Is reading comics on mobile the future of serialization? We’ve been wondering that for a while and the rise of platforms like Tapas and Webtoon show that there is an audience for this way of presenting comics.

And now comics publishers are looking to join in the fun. Tapas and Vault Comics have just announced a partnership that will adapt four of Vault’s titles into bite-sized, digital comics that people can read on their phones. The pact will start with an adaptation of Heathen, Vault’s popular queer viking story by Natasha Alterici.

Heathen tells the story of viking warrior Aydis and her battles against both epic foes and her own patriarchal society. It’s definitely on of Vault’s biggest hits yet, with the first trade going to four printings, a movie deal with Constantin Film, and a spot on YALSA’s 2018 “Great Graphic Novels for Teens” list.

Other titles included in the Tapas/Vault deal include the dark fantasy SONGS FOR THE DEAD by authors Andrea Fort and Michael Christopher Heron, artist Sam Beck and letterer Deron Bennen. SONGS FOR THE DEAD, as well as the sequel THE NECROMANCER’S MAP. Jon Tsuei’s Persian fantasy quest SERA & THE ROYAL STARS, with art by Audrey Mok and colors by Raúl Angulo and lettering by Jim Campbell.

“We’re incredibly excited for this opportunity to help distribute these stories in our signature vertical format,” said Tapas CEO Chang Kim in a statement. “The stories that Vault and their storytellers are exploring align with our creative vision of telling stories that you can’t find anywhere else. We’re glad to be a digital home for these stories.”

“The creators of Heathen, Songs for the Dead, and Sera and the Royal Stars are telling amazing stories that are beloved by their fans,” said Vault publisher and CEO Damian Wassel. “By working with Tapas, we’re able to bring these stories to a whole new audience on a beautiful platform. I’m thrilled for this partnership.”

Tapas bills itself as a “Youtube for storytellers” and has over 50,000 creators, and 2 million monthly unique readers, who collectively spend 70 million minutes per month on the platform. Tapas stories have been read over 5 billion times to date.

It’s definitely a viable platform to reach more readers for Vault’s titles. Tapas previously teamed up with Boom Studios to adapt one of their titles, so this seems to be a growing trend.

Heathen will launch on Tapas in January 2020. Click here to read.