VIZ MEDIA AND AUTODESK ANNOUNCE ART FOR HOPE: NEPAL TO BENEFIT VICTIMS OF THE DEVASTATING HIMALAYAN EARTHQUAKE

Digital Art Anthology Features Works By 54 Renowned Pop, Comic And Graphic Novel Artists; A Portion Of The Proceeds Will Be Donated To Build Change’s Reconstruction Efforts In Nepal

San Francisco, CA, October 14, 2015 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, has announced a special collaboration with leading design software company, Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), to release ART FOR HOPE: NEPAL, a poignant digital art anthology to benefit the victims of the devastating earthquakes that ravaged Nepal on April 25^th 2015.

ART FOR HOPE: NEPAL features vivid original works by 54 renowned pop, comic and graphic novel artists that were created using the Autodesk SketchBook digital painting and drawing App. Among those featured in the anthology are Dan Parent (Archie), David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim (Uglydoll), Ian McGinty (Bravest Warriors), along with Lark Pien, Martin Hsu and Rashad Doucet.

ART FOR HOPE: NEPAL is available now for $4.99 from VIZ.com, VIZManga.com and all of VIZ Media’s digital partner platforms including ComiXology, NOOK, Kindle Fire, as well as in the iBooks and Google Play Stores.

VIZ Media’s proceeds from ART FOR HOPE: NEPAL will be donated to Build Change (www.buildchange.org), an internationally recognized NGO with teams on the ground in the affected areas in Nepal to work on rebuilding the country. Build Change empowers local communities to make their homes and schools safer by supporting local skills and stimulating local demand for better buildings. The organization’s efforts in Nepal will be crucial in restoring damaged structures and preventing loss of life for future generations.

“Our previous ART FOR HOPE collaboration with Autodesk helped to raise awareness and proceeds for the recovery efforts in Japan following the earthquake of 2011, and we are privileged to work with Autodesk once again for a new illustrated tribute to the endless potential of art and the global outpouring of compassion toward the victims of the terrible disaster that hit Nepal,” says Beth Kawasaki, VIZ Media’s Senior Editorial Director. “We look forward to these special digital tributes delivering a sense of wonder and peace to provide a measure of relief and hope to those so terribly affected by this tragic calamity.”

”Autodesk has deep roots in using the power of design to create a better world,” said Thomas Heermann, director, Digital Arts, Autodesk Consumer and 3D Printing. “We’re very honored to once again partner with VIZ Media to use the power of creativity in our SketchBook users to help benefit victims of the Nepal disaster.”

For more information on manga and anime titles published by VIZ Media, please visit www.viz.com.

Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, and SketchBook are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries.

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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