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VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES EXCITING PERSONAL APPEARANCES, ACTIVITIES AND SHOW EXCLUSIVES FOR 2010 COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL

Comics And Pop Culture Icon Stan Lee To Host Signing Session And Discussion On His Manga Series ULTIMO, VIZ Media Welcomes Cast Of VAMPIRE KNIGHT Anime, And Exclusive Products For Sale In Booth 2813

San Francisco, CA, July 13, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced an exciting roster of personal appearances, panel discussions, events, giveaways and convention exclusives for 2010 Comic-Con International. Comic-Con is the nation’s largest comic book and science fiction event, and takes place July 21-25 at the San Diego Convention Center, CA. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 2813.

Fans won’t want to miss a very special opportunity to meet comics and pop culture icon Stan Lee, co-creator along with Hiroyuki Takei (SHAMAN KING) of the groundbreaking ULTIMO manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens), on Saturday, July 24th. Mr. Lee will be a special guest at the SHONEN JUMP Panel, scheduled at 10:30AM in Room #9, where fans will get the latest manga and anime news and on-the-spot surprises, including a special ULTIMO button for all attendees. Mr. Lee will also make an in-person appearance at the VIZ Media booth for a signing session of ULTIMO Volume 2 at 1:15pm.

VAMPIRE KNIGHT (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens) is the newest anime series to captivate fans and is based on the smash hit manga series by Matsuri Hino, also published by VIZ Media. To celebrate the release of DVD Volume 1, the company is pleased to welcome as guests the talented voice actors Mela Lee (Yuki), Vic Mignogna (Zero) and Ethan Murray (Kaname) on Friday, July 23rd. Catch Vic Mignogna in the VIZ Media booth at 11:00am, where he will host the VAMPIRE KNIGHT trivia game. The festivities continue at 1:00pm, where fans will have the opportunity to meet the three voice actors at an in-booth signing session. Round out the day at the VAMPIRE KNIGHT Panel, at 3:30pm in Room #9, where VAMPIRE KNIGHT manga editor Nancy Thistlethwaite and the VAMPIRE KNIGHT voice actors will have an in-depth discussion of the edgy gothic romantic drama. There will also be a raffle, featuring exclusive prizes, for fans who come dressed in their best VAMPIRE KNIGHT costume.

The VIZ Media booth will be an exciting destination on the show floor for fans, with exclusive products available for purchase during special times throughout the show (attendees should check the digital signboard at the front of the booth for the daily schedule). For the NARUTO SHIPPUDEN fan, there will be a NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Limited Edition Sage Naruto Figure from Toynami and straight-from-Japan full-color reproduction NARUTO SHIPPUDEN animation cels (from Digital Manga) featuring favorite characters Naruto and Sasuke. Two special VAMPIRE KNIGHT bundles will be offered: VAMPIRE KNIGHT anime DVD Volume 1 with a Cross Academy armband set, and a set of 6 collectable VAMPIRE KNIGHT pins (armband and pins both from Great Eastern). Also available will be a bundle featuring ONE PIECE Volume 54 (rated ‘T’ for Teens) and ONE PIECE Limited Edition Luffy Mallow (from FUNimation and Shocker Toys), and exclusive BLEACH iPhone 3G/3GS cell phone cases from France in two designs featuring Ichigo and Toshiro.

VIZ Media will be offering a variety of fun activities at the booth this year. Fans can pose with their favorite VAMPIRE KNIGHT or KEKKAISHI anime characters in a special photo area. Test your knowledge in the NARUTO and BLEACH trivia games. Try the fan-favorite claw catcher game to snag fun NARUTO SHIPPUDEN or BLEACH prizes. Everyone’s a winner at the VIZ Media Treasure Trove, where players grab a coin to exchange for cool prizes. Fans can sample the video game area, featuring Namco Bandai Games America with a preview of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 (Rated T for Teen) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation® 3. Scan your badge to enter to win a NARUTO SHIPPUDEN-branded PSP® game system and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 (Rated T for Teen) for the PSP® (no purchase necessary), and get a Bandai collectible card good for three free NARUTO SHIPPUDEN episodes on the PlayStation® Network.

The VIZ Media collectable tote bag is back in a brand new color for 2010 – get your free bag to see what series are featured this year. Other giveaways include BIOMEGA posters, VIZ Media Bling, VAMPIRE KNIGHT manga samplers, and much more while supplies last!

Finally, VIZ Media is proud to have three manga titles – OISHINBO (rated ‘T’ for Teens), by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki; PLUTO: URASAWA × TEZUKA (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens), by Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Nagasaki, Macoto Tezka and Tezuka Productions; and NAOKI URASAWA’S 20TH CENTURY BOYS (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens), by Naoki Urasawa – nominated for 5 awards for the 2010 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards, which are considered the Oscars of the comic book industry. In addition, Naoki Urasawa is nominated for Best Writer/Artist for his work on NAOKI URASAWA’S 20TH CENTURY BOYS and PLUTO: URASAWA × TEZUKA. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel on the evening of Friday, July 23rd.

For more up-to-date information on VIZ Media’s activities at San Diego Comic-Con International, visit www.VIZAnime.com/comiccon/.

PR and images from Viz Media.

Kris
kristin@comicattack.net
@girlg33k_Kris