Random House Graphic believes in the importance and power of comics storytelling, and the central place of visual literature in our world and culture today. The imprint’s mission is to transform the childhood reading experience by making high-quality graphic novels accessible to every type of reader. The imprint is made up of a team of experts in the format, led by Director Gina Gagliano, who came to Random House from First Second Books, and includes Senior Editor Whitney Leopard, previously an Editor at BOOM! Studios, and Designer Patrick Crotty, Co-Founder of Peow. RHG also will have a dedicated Marketing and PR Manager, Nicole Valdez, joining the team in August. The imprint’s debut list includes two middle-grade graphic novels, THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS by Johan Troïanowski and ASTER AND THE ACCIDENTAL MAGIC by Thom Pico and Karensac; the young adult graphic novel WITCHLIGHT by Jessi Zabarsky; and the chapter book graphic novel BUG BOYS by Laura Knetzger. Following the publication of these first four titles, Random House Graphic will publish a contemporary middle-grade by Lucy Knisley, the critically acclaimed, award-winning New York Times bestselling comic creator of Relish and Kid Gloves. Inspired by Knisley’s own childhood, STEPPING STONES follows a young girl forced to move with her mom from the city to a farm in the country, where she eventually gets a new stepfather and stepsisters. Publication is scheduled for May 2020. “Random House Graphic is dedicated to publishing the best in kids and YA graphic novels,” explains Gagliano. “It’s an incredibly exciting time for the graphic novel medium—with more readers coming to these stories, and new groundbreaking books being published, the category is expanding by leaps and bounds. We can’t wait to share our contributions to it with readers, booksellers, comic book sellers, educators, librarians, and everyone who loves books and comics.”                       THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS (on sale January 21, 2020) follows a young princess who finds her castle intolerably boring and runs away to find adventure, make friends, and learn more about the fantastical world around her. BUG BOYS (on sale February 11, 2020) is a chapter book that follows two young bugs as they learn about friendship and the science of the world around them. ASTER AND THE ACCIDENTAL MAGIC (on sale March 3, 2020) is an action-packed middle-grade adventure about a girl whose parents move their family to the middle of nowhere. Aster’s new home seems far from exciting, until she figures out that the countryside might have some magic in it. WITCHLIGHT (on sale April 14, 2020) is a queer YA fantasy romance, filled with friendship, family, falling in love, and dealing with the hardest bits of your past along the way. Additional titles to be published by Random House Graphic in 2020 include Kerry and the Knight of the Forest by Andi Watson, Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse, Séance Tea Party by Reimena Yee, Crabapple Trouble by Kaeti Vandorn, Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song, The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen, and Suncatcher by Jose Pimienta. The RH Graphic program expands on the current list of acclaimed graphic novels published by Random House Children’s Books, including series like Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm; 5 Worlds by Mark Siegel and Alexis Siegel and illustrated by Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, and Boya Sun; and Hilo by Judd Winick, as well as stand-alone titles including The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell. RH Graphic is an imprint of Random House Children’s Books (rhcbooks.com), the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, and nonfiction, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. Visit Random House Graphic online at @RHKidsGraphic | rhkidsgraphic.com

Gina Gagliano joins Random House Children’s from First Second Books, where she was one of their first employees upon joining the imprint in 2005. Gagliano was most recently the Associate Director, Marketing & Publicity, and spent thirteen years on the First Second team as the lead on marketing and PR, managing campaigns for bestselling and award-winning creators including Vera Brosgol, Ben Hatke, Faith Erin Hicks, Lucy Knisley, Scott McCloud, Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, Tillie Walden, Jen Wang, and Gene Luen Yang, as well as the Reading Without Walls program. [caption id="attachment_112507" align="alignright" width="300"] Gina Gagliano[/caption] Random House Graphic will launch in fall 2019 with titles for children and teenagers and a combination of literary and commercial works. Random House Graphic will hire a team to be solely dedicated to the creation and promotion of the imprint’s titles, and for outreach and advocacy within the industry and direct-to-consumers to increase readership. “It is a truly exciting and important time of growth for comics and graphic novels within the kids market, and we see a distinct opportunity to reach even more readers,” says Haut. “We are thrilled to have Gina, with her creativity, expertise, and passion for the medium, at the helm of our new venture.” The Random House Graphic program will expand on the current list of graphic novel offerings currently published by Random House Children’s Books, including such series as Lucy & Andy Neanderthal by Jeffrey Brown, Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, Rickety Stitch by Ben Costa and James Parks, 5 Worlds by Mark Siegel and Alexis Siegel, and illustrated by Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, and Boya Sun, and Hilo by Judd Winick, and stand-alone titles including THE CARDBOARD KINGDOM by Chad Sell. “From awards to bestsellers, graphic novels have been advancing from success to success over the past decade. It’s the perfect time to take the next step forward with a kids comics imprint at Random House,” says Gagliano. “I’m excited to be part of building a brighter future for the medium—one where there are comics for every reader, in every home, on everyone’s bookshelves—with Random House Graphic.”