A cover image from the Bizenghast series.

MySpace and TOKYOPOP Team Up to Premiere Four New Shows

World’s Leading Manga Entertainment Brand Inks Content Deal with World’s Leading Lifestyle Portal for Exclusive Premieres

MySpace and TOKYOPOP announced a partnership to premiere four exclusive new shows based on TOKYOPOP’s hit manga series I Luv Halloween, A Midnight Opera, Bizenghast, and Riding Sho tgun. Featuring music from the latest underground acts and cutting edge digital animation from Asian CG powerhouse Menfond Electronic Art, pilot episodes will air the week of July 16, 2007, with subsequent episodes running weekly thereafter. MySpace and TOKYOPOP are strategically launching a TOKYOPOP-branded profile (TokyoPopTV) to host and deliver the shows to create a unique one-on-one relationship with MySpace users.

"We’re always looking for ways to deliver unique and innovative content to our community," said Shawn Gold, senior vice president of marketing for MySpace. "Based on the demand for Manga content on the web, we expect the TOKYOPOP profile to speak to users who want to discover and share these exclusive videos."

According to Stu Levy, TOKYOPOP CEO and Chief Creative Officer: "TOKYOPOP is dedicated to revolutionizing the old school image of comic books by combining the fresh East-meets-West aesthetic of manga with cutting edge delivery platforms. MySpace is the perfect partner to premiere innovative entertainment to a global youth audience."

In a word from Marc Honorof, Managing Director of TOKYOPOP Digital: "The MySpace audience fits TOKYOPOP’s demographic to a T. Our four new shows were made specifically for this medium and are the seeds of today’s tech-savvy generation’s entertainment landscape."

About the programs:

I Luv Halloween – Based on the original manga by Benjamin Roman and Keith Giffen and featuring an original score by Ben Chan, these are the misadventures of a group of particularly disturbing trick-or-treaters as they go about their macabre business one Halloween night.

Riding Shotgun – Based on the original manga by Nate Bowden and Tracy Yardley with music by Far East Movement and Interceptor, this is a poignant and irreverent comedy depicting an average day for a hit man who's short on cash.

A Midnight Opera – Based on the original manga by Hans Steinbach and featuring music by Hibria and Carbon 9, here is the tale of Ein DeLaLune. Tragic and beautiful, Ein has exploded onto the Paris music scene with his Goth metal band. But Ein is no overnight sensation—he has a lasting advantage over other Goth music powerhouses—he's undead, a fact he's kept hidden for centuries.

Bizenghast – Based on the original manga by M. Alice LeGrow with music by Divine Madness and Kissing Violet, this is the story of a young girl named Dinah who moves to the forgotten town of Bizenghast, where she uncovers a terrifying collection of lost souls that leads her to the brink of insanity.

TOKYOPOP also maintains profiles on MySpace Comics where fans get more detailed information on I Luv Halloween, A Midnight Opera, Bizenghast and Riding Shotgun, as well as TOKYOPOP’s library of popular manga series.

Comic book fans can also learn more by visiting the official MySpace Comic Books profile (www.myspace.com/comicbooks ). This profile is the official community for manga, graphic novels and comic books on MySpace, where fans and friends of MySpace Comic Books can find the latest comic book news, interviews, special features, contests, exclusives and more. MySpace Comic Books spotlights the most exciting projects, creators and events in the industry including user generated comics by MySpace members themselves.