VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES NEW REDAKAI

GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES

New Full-Color Graphic Novel Series From VIZ Kids Imprint And Inspired By Animated Television Series And Trading Card Game Debuts In October

San Francisco, CA, September 26, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, thrills action fans of all ages with the launch of the original graphic novel series REDAKAI, inspired by the innovative trading card game developed by Spin Master and corresponding Cartoon Network animated series. REDAKAI Volume 1 joins the VIZ Kids imprint with its debut on October 2^nd, is rated ‘A’ for All Ages, and will carry an MSRP of $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN.

REDAKAI Volume 1 has stories by Aubrey Sitterson and Mike Raicht, with artwork by Write Height Media, Zack Turner and Dan Ciurczak, and follows the adventures of Team Stax as they race against competitors searching the world for mystical Kairu energy, the primal power of the universe.  In the hands of good, Kairu is a living energy that guides the universe. But in the hands of evil, Kairu is the most destructive power in the world. Those who can harness it can eventually obtain the highest rank of Kairu warrior: Redakai. Ky, Maya and Boomer are Team Stax. Together they plan to conquer the Kairu!

In the first feature length adventure, “Invasion of the Gilfreem” by Aubrey Sitterson, Ky, Maya and Boomer investigate a mysterious source of Kairu and land smack in the middle of an alien invasion! But not everything is always as it seems. Is it really all up to Team Stax to save Earth from the Gilfreem? Then, in the second story, “Home, Kairu, Home” by Mike Raicht, there’s trouble on Boomer’s family farm. Is a rival team stealing animals to extract Kairu energy?!

“REDAKAI appeals to fans of all ages of old-school adventure mixed with sci-fi and modern gaming-based storytelling,” says Joel Enos, Editor. “There are aliens, bad guys, and rival teens, all on a quest to conquer the mysterious primordial energy of Kairu. We’re adding a whole new dimension to the vivid world of REDAKAI that’s also a great entry point for readers new to the story!”

REDAKAI is a co-production from Spin Master Ltd. and Marathon Media, A Zodiak Kids company, and debuted in North America in 2011 on Cartoon Network. Spin Master also launched the trading card game, featuring exclusive Blast3D™ technology, in 2011. A line of REDAKAI action figures and trading cards is currently available at toy and game retailers.

For more information on REDAKAI, please visit www.redakai.com. 

For more information on VIZ Media, please visit www.viz.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA magazine and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.