Alex Benno has always been her own sidekick… until now!

I am so excited to present TOKYOPOP’s first completely original YA novel! We’re so pleased to make our foray into American teen fiction. It’s been an amazing privilege to accompany author Dan Jolley and editor Paul Morissey on the journey to create Alex Benno’s true character, her mission, her setbacks, her strengths, and her absolutely adorkable quirks.

In the beginning, the Alex Unlimited property was pitched to TOKYOPOP as an original manga about a very young boy named Alex who discovered he could psychically connect with cooler versions of himself. Through the wonders of the creative process, that idea morphed into an amazing Young Adult full-length novel aimed at a female readership, all about an eighteen-year-old girl with the ability to summon parallel dimension alternates of herself—always older, more beautiful, more talented and successful—in order to help the US Government fight an evil terrorist organization called SKAR. The only problem is that Alex herself is a clumsy, thoroughly average girl with frizzy hair and the figure of a twelve-year-old boy. She’s always left behind on missions… until she has to help save her alternate and wade through a murky underworld to protect this dimension from the mysterious mind-controlling Vosarak Code!

Working with Dan has been a real pleasure; his sense of humor, his wit, and his love of girls who kick butt really come across on every page. It’s been a treat to watch him gradually take the shy, awkward, wallflower Alexandra and develop her into Alex Benno, super spy! Plus, every character in this book is unique and has an interesting back-story; it’s engrossing, watching how they all relate to one another. I learned so much, teaming up with our excellent designers to come up with concept sketches done by Jared Boone. Eventually, those sketches led to an amazing photo shoot with the beautiful model, Sara Shapley. Anne Marie Horne did a wonderful job on the first cover. Something about Alex’s eyes really draw people to this book! And the extra material in the back matter—the article called “Be Your Own Hero” from CosmoGIRL!, the supplementary photos, and the sample sketches… I’m just thrilled with the result!

For anyone who enjoys a story with a little bit of everything (action, comedy, drama, romance), you’ll really get a kick out of Alex Unlimited: The Vosarak Code! Dan Jolley’s heartwarming, action-packed novel series takes readers on a rollercoaster ride full of wonder, awe, and self-discovery.

~Kara Allison Stambach, ditor

Dan Jolley is a native Georgian professional writer who started out writing comic books in the early nineties. Since then he has branched out into novels (both original and for licensed properties) as well as screenplays and video games. Dan now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife Marie and five mostly useless cats.

English Version By: Dan Jolley