Masashi Kishimoto, creator of Naruto, coming to NY events in October 2015

LEGENDARY MANGA ARTIST MASASHI KISHIMOTO TO

MAKE FIRST INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCE AT

NEW YORK COMIC CON AND NEW YORK SUPER WEEK

Creator of Naruto to Participate in Two Panels and Multiple Autograph

Sessions at East Coast’s Biggest Pop Culture Convention

ReedPOP, the world’s largest producer of pop culture events and producers of New York Comic Con, today announced that renowned manga artist Masashi Kishimoto, creator of Naruto, one of the most successful manga properties on the planet, will be appearing at New York Comic Con and New York Super Week. In what will be his first ever international appearance outside of Japan, Kishimoto will take part in two panels and multiple autograph sessions, giving fans unprecedented access. His panels will take place on Thursday, October 8 and Saturday, October 10 during New York Comic Con. He will also host autograph sessions at Kinokuniya Bookstore and Barnes & Noble as part of New York Super Week. Masashi Kishimoto is appearing at New York Comic Con with the support of VIZ Media.

Kishimoto was born in 1974 in rural Okayama Prefecture, Japan. His first version of Naruto, drawn in 1997, was a one-shot story about fox spirits; his final version, which debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, quickly became the most popular ninja manga in the world. The series spawned multiple anime series, movies, novels, video games and more. Having concluded the series in late 2014, he has kept himself busy with the sidestory Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring and with writing the story for the latest Naruto movie, both of which will focus on the title character’s son, Boruto. Naruto is published in North America by VIZ Media.

“Kishimoto is one of the biggest names in manga and a major influence on artists across the globe,” said Lance Fensterman, global senior vice president of ReedPOP. “We’re thrilled to have him added to our lineup this year and think fans are going to love the chance to get close to an icon.”

New York Comic Con, the crown jewel of New York Super Week, will take place October 8-11 at the Javits Center. The show is the East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture convention with the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies and television. The show’s panels and autograph sessions give fans a chance to interact with their favorite creators, while screening rooms feature sneak peeks at films and television shows months before they hit either big or small screens. New York Comic Con is the second largest pop culture convention in America and the only one that takes place in the comic book, publishing, media and licensing capital of the world — Gotham City. Additional exciting details about New York Comic Con and New York Super Week events, talent and sponsors will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information, visit www.NewYorkComicCon.com and www.NewYorkSuperWeek.com.