Oni Press And Magnetic Press Unveil ‘Twin Lotuses’ — Chinese Cartoonist Zhang Xiaoyu’s First English-Language OGN

Oni Press and Magnetic Press have announced the first-ever English-language publication of Twin Lotuses. The manhua marks internationally acclaimed Chinese artist Zhang Xiaoyu’s debut as a writer and artist in North America. Stylish, ambitious, and genre-defying, Twin Lotuses is a book to be reckoned with. 

“Masterfully mixing a snapshot of war-torn China with the philosophical sci-fi questions of a Philip K. Dick novel, Twin Lotuses is a beautifully illustrated story capturing an ugly time and the flicker of hope, love, and ambition that shone through it all,” says Magnetic Press’ Director of Publishing, Mike Kennedy.

A Chinese orphan known as Stink Head’s life changes forever when he befriends Fan, a Chinese engineer who built an extraordinary clockwork automaton that performs at a local theater. Meanwhile, war rages throughout the city, and orphaned children run wild under the direction of local potentates in an attempt to thrive and survive. 

When those potentates take notice of the mysterious beauty at the theater, suspicions and desires start to grow, and Fan’s history with his invention comes into heartbreaking focus. Mix in an American airman, and the tensions of war, and things build to an explosive finale.  

Originally published in China as Bìngdìlián and in France as Lotus Jumeaux, Twin Lotuses is a showcase of Xiaoyu’s talent. Throughout his three-decade career, Xiaoyu’s work has been published around the world by publishers including Belgium’s Casterman and France’s Glenat. He earned First Prize and Best Graphic Novel in the China Animation and Comic Competition as well as France’s Golden Elephant Award. 

Twin Lotuses is a 324-page hardcover graphic novel that will give English-speaking audiences their first opportunity to appreciate Xiaoyu’s writing and art. The book arrives in bookstores on Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 and in comic shops on April 15th.