Tori Tadiar Auctions Highsummer, Her Debut Graphic Novel, To Disney

Highsummer is the debut middle-grade graphic novel series by Filipina author-illustrator Tori Tadiar. Tori auctioned the publishing rights with five publishers bidding on it, before Rachel Stark at Disney-Hyperion won the deal. In the Highsummer series inspired by Philippine folklore and mythology, 12-year-old Mika tries to undo a curse she accidentally cast on two classmates—but when she awakens ancient gods and a sun-devouring beast set on plunging the world into darkness, she must team up with her former bullies to save the world and all she holds dear.

As Tori puts it “A GRAPHIC NOVEL series set in a Filipiniana junior high school? A girl who can wake ancient gods and creatures from PH MYTHOLOGY? From the publisher of the Percy Jackson series?! THREE BOOKS!?!” Tori Tadiar works full-time as an IT professional, while working on comics in her spare time. She won the Komiket Best Komiks Award in 2017 for her Filipiniana fantasy comic SAGALA, which was released as a self-published graphic novel in 2019 and her most recent project, Twinkle, Twinkle, is an Official Selection finalist at the First Philippine International Comics Festival (PICOF). Tori is also the grand prize winner of the 2020 PBBY-Alcala Prize for her illustrations based on Boon Kristoffer Lauw‘s chapter book, Team Abangers at ang Estilong Trumpo. And she has been putting together a team for Highsummer, tweeting out “Hi Filipino comic artists! I’m looking for a colorist, letterer, and an art assistant to join the Highsummer team! Drop me a DM for more info (and yes, these are paid positions) RT’s/recommendations appreciated!”

Publication of the first Highsummer book is set for 2024. Tori Tadiar’s agent Britt Siess at Britt Siess Creative Management did the three-book deal for world English rights.

Hyperion Books was founded in 1990 from scratch with no backlist under Disney’s then-C.E.O. Michael Eisner and Robert S. Miller. Hyperion’s strategy was to not purchase backlists, but to go after newer or lesser-known authors and to “capitalize on Disney talent and products.” The Disney Publishing Group was incorporated in January 1992. In April 1999, Hyperion Books was transferred to Disney’s ABC Group. In June 2013, Hachette announced that it would acquire Hyperion from Disney. Hyperion’s books related to existing Disney–ABC Television Group properties and young adult titles joined the Disney-Hyperion imprint at Disney Publishing Worldwide.