VIZ MEDIA EXPANDS GLOBAL PRESENCE WITH MANGA TO BE SHOWCASED AT INTERNATIONAL POP CULTURE AND COMIC CONVENTIONS

Simon & Schuster UK To Feature VIZ Media Titles In India and London; Madman Entertainment Group To Showcase VIZ Media Manga At Major Shows Across Australia And New Zealand

San Francisco, CA, September 17, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, expands its global footprint as it collaborates with key multi-national distribution partners to showcase the company’s manga (graphic novel) properties at several upcoming high-profile international comics and pop culture conventions taking place in markets eager for high quality, officially licensed English manga content.

VIZ Media publishes one of the world’s most extensive and diverse catalogs of manga in English and will be highlighted by Simon and Schuster UK Ltd. and Madman Entertainment at several of the largest comic book and pop culture conventions happening across the UK, New Zealand, Australia and India throughout the rest of 2014.

VIZ Media is proud to partner with Simon & Schuster UK Ltd., one of the UK's leading publishers and distributors, to showcase an extensive array of manga at the MCM Comic Con in London (October 24^th – 26^th), as well as at several massive comics and pop culture conventions taking place in India. Simon & Schuster UK manages VIZ Media’s manga portfolio for this emerging but substantial consumer territory. Titles were subject of tremendous attention at the the recent Comic Con India in Bangalore and will be showcased again at Comic Con India in Hyderabad (Oct. 10^th – 12^th) and the 2014 Mumbai Film and Comics Convention taking place December 19^th – 21^st.

Simon & Schuster UK has been an exclusive distributor of VIZ Media manga titles since 2007 across all of the company’s imprints, including Shonen Jump, Shonen Jump Advanced, Shojo Beat, Shonen Sunday, Perfect Square, VIZ Signature, the Studio Ghibli Library and the Haikasoru literary imprint. The partnership’s expansion to India, where the Simon & Schuster India division has begun to offer select English-language titles, looks to cultivate a diverse new vertical market for manga.

VIZ Media is also proud to partner with the Madman Entertainment Group, the Australian-based leading independent theatrical and home entertainment distribution company for Oceana, to showcase the company’s extensive roster of manga titles at New Zealand’s 2014 Armageddon Expo, happening October 25^th – 27^th, as well as at PAX Australia (Oct. 31^st – Nov. 2^nd) and the renowned SupaNova Expo shows in Adelaide (Nov. 21^st – 23^rd) and Brisbane (Nov. 28^th - 30^th).

Madman Entertainment is Australia and New Zealand’s leading distributor of manga content and has handled VIZ Media titles in Oceana since 2008.

“A key goal of VIZ Media’s overall strategy is to make manga global in both its access and fan-base and to develop a sustainable and substantial international market for high quality, officially licensed manga in English,” says Kevin Hamric, Senior Director of Publishing Sales and Marketing. “The popularity of manga at conventions across the UK, Oceana and now in India is a strong testament the growing international appeal. We look forward to working with our international partners to deepen VIZ Media’s presence on a global level and to continuing to deliver the best in manga content to a broad international base of readers.”

For more information on Madman Entertainment Group, please visit: www.madman.com.au

For more information on Simon & Schuster UK, please visit: www.simonandschuster.co.uk

For more information on VIZ Media manga titles, 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 digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP 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.