POKEMON COMIC STRIP
September 7, 2000

Viz Communications announced the launch of the new Pokemon comic strip. The daily strip, which includes a Sunday color version, is being created by Ashura Benimaru, executive director at Creatures, one of the original creators of Pokemon, and Gerard Jones, a comic book writer known for his work on such titles as Dragon Ball Z, Spider-Man, and Batman. Pokemon is available in newspapers nationwide.

The comic strip follows the familiar adventures of Ash, Misty, Pikachu, and their friends at home and on the road, questing to become Pokemon trainers. The strip features more comical overtones than the animated series or games.

"We're very excited," says Viz editorial director Hyoe Narita. "Pokemon continues to be one of our top sellers, and we expect good things from Pokemon this Christmas. The Pokemon comic strip gives us the opportunity to broaden our market even further."

Los Angeles-based Creators Syndicate distributes the strip nationwide. Some of the country's top papers will carry the new Pokemon strip, including the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Seattle Times, among others.

Viz has been an integral part of the lucrative Pokemon franchise since its U.S. inception, publishing four separate Pokemon comic series in two years.