Rock the Boat to publish Marionetta by bestselling author and WEBTOON sensation Míriam Bonastre Tur

By John Freeman on 1 July 2026 • ( 0 )

Oneworld’s Rock the Boat has snapped up Marionetta, a thrilling dark fantasy graphic novel series by Míriam Bonastre Tur, the internationally bestselling author of Hooky.

Marionetta by Míriam Bonastre Tur, published by Rock The Boat, will be on sale from all good bookshops from 8th October 2026 SNIP

Publishing Director Shadi Doostdar acquired UK and British Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada from Hannah Babcock, director of sub-rights at Random House Children’s Books US, in a three-book deal.

For those unfamiliar, Marionetta is a viral WEBTOON phenomenon that has accumulated over 60 million views. The print edition will feature never-before-seen illustrations and an original story that fans can’t read online.

A mysterious circus. A missing friend. A dangerous deal. Welcome! The show is about to begin!

Julia Lazarrett is happy with her honest, predictable life. But when her best friend Kamille convinces her to visit a travelling circus, they both get more than what they bargained for. Thrust into a world full of secrets, magic and death, Julia is forced to strike an impossible deal in order to survive…

Marionetta by Míriam Bonastre Tur, published by Rock The Boat, will be on sale from all good bookshops from 8th October 2026 — *Sample pages from Marionetta – click the images for larger sizes*

Míriam Bonastre Tur is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the graphic novel series,  Hooky. She was born in a small town near Barcelona, Spain, and started drawing before she could walk. She studied comics at the Escola Joso Center for Comics and Visual Arts and has worked as a character designer in animation

Bonastre Tur’s Marionetta cover reveal to her 300K followers generated huge online buzz, and Rock the Boat expect UK fans to snap up this print edition when it publishes on 8th October 2026.

“Marionetta is breathtakingly atmospheric – all velvet curtains and sharp teeth,” says Shadi Doostdar. “It’s about friendship, choices and the price you pay to survive, all wrapped in the irresistible glitter of a sinister circus.

“Míriam Bonastre Tur’s storytelling is bold and cinematic and feels perfect for teen readers. We’re very excited to publish it in the UK and to give readers a print edition that feels like an event.”

Described as perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle, Lore Olympus and Caraval, Marionetta will be launched in October with a scene-stealing marketing and publicity campaign, featuring digital advertising, influencer outreach and bookseller promotions tapping into WEBTOON’s fandom and readers of YA fantasy fiction.

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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.