Barnes & Noble, VIZ Bring Manga to Nook

Leading digital media retailer Barnes & Noble has announced a new partnership with manga (Japanese comics/graphic novels) distribution and publishing powerhouse VIZ Media to bring digitized versions of top titles to Nook Tablet and Nook Color customers. Available now, the VIZ collections includes 18 series comprising 107 volumes from its popular Shojo Beat, Shonen Sunday and VIZ Signature imprints. Volumes are available for purchase and download in the U.S. and Canada for $4.99 – $9.99, with new digital volumes and previews becoming available weekly.

Newly implemented technology on the Nook devices allows for an authentic manga reading experience in its original right-to-left reading order. Fans can enjoy their favorite titles on the 7-inch devices, which feature full-color VividView touchscreens. The Nook store also offers books, movies, TV shows, music and apps, and users can also access the web and email through the Nook Tablet and Nook Color.

“The Barnes & Noble team and VIZ Media have put together a fantastic manga reading experience by giving Nook customers full control of their reading experience with the ability to pinch and zoom to dive into the tiniest details” says Alvin Lu, Senior Vice President and General Manager of VIZ Media. “Barnes & Noble has been a major partner with VIZ Media for many years in growing the North American print manga market, and we’re very excited to expand our relationship to make our vast digital library of manga titles available to Nook Tablet and Nook Color customers. Over 100 volumes will be available at launch and we look forward to quickly expanding these selections to more than 500 in the coming months.”

VIZ Media's Kekkaishi on Nook

Launch titles for teens (T) and older teens (T+) include: Absolute Boyfriend (V. 1-6, T+), Arata: The Legend (V. 1-8, T), Backstage Prince (V. 1-2, T), Beast Master (V. 1-2, T+), Black Bird (V. 1-11, T+), Children of the Sea (V. 1-4, T+), Cross Game (V. 1-4, T), Dengeki Daisy (V. 1-7, T+), Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden (V. 1-9, T+), House of Five Leaves (V. 1-5, T+), Hyde & Closer (V. 1-6, T+), I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow (V. 1-4, T+), Kekkaishi (Vo. 1-19, T), Maoh: Juvenile Remix (V. 1-7, T+), Not Simple (T), Oishinbo (V. 1-5, T), Saturn Apartments (V. 1-4, T), Solanin (T), What a Wonderful World! (V. 1-2, T+). Visit www.viz.com or www.nook.com for more information or the Nook store at www.barnesandnoble.com to purchase.