Just out of Kaizena documentary video retracing his ascent of Everest, the YouTuber Inoxtag published Thursday Instincthis manga project. “We were immersed in mangas so, over time, I told myself that I would like to create a story,” explains the 22-year-old young man. Launched in collaboration with Basile Monnot, director of Kaizenand the designer Charles Compain, the 212-page work, tells the story of a young man with the power to perceive the aura and intentions of the people around him.
A big fan of manga, Inoxtag regularly wears a straw hat identical to that of Luffy, hero of One Piece. Another reference, shared with other Internet creators: “the shonen spirit”, named after the genre of adventure, sports or combat manga, where the protagonist starts from nothing and triumphs through determination.
“Following your instincts is important”
Inoxtag decided to take the plunge and work on its own manga during a meeting with the man who would become its designer, in February 2023. “At the time, I was a business engineer but I had already the ambition to become a mangaka”, remembers Charles Compain, 29 years old, who is now signing his first manga. Taking advantage of the internet star’s (20 million subscribers on social networks anyway) visit to the Agricultural Show, he offers him his services while slipping him one of his sketches.
“A lot of people ask me to work with them,” says Inoxtag. But when I met Charles, I had this click. I thought about it all night. The next day, I called him and said, “Quit your job and come work with us.” Following your instinct is important.” To support him, the YouTuber affiliated with the Webedia group also called on Tony Valente, the author of RadiantFrench manga sold more than a million copies and the only one to have had the honor of being adapted into an animated series in Japan. A destiny that also makes the YouTuber dream.
“Inoxtag has extraordinary communication power”
But Inoxtag is not the first French content creator to attempt the manga adventure. Since 2016, Kevin Tran (5.6 million subscribers on YouTube) has sold more than 1.5 million copies of the six volumes of Keys & Hi by Michel Lafon, who also publishes Instinct. “Inoxtag has been able to unite and build loyalty in its community. Its power of communication is extraordinary,” explains the publisher who regularly collaborates with Webedia.
To see if the launch ofInstinct will have the same success as Kaizenwhich attracted 340,000 spectators during a single day of broadcast.
