare. The two detectives then go on to encounter what will become the central mystery of the series: the first of multiple grisly murders committed by a creature that looks like it could be an angel, but may also possess the face of Lynx’s former wife. The investigation builds, and we are introduced to the idea of the Qual, and what it might do to enhance human potential. Lynx’s human partner and perpetual glutton for pain, Task, makes his first appearance, as does her adopted son, Boro. A feather is found in the center of the brain of the first murder victim, and its smell makes Skua want to retch. New Borealis is on the brink of a change, and we’ve arrived just in time to witness it. As we are introduced to Lynx through the eyes of a non-human character, an observer, so the story progresses. We receive as much information as can be received, and rely on our senses for the rest.
Read a free preview of LYNX and get your copy here.
An opportunity to receive direct feedback from Hisashi SASAKI, the former Editor-in-Chief of Weekly Shonen Jump could be yours!
Sign up for a virtual portfolio review. We want to connect with talented mangaka who might not be able to meet us at our in-person events. Find out more and submit your work here. We can’t wait to hear from you.
GalaXic Baseball League, vol. 1 
After years in last place, Earth’s team, Gaia, is on the brink of expulsion from GXBL. Their last chance lies in winning the Survival Tournament, but with no money and no players, the future looks grim. Even Sol, a devoted staffer raised at Gaia Stadium, is losing hope. But when the team’s new GM, Luna, hatches a daring plan to recruit elite players, Sol begins to wonder if they might have a shot after all…
Join Luna and Sol as they lead Aaron Judge, Fernando Tatís Jr., Jazz Chisholm Jr., Kyle Schwarber, Paul Skenes, Shohei Ohtani, and more in an epic battle against the scum of the galaxy in the GXBL Survival Tournament! Serializing now on VIZ Manga!
Available in print on October 13, 2026!
LYNX, vol. 1 
Lynx Takuma is standing still. As a bio-enhanced detective in New Borealis, one of the last habitable cities after worldwide climate disaster, Lynx knows what she’s meant to do: break up crime syndicates, track down rogue Qual technology, and keep the peace alongside her reckless-but-trusty partner Task and her crime-fighting talking cat Skua. While on the trail of a series of grisly murders, Lynx sees something impossible that turns her world upside down—something that looks like an angel…
Out now!
Not So Shoujo Love Story, vol. 4 
Murder by banana peel?! When a fruity slipup puts high school founder Mr. Koko in the hospital, Rei finds herself suspect number one in his accident, with her continued career at Koko High on the line. But with a (literal) push from Hanna, can Rei find her voice and defend herself from her delinquent image once and for all?
Out now!
Status Royale, vol. 3 
Winter Warfare 2039 is here! Team Vellstorm and the New York Dollars are both primed for victory, and all the attention is on who will win the rivalry between their team captains, Vell and Jun! Fans are on the edge of their seats to see if Vell and her team can keep a winning streak long enough to reach a face-off with Jun in the game that started it all, Status Royale!
Serializing now on VIZ Manga! Final volume coming in December!
VIZ Originals and the Future Superstars of Manga!
When: Saturday 10/10, 12:45–1:30 PM
Where: Room 408
A behind-the-scenes look at creating new manga! Join Samuel Sattin, the bestselling author of UNICO AWAKENING, as he discusses the development and inspiration behind his new manga, LYNX. Then, watch renowned artist Acky Bright draw live on stage as he speaks with his editor, Hisashi SASAKI, about the creation of the new sports manga sci-fi epic GALAXIC BASEBALL LEAGUE. Includes special giveaways.
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