Viz Media Debuts New Death Note Novel - L, change the WorLd

PLUNGE INTO THE FATAL LAST CASE OF LEGENDARY CRIME DETECTIVE IN NEW NOVEL Death Note: L, change the WorLd

L Has Twenty-Three Days To Live, And Twenty-Two Days to Save The World

San Francisco, CA, October 27, 2009 – Viz Media, LLC (Viz Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, expands the thrilling psychological suspense of DEATH NOTE with the release of Death Note: L, change the WorLd, a new novel featuring the master detective from the hit animated and manga series. Death Note: L, change the WorLd is available now from SHONEN JUMP Fiction and carries an MSRP of $17.99 U.S. / $24.00 CAN.

In an alternative continuity in the DEATH NOTE setting, ace detective L's name has been placed in a Death Note. He has twenty-three days to bring a terrorist group to justice, or they will use a deadly new virus to change the world...by killing off most of humanity.

“Death Note: L, change the WorLd offers a fitting finale to the DEATH NOTE saga and contains many events that did not take place in the film,” says Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President, Sales & marketing, Viz Media. “The author, who adopts the nom de plume 'M' in tribute to the eccentric detective, creates an intriguing alternate continuity that will intrigue fans of the anime and manga series as well as new readers. Any thoughts of a quiet hospice vanish as L sacrifices his life to save humanity. Edge of your seat suspense awaits readers in this gripping new novel!”

Death Note: L, change the WorLd features the same format as the original Japanese printing with a hardcover and clear acetate jacket with metallic ink. The cover art is by Takeshi Obata, the artist of the Death Note manga series. DEATH NOTE is one of Viz Media's top 5 bestselling properties, with over 1 million copies of the manga sold in the U.S. The character of L is extremely popular with fans and has inspired various products such as apparel and stationery as well as spinoff novels and three live action DEATH NOTE films (available from Viz Pictures).

For more information on DEATH NOTE, please visit Deathnote.viz.com.

About Viz Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Viz Media, LLC (Viz Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan's largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha, Inc., Shogakukan, Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., Viz Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including the popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact Viz Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.