Magnetic Press has been building a distinctive catalog of internationally acclaimed graphic novels since 2013. With 31 Eisner Award nominations and a win for Best Production Design in 2024, publisher Mike Kennedy has proven there’s a market in the U.S. for stories from Europe. Now Magnetic is taking on one of its most ambitious projects yet: the complete seven-volume saga of Florent Maudoux’s Freaks Squeele, a manga-inspired superhero series that’s been captivating readers around the world since 2008.
Described as “Jujutsu Kaisen meets X-Men by way of Scott Pilgrim,” Freaks Squeele follows three misfit students at a superhero university where heroism is a regulated profession and deadly tournaments are broadcast for public consumption. The Kickstarter campaign launches all seven volumes at once, featuring 1,000 pages of story — plus an exclusive artbook and a limited edition “dorm footlocker” storage box.
We caught up with Kennedy to talk about what drew Magnetic Press to Freaks Squeele, how the publisher approaches translating international works and why European comics continue to offer something American readers can’t find anywhere else.
What first drew Magnetic Press to Freaks Squeele, and why did you feel now is the right time to bring it to American audiences?
I’ve been a fan of Label 619 for over 15 years, and was genuinely shocked it has taken this long for Freaks Squeele to be released in English. Florent’s art, his tongue-in-cheek pop-culture references, and the manga/anime-by-way-of-Europe vibe of everything just rocks on so many levels. The series has amassed a huge fan following around the world, as well as numerous spin-off series, and that massive universe was overdue for a proper North American debut. Magnetic recently entered a partnership agreement with Label 619, and Freaks Squeele jumped to the top of the list as one of their flagship titles.
You describe it as “Jujutsu Kaisen meets X-Men by way of Scott Pilgrim” – that’s quite a mix! How do you see those different influences playing out in the actual storytelling?
Freaks Squeele takes place in a University setting geared for wannabe heroes. While they say “superheroes” in much of their discussion, there really aren’t any tights or capes to be found. It is a lot more supernatural fantasy than what American readers might consider “superhero” stories. That’s where the Jujutsu Kaisen part fits in – students fighting “demons/monsters” with martial arts, makeshift weapons, etc. The setting is ripe with identifiable coming-of-age identity drama, like the best X-Men stories. The Scott Pilgrim facet comes from its self-referential pop-culture references, and its playful character interaction and humor. While there’s plenty of drama in this recipe, it’s mixed with a lot of sugar and fun.
The series critiques power structures while being an entertaining superhero romp. How does Maudoux balance that social commentary with the action and humor?
Like the best adventure shows and movies, it can’t be all humor all the time. There’s always a layer of intrigue and danger behind everything. Florent balances that mix with expert touch – a scene may be dark and detailed, but the expressions maintain the tone. Although originally created a while ago, the prevalence of social media, public spectacle, and personal branding are cornerstones of the students’ education. It’s not just about being the most powerful hero, it’s about public perception as well. (After all, the best villains see themselves as the hero…)
This is an ambitious campaign with all seven volumes at once. What made you decide to launch the entire series at once rather than rolling it out volume by volume?
Honestly, since the whole series is already complete, and there’s so much good stuff in the entire saga, it made sense to treat it all as one 1000+ page blockbuster. It also made designing the cool, exclusive boxed set a lot easier with all 7 volumes (plus exclusive art book)…
What can backers expect from the artbook, and what went into designing that limited edition footlocker?
The art book is rare content that was only available digitally for a brief period many, many years ago. It is beautiful stuff, however, so we’re proud and excited to put it in print, finally! There are beautifully painted pinups, alternate costume designs, background lore, and a lot more. We had a tough time selecting the best stuff to include!
The “footlocker” boxed set will be very cool as well. It will contain all 7 volumes, plus the exclusive art book, inside a magnetic slipcase designed to look like a traditional footlocker one might find in a dorm room. (If the campaign does well, we have plans for a variety of “travel stickers” to unlock as stretch goals, so backers can customize their footlocker like a steamer trunk if they so choose…)
Magnetic Press has built its reputation on bringing international creators to English-speaking audiences. What do you think French and European comics offer that American readers are hungry for?
There are so many unique stories and original angles on some of the tropes we’ve grown used to… A lot of what Label 619 authors (and many other French and European creators) make is admittedly inspired by, or a love letter to some of the coolest stuff American comics have offered, but whether it’s the geographical distance, experiential differences growing up, or a different cultural perspective, there always seems to be something new and unexpected in the best European comics. “Foreign” shouldn’t be scary or off-putting – straying from expectation makes everything exciting! That said, Magnetic Press strives to bring the most digestible and enjoyably familiar stuff to bookshelves.
How has the market for international graphic novels evolved since you started in 2013?
Awareness has certainly grown… It seems more and more publishers are dabbling in acquisition. We’ve managed to build a healthy reputation among authors, artists, and publishers in Europe with how respectfully we treat their work, however. Magnetic may still be “boutique,” but they know our work very well over there. That helps in our favor a bit when bidding for the best books! From the beginning, however, we’ve tried not to label our books as mere “translations” or “foreign reprints” due mostly to the originality and production quality of our book designs. We treat every book as if it were brand new and the coolest thing readers can discover on shelves. We’re still working on luring new readers to our catalog, but if someone looks at one of our titles as something that was created for us, in English, from scratch, then we’ve done our job.
For more on the campaign, visit Kickstarter.