Comic Trail publishes four new short stories by emerging talents and launches new round of manga competition

The web manga service Comic Trail, operated by Houbunsha, has released a series of new short stories. From June 5 to June 26, 2026, four independent works will be published, created by talents who have already stood out in the in-house newcomer competition "Mangaka Audition." The new one-shots are titled "Michiru no Jobutsu Meshi" by Fuji Shiro, "CURSE TO CURSE" by Kira Kohei, "Arutimetto Maou-chan!!" by Oguni Task, and "Sarube Eiji no Hiroimono" by Rokakou Riki. Rokakou Riki won the special prize in the "Unfinished" category at last year's "Mangaka Audition 2025." Oguni Task and Fuji Shiro successfully passed the first selection round in their respective categories, which now enabled them to publish these short stories. In parallel, the next edition of the competition begins: the "Mangaka Audition 2026 summer." From June 5 to August 31, applicants can submit their works. The main prize is endowed with 500,000 yen and includes a serialization on Comic Trail. The second prize is endowed with 200,000 yen. New is that the competition will now be held twice a year. Another call for submissions for winter is already planned; further details will be announced at a later date. With the "Newcomer One-Shot Fest 2026," Comic Trail underscores its commitment to fostering promising emerging artists and providing them with a platform.