VIZ MEDIA’S PERFECT SQUARE IMPRINT COMPLEMENTS HOLIDAY SHOPPING WITH A WIDE ARRAY OF MANGA AND GRAPHIC NOVEL TITLES

2014 Holiday Gift Ideas Include All-Ages Manga And Graphic Novels For Celebrated Properties Including BRAVEST WARRIORS, HELLO KITTY^®, POKÉMON And VOLTRON

San Francisco, CA, November 19, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, prepares to delight the young and young-at-heart this holiday season with a diverse selection of All-Ages manga, original graphic novels, and collectible books available from the company’s Perfect Square imprint.

Got a Bravest Warriors fan on your list? Perfect Square has two titles featuring Catbug, the breakout character of the hit animated series created by Pendleton Ward. Fans can venture to multiple dimensions with an incredible collection of artists in BRAVEST WARRIORS: THE SEARCH FOR CATBUG, and see the world as only Catbug can in CATBUG’s TREASURE BOOK.  A third title, BRAVEST WARRIORS: THE GREAT CORE CAPER, allows fans of the Cartoon Hangover sensation to choose which way the story will end in Perfect Square's first-ever multiple-choice adventure.

Pop culture and HELLO KITTY fans will not want to miss Hello Kitty, Hello 40, a hardcover anthology featuring an array of acclaimed comic artists, muralists and toy creators paying tribute to Hello Kitty in story and art.  Readers also can catch Hello Kitty’s latest full color original graphic novel adventure, HELLO KITTY: WORK OF ART.

POKÉMON fans can select from a trio of manga (graphic novel) box set editions for POKÉMON ADVENTURES RUBY & SAPPHIRE, POKÉMON BLACK AND WHITE, and POKÉMON ADVENTURES DIAMOND & PEARL/PLATINUM.

The legendary giant robot anime franchise, VOLTRON, also returns in the informative tribute VOLTRON: FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO, A 30^th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, which explores the history of the iconic series and its lasting impact on pop culture.

VIZ Media’s Perfect Square imprint focuses on delivering original comics, manga, graphic novels and other children’s books with an emphasis on strong storytelling, eye-popping graphics, empowering themes, and a dash of irreverence, that captures the imagination of a whole new generation.

BRAVEST WARRIORS HOLIDAY GIFT TITLES

BRAVEST WARRIORS PRESENTS: CATBUG’s TREASURE BOOK ·

Rated “A” for All Ages · MSRP: $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN · Available Now!

Says Catbug: "This book has all my secret treasures and oregano dreams! ALSO FIRE! I will share them with you because you are my friend, but it has to be our secret, okay? I love you Treasure Book!"

BRAVEST WARRIORS: THE SEARCH FOR CATBUG · Rated “A” for All Ages ·

MSRP: $14.99 U.S. / $17.99 CAN · Available Now!  

An amazing collection of artists venture to multiple dimensions to help you in...THE SEARCH FOR CATBUG! Catbug ate some weird new cubes of food that caused him to lose what little control he already had over his jump abilities! Now he’s careening through dimensions, unable to stop! Help the Bravest Warriors travel the galaxy and find Catbug. Just don’t eat any of those cube snacks or you might end up lost too! Artists include Alan Brown (BEN 10 OMNIVERSE), Mr. Warburton (Codename: Kids Next Door), Ian McGinty (UGLYDOLL, HELLO KITTY), Lee Ferguson (Miranda Mercury), Jorge Monlongo (Mr. Peabody & Sherman, HELLO KITTY), Stu Livingston (Steven Universe) and Mad Rupert (Regular Show, Adventure Time).

BRAVEST WARRIORS: THIS WAY OR THAT - THE GREAT CORE CAPER ·

Rated “A” for All Ages · MSRP: $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN · Available Now!  

In THE GREAT CORE CAPER, the planet Goober-Delta-9 will lose orbit if its stolen planetary core is not returned. Where is that core? In the most secure vault in the Galaxy – beneath SID BEEMER-BOOF’S FUN PLANET, the biggest amusement park in the known universe. The Bravest Warriors must recruit a daring team, including Plum, Catbug, President Memory Donk, Professor Brain Dog 7 and the Emotion Lord, to help them on their mission. Each team member must play their part in order to pull off the most outrageous heist of all time! And on EVERY page, the reader is in complete control of what happens next!

HELLO KITTY^® HOLIDAY GIFT TITLES

HELLO KITTY, HELLO 40 · MSRP: $29.99 U.S. / $34.99 CAN ·

Rated ‘A’ For All Ages · Available Now! 

In 1974, Hello Kitty stepped on the scene, and she's had the world wrapped around her red bow ever since. In Perfect Square's Hello Kitty, Hello 40, an array of acclaimed comic artists, muralists and toy creators pay tribute to Hello Kitty in story and art.  Contributors include the award-winning creators of the Tiny Titans series, Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani; Brian Smith, co-creator of the New York Times bestselling series Stuff of Legend; Gene Luen Yang, award-winning author of American Born Chinese and Boxers and Saints, and Uglydoll co-creator David Horvath. Everyone has a tale to tell about the cute little girl who speaks from her heart. The hardcover edition also includes a special introduction by Matt and Jennifer L. Holm, award-winning creators of the Babymouse series.

HELLO KITTY: WORK OF ART · MSRP: $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN ·

Rated ‘A’ For All Ages · Available Now! 

Picture this: Hello Kitty and her friends are making music, producing plays, snapping photos, solving mysteries and, playing with dragons? Art is all around, and Hello Kitty and her friends know exactly where to find it! This latest HELLO KITTY original graphic novel features story and full color art from Giovanni Castro, Jacob Chabot, Ian McGinty, Jorge Monlongo, and Maite Oz.

POKÉMON HOLIDAY GIFT TITLES

POKÉMON ADVENTURES RUBY & SAPPHIRE BOX SET ·

MSRP: $59.99 U.S. / $79.99 CAN · Rated ‘A’ For All Ages ·

Available Now!

Ruby’s father Norman is the new Gym Leader of Petalburg City. But Ruby doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps – he wants to win Pokémon Contests! Sapphire’s father Professor Birch is the local Pokémon researcher. But Sapphire is tired of gathering scientific data – she wants to win Pokémon Battles! When Ruby and Sapphire meet, they’re more likely to hit each other than hit it off. But then Sapphire challenges Ruby to a competition! Which of them will achieve their dreams in just eighty days?! The box set contains the complete Ruby & Sapphire arc (Vols. 15-22) of the bestselling POKÉMON ADVENTURES series and a collectible color poster!

POKÉMON BLACK AND WHITE BOX SET 2 · MSRP: $25.99 U.S. / $29.99 CAN · Rated ‘A’ For All Ages · Available Now! 

His entire life, Black has dreamed of winning the Pokémon League! Now he embarks on a journey to explore the Unova region and fill a Pokédex for Professor Juniper. White has an exciting career as the Trainer of a talented troupe of performing Pokémon. She dreams of making her Tepig Gigi a star! Together, Black and White continue on their journey... What surprising new Pokémon – and people – will they meet along the way?! The manga set includes POKÉMON BLACK AND WHITE Volumes 9–14 and a collectible color poster!

POKÉMON ADVENTURES DIAMOND & PEARL/PLATINUM ·

MSRP: $89.99 U.S. / $115.99 CAN · Rated ‘A’ For All Ages · Available Now!  

The box set contains the complete Diamond & Pearl/Platinum story arc (Vols. 1-11) of the bestselling POKÉMON ADVENTURES series and a collectible color poster! Pokémon Trainers Pearl and Diamond are starstruck! Their lifelong dream is to floor an audience with their Pokémon comedy act. So how do they wind up as bodyguards to a pampered little rich girl on a quest to reach the peak of Mt. Coronet? Thrills and laughs are guaranteed as the POKÉMON ADVENTURES series continues with POKÉMON DIAMOND & PEARL/PLATINUM.

VOLTRON HOLIDAY GIFT TITLE

VOLTRON: FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO, A 30^th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION · MSRP: $29.99 U.S. / $34.99 CAN · Available Now! 

Thirty years ago, Voltron: Defender of the Universe hit the airwaves, and the world hasn't been the same. Now, VOLTRON: FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO chronicles the story of VOLTRON and its cultural relevance, taking a detailed look at the story behind the show and the many related toy releases, the mythology of both Lion Force and Vehicle Voltron (with a nod to Albegas), and concludes the exciting Voltron Force saga. This new book is truly for fans, by fans: authored by Brian Smith, a former Marvel Comics editor and writer for Perfect Square's VOLTRON FORCE^® series of original graphic novels, Marc Morrell, co-host of the official "Let's Voltron!" podcast, and Joshua Bernard, founder of CollectionDX, a popular website devoted to covering the world of Japanese toys, action figures and pop culture; with a bonus VOLTRON comic written by Smith and illustrated by Jacob Chabot, artist on the VOLTRON FORCE series; with a foreword by Jeremy Corray, former Creative Director of World Events Productions, the company behind the classic Voltron TV series.

Additional information on titles published by Perfect Square is available at www.PerfectSquare.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 ONE PIECE, 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.

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