Coordinates

28°36′36″N77°13′48″N

{{infobox company | name

Viz Media | logo | type Private | foundation San Francisco, California (1986) | founder Seiji Horibuchi | location San Francisco, CA, | locations | area_served North America, Europe, South America | key_people Hidemi Fukuhara (Vice-president, CEO) | industry publication | revenue | operating_income | net_income | assets | equity | owner Shogakukan, Shueisha, Shogakukan Productions | num_employees | divisions Viz Pictures, J-Pop Center | subsid | slogan | homepage vizmedia.com }}

Viz Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as Viz LLC. In 2005, Viz LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current Viz Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and Shogakukan's licensing division Shogakukan Productions (ShoPro Japan).

History

Early history

Seiji Horibuchi, originally from Tokushima Prefecture in Shikoku, moved to California in 1975. After living in the mountains for almost two years, he moved to San Francisco, where he started a business exporting American cultural items to Japan, and became a writer of cultural information. He also became interested in publishing Japanese manga in the United States, though he himself was not a fan of Japanese comics until a visit to Japan in 1985 exposed him to Katsuhiro Otomo's single-volume title ''Domu: A Child's Dream''. His idea came to fruition after he met Masahiro Ohga, then managing director of Shogakukan, in 1985 and shared his vision. Shogakukan provided Horibuchi with $200,000 in startup capital, which Horibuichi used in 1986 to found Viz Communications.

Viz Communications released its first titles in 1987, which included ''Legend of Kamui'', however sales were mediocre due to the specialist comic market being adverse to venturing into new territory. To counteract this problem, Viz expanded into the general publishing business and began publishing various art related books in 1992. Into these titles, Horibuchi began publishing manga, calling them graphic novels so they would be carried by mainstream bookstores. The plan worked and after several years, leading booksellers began to have dedicated shelves for manga titles. Sales also picked up when Viz Communications acquired the license for the comedy series ''Ranma ½'', which became an instant hit.

The company continued to see success when it expanded into the anime distribution market, began publishing ''Shonen Jump'', an English adaptation of the popular Japanese magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''. It also acquired another huge selling title, ''InuYasha''. In the late 1990s, Viz began making the push to move into the European and South American markets.

Shueisha co-ownership and mergers: 2000 to present

When Shueisha became a joint owner of Viz Media in 2002, both Shogakukan and Shueisha began to release manga exclusively through Viz. Shueisha's deal with Viz may have been prompted by competition with Raijin Comics, a rival manga publisher created in 2002 by editors and artists who had split off from Shueisha, taking their properties with them. Some exceptions to this exclusivity exist, however: Shueisha permitted DC Comics's subsidiary CMX Manga to license ''Tenjho Tenge'' (although it was later re-licensed and re-released by Viz Media) and ''Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne'', and permitted Dark Horse Comics to license ''Gantz'', ''Lady Snowblood'', ''Shadow Lady'', and ''The Monkey King''. Shueisha also permitted Tokyopop to license ''Kodocha'', ''Marmalade Boy'' and ''Digimon Next'' along with Disney Publishing. In 2003, possibly in response to Shogakukan and Shueisha's co-ownership of Viz, Japanese publisher Kodansha formed a co-venture with Del Rey.

In 2004, Viz Communications was merged with ShoPro Entertainment, funding company Shogakukan's American distribution division. Horibuchi became the new company's chairman. In 2005, Horibuchi started a related division, Viz Pictures, for releasing selected live-action films in the US to theaters and DVD.

On December 17, 2008, Viz Media announced that starting on April 1, 2009, Warner Home Video would be handling the distribution of both its new and existing catalog releases. Viz itself is still the licensor and will do all production, while tapping the distribution powerhouse that distributes the works of other major companies such as BBC, National Geographic, and Cartoon Network. Viz President and CEO Hidemi Fukuhara stated that he believes the partnership will help the company grow its anime holdings more effectively.

On February 20, 2009, Viz Media laid off an unknown number of employees in order to help be more streamlined to face the current economic climate. On May 10, 2010, Viz Media again laid off a number of workers, 60 this time, again in order to try and become more streamlined. This time they released a press release claiming that none of their current product lines would be affected.

Manga Ratings

Viz also has "Manga Ratings" for their products; U - Unknown; Rating coming soon. Similar to the Rating Pending rating. A - All Ages; Suitable for all ages. The Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z manga carry this rating. T - Teen; 13 years or older. May contain material some people may find inappropriate. The Bleach, Dragon Ball, Yu-Gi-Oh, Naruto, One Piece and Zatch Bell manga hav this rating. T+ - Older teens; Contains material suitable for ages 16 or older. The D.Gray-man, InuYasha and NORA manga have this rating. M - Mature readers; Contains material suitable for ages 18 or older. The Vagabond manga has this rating.

Reception

Viz Media was awarded the Manga Publisher of the Year Gem Award by Diamond Comic Distributors in 2007. Viz also received an award for Manga Trade Paperback of the Year for its release of the fourteenth volume of the ''Naruto'' series.

Publication style

By 2002 Viz Communications kept some publications in the original right-to-left format, while in other publications it mirrored pages from Japan's right-to-left reading format to fit the Western left-to-right reading style. During that year Dallas Middaugh, the senior marketing manager of Viz, stated that the left-to-right version of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' outsold the right-to-left version of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' on a three to one basis; Middaugh concluded that readers wanted "an easy reading experience." Akira Toriyama, creator of ''Dragon Ball'', requested that his work, labeled as ''Dragon Ball'' and ''Dragon Ball Z'' in the Viz versions, be published in the original right-to-left format. ''Vagabond'' was printed in right-to-left to preserve historical accuracy. Middaugh said that younger readers of ''Dragon Ball'' adapted to the right to left format more easily than their parents.

Viz has censored some of its titles. Some titles, such as ''Dragon Ball'', were published in both censored and uncensored forms.

Divisions

Viz Pictures

In November 2005, Viz Pictures was officially formed as the company's division for releasing live-action Japanese films as theatrical releases in selected markets. According to Horibuchi, the company will focus on films that focus on the "Japanese 'kawaii (cute) and cool' pop culture." In 2007, the division released seven films to theaters, including ''Train Man: Densha Otoko'' and ''Honey and Clover''. DVD releases for all Viz Pictures films are distributed exclusively by its parent, Viz Media.

J-Pop Center

In August 2009, Viz opened a three-story entertainment complex in San Francisco called New People. The center piece of the complex is a 143-seat movie theater that screens anime and Japanese live action films. The center also has a cafe, a store selling anime and manga related items, and clothing stores offering Japanese clothing items.

Publications

:''For a list of anime and Japanese films released by Viz, see the Viz Media category. For manga titles released, see the Viz Media manga category.''

''Animerica''

''Animerica'' is a quarterly anime and manga digest that initially started as a monthly magazine featuring reviews of anime and manga titles, as well as related works. After a preview issue was released in November 1992, the magazine's first issue was released in February 1993 with a March 1992 cover date. The magazine originally featured articles and reviews on manga, anime, and related media, as well as manga preview chapters. In 1998, ''Animerica Extra'' was launched as a manga anthology that eventually focused specifically on ''shōjo'' titles. It was canceled in 2004.

Viz changed the magazine's format in April 2005, with the new magazine really being two free publications of the same name. One is advertising-oriented and created specially for distribution at anime and manga conventions while the other is more general in scope and distributed through retail stores. Both versions have fewer and briefer articles and a lower page count. The last monthly issue of the original format ''Animerica'' had a cover date of June 2005 (Volume 13, No. 6).

''Animerica'' was one of the first professional anime and manga magazines released in the United States, and one of the most popular in the 1990s. In 2004, it had a circulation of 45,000 readers, but low sales and high competition from ''NewType USA'' resulted in the essential cancellation of the original magazine and its reformatting as a free digest.

''Game On! USA''

''Game On! USA'' was a gaming magazine focused on Fighting games and RPGs with a secondary focus on any anime themed games. It was published in May 1996 and ran for 7 monthly issues before being discontinued that same year in November. The magazine had news and reviews and other articles about classic fighting games like ''Street Fighter'', ''Samurai Shodown'' and ''Virtua Fighter''. Two video game-based manga series, ''Super Street Fighter II: Cammy'' by Masahiko Nakahira, and ''Samurai Shodown'' by Kyoichi Nanatsuki and Yuki Miyoshi, were serialized in the magazine. A one shot story based on ''Battle Arena Toshinden'', illustrated by the game's character designer Tsukasa Kotobuki was published in the magazine as well.

''Manga Vizion''

''Manga Vizion'', sometimes misspelled ''Manga Vision'', is a manga anthology introduced by Viz Media in 1995. It is believed to be the first manga anthology published in the United States. The premiere issue was dated March 1995 and featured three series: ''The Tragedy of P'', ''Samurai Crusader: The Kumomaru Chronicles'', and ''Ogre Slayer''. It ran for four years until it was canceled in 1999.

''Pulp''

Pulp was a monthly manga anthology introduced by Viz in 1997. The magazine featured more mature titles, marketed at adults rather than teenage readers. Some of titles serialized in the magazine included: ''Uzumaki'', ''Banana Fish'', and ''Dance Till Tomorrow''. The magazine was canceled in 2002.

''Shonen Jump''

''Shonen Jump'' is a shōnen manga anthology that debuted in November 2002, with a January 2003 cover date. Based on the popular Japanese anthology ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'', published by Shueisha, ''Shonen Jump'' is retooled for English readers and the American audience and is published monthly, instead of weekly. It features serialized chapters from seven manga series, and articles on Japanese language and culture, as well as manga, anime, video games, and figurines. In conjunction with the magazine, Viz launched new imprints for releasing media related to the series presented in the magazine, and other shōnen works. This includes two new manga imprints, an anime DVD imprint, a fiction line for releasing light novels, a label for fan and data books, and a label for the release of art books.

Prior to the magazine's launch, Viz launched an extensive marketing campaign to promote the magazine and help it succeed where other manga anthologies in North America have failed. Shueisha purchased an equity interest in Viz to help fund the venture, and Cartoon Network, Suncoast, and Diamond Distributors became promotional partners in the magazine. The first issue required three printings to meet demand, with over 300,000 copies sold. It was awarded the ICv2 "Comic Product of the Year" award in December 2002, and has continued to enjoy high sales with a monthly circulation of 215,000 in 2008.

''Shojo Beat''

''Shojo Beat'' was a shōjo manga magazine Viz launched in June 2005 as a sister magazine for ''Shonen Jump''. It featured serialized chapters from six manga series as well as articles on Japanese culture, manga, anime, fashion and beauty. Viz launched related "Shojo Beat" imprints in its manga, light novel, and anime divisions to coordinate with the magazine's contents.

Targeted at women ages 16–18, the first issue of ''Shojo Beat'' launched with a circulation of 20,000 copies. By 2007, average circulation was approximately 38,000 copies. Half of its circulation came from subscriptions rather than store sales. In May 2009, the magazine was discontinued after 49 issues, with the July 2009 issue being the last released. Viz stated the "difficult economic climate" was behind the magazine's cancellation, and that it would continue releasing the magazine's titles, as well as others, using the "Shojo Beat" imprint.

Haikasoru

In January 2009, Viz Media announced plans to launch a Japanese science fiction novel line called Haikasoru. The first novels were scheduled to be released in the summer of the same year, with four novels: ''The Lord of the Sands of Time'' by Issui Ogawa, ''ZOO'' by Otsuichi, ''All You Need is Kill'' by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, and ''Usuper of the Sun'' by Hōsuke Nojiri. In addition, the imprint released an expanded edition of Kōshun Takami's ''Battle Royale''. In 2010, the imprint release Project Itoh's novel ''Harmony'', which later won a Special Citation Philip K. Dick Award.

Filmography

Manga

The following are licensed by Viz Media:

''2001 Nights''

''20th Century Boys''

''A, A Prime''

''A.D. Police: Dead End City''

''Absolute Boyfriend''

''Adolf (manga)''

''Afterschool Charisma''

''Aishiteruze Baby''

''Alice 19th''

''All My Darling Daughters (manga)''

''The All-New Tenchi Muyo! (manga)''

''Angel Sanctuary''

''Aqua Knight''

''Arata: The Legend''

''Area 88''

''Ashen Victor''

''B.B. Explosion''

''B.O.D.Y. (manga)''

''Baby and Me''

''Backstage Prince''

''Bakegyamon''

''Bakuman''

''Banana Fish''

''Baoh''

''Baron: The Cat Returns''

''Basara (manga)''

''Bastard!!''

''Battle Angel Alita''

''Battle Angel Alita: Last Order''

''Beast Master (manga)''

''Beauty is the Beast''

''Beauty Pop''

''Beet the Vandel Buster''

''Benkei in New York''

''Beyblade''

''The Big O''

''Bio Booster Armor Guyver''

''Biomega (manga)''

''Black Bird (manga)''

''Black Cat (manga)''

''Black Jack (manga)''

''Black Lagoon''

''Bleach (manga)''

''Blood: The Last Vampire 2002''

''Blue Exorcist''

''Blue Spring (manga)''

''Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo''

''Bokurano: Ours''

''Boys Over Flowers''

''Buso Renkin''

''Butterflies, Flowers''

''Cactus's Secret''

''Captive Hearts''

''Case Closed''

''Ceres, Celestial Legend''

''Cheeky Angel''

''Chicago (manga)''

''Children of the Sea (manga)''

''Claymore (manga)''

''La Corda d'Oro''

''Earl Cain''

''Crimson Hero''

''Cross Game''

''Crying Freeman''

''D.Gray-man''

''Dance till Tomorrow''

''Death Note''

''Dengeki Daisy''

''Descendants of Darkness''

''Detroit Metal City''

''Di Gi Charat''

''Dogs (manga)''

''Dorohedoro''

''Doubt!!''

''Dr. Slump''

''Dragon Ball''

''Dragon Ball Z''

''Dragon Drive''

''The Drifting Classroom''

''Eagle: The Making of an Asian-American President''

''Eat-Man''

''El-Hazard''

''Excel Saga''

''Eyeshield 21''

''Fairy Cube''

''Fall in Love Like a Comic!''

''Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M''

''Fist of the North Star''

''Flame of Recca''

''From Far Away''

''Full Moon o Sagashite''

''Fullmetal Alchemist''

''Fushigi Yûgi''

''Gaba Kawa''

''Galaxy Express 999''

''The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross''

''Gestalt (manga)''

''Getter Robo Go''

''Gimmick!''

''Gin Tama''

''Golgo 13''

''Grand Guignol Orchestra''

''Grey (manga)''

''Gun Blaze West''

''Hana-Kimi''

''Haou Airen''

''Happy Happy Clover''

''Happy Hustle High''

''Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time''

''Hayate the Combat Butler''

''Heaven's Will (manga)''

''Here is Greenwood''

''High School Debut''

''Hikaru no Go''

''Honey and Clover''

''Honey Hunt''

''Hoshin Engi''

''Hot Gimmick''

''House of Five Leaves''

''Hunter x Hunter''

''I''s''

''I.O.N''

''Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit''

''Imadoki!''

''Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs''

''InuYasha''

''Itsuwaribito''

''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure''

''Jormungand (manga) ''

''Kamikaze Girls''

''Kamisama Kiss''

''Karakuri Dôji Ultimo''

''Kare First Love''

''Kaze Hikaru''

''Kekkaishi''

''Kimi ni Todoke''

''Kingyo Used Books''

''Kirby (manga)''

''Kurohime (manga)''

''Kurozakuro''

''The Law of Ueki''

''The Legend of Kamui''

''The Legend of Zelda (manga)''

''Legendz''

''Love Com''

''Macross II''

''Magical Pokemon Journey''

''Mai, the Psychic Girl''

''Maison Ikkoku''

''MÄR''

''Marionette Generation''

''Medabots''

''MegaMan NT Warrior''

''Mermaid Saga''

''MeruPuri''

''Midori Days''

''Millennium Snow''

''Mixed Vegetables''

''Mobile Suit Gundam''

''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing''

''Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin''

''Monkey High!''

''Monster (manga)''

''Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation''

''Nana (manga)''

''Naruto''

''Natsume's Book of Friends''

''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (manga)''

''Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)''

''No Need for Tenchi''

''Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom''

''Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan''

''O-Parts Hunter''

''Ogre Slayer''

''Oishinbo''

''One Piece''

''One-Pound Gospel''

''Ōoku: The Inner Chambers''

''Oresama Teacher''

''Otomen''

''Ouran High School Host Club''

''Patlabor''

''Phoenix (manga)''

''Please Save My Earth''

''Pluto (manga)''

''Pokémon (manga)''

''Pokémon Adventures''

''Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!''

''Pretty Face''

''The Prince of Tennis''

''Project ARMS''

''RahXephon''

''Ral Grad''

''Ranma ½''

''Read or Die''

''Read or Dream''

''Real (manga)''

''Reborn!''

''The Record of a Fallen Vampire''

''Red River (manga)''

''Revolutionary Girl Utena''

''Rin-ne''

''Ristorante Paradiso''

''Rosario + Vampire''

''Rumic Theater''

''Rurouni Kenshin''

''S • A: Special A''

''Saikano''

''Saint Seiya''

''Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura''

''Samurai Crusader''

''Sanctuary (manga)''

''Sand Chronicles''

''Sand Land''

''Saturn Apartments''

''Sensual Phrase''

''Sexy Voice and Robo''

''Shakugan no Shana''

''Shaman King''

''Short Cuts (manga)''

''Short Program (manga)''

''Short-Tempered Melancholic''

''Silent Möbius''

''Skip Beat!''

''Slam Dunk (manga)''

''Socrates in Love''

''Solanin''

''Spriggan (manga)''

''St. Dragon Girl''

''Steam Detectives''

''Stepping on Roses''

''The Story of Saiunkoku''

''Strain (manga)''

''Strawberry 100%''

''Street Fighter II (manga)''

''Sugar Princess''

''Switch (manga)''

''Tail of the Moon''

''Tegami Bachi''

''Tekkonkinkreet''

''Tenjho Tenge''

''Time Stranger Kyoko''

''Togari (manga)''

''Tokyo Boys & Girls''

''Toriko''

''Toshokan Senso''

''Tough (manga)''

''Train Man: Densha Otoko''

''Tuxedo Gin''

''Ultimate Muscle''

''Ultra Maniac''

''Urusei Yatsura''

''Uzumaki''

''Vagabond''

''Vampire Knight''

''Video Girl Ai''

''W Juliet''

''Wanted (manga)''

''Wāqwāq''

''We Were There (manga)''

''Wedding Peach''

''Whistle!''

''Wild Ones (manga)''

''Wolf's Rain''

''X (manga)''

''Xenon (manga)''

''Yakitate!! Japan''

''Yumekui Kenbun''

''YuYu Hakusho''

''Yu-Gi-Oh!''

''Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist''

''Yu-Gi-Oh! GX''

''Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's''

''Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium World''

''Yu-Gi-Oh! R''

''Yume Kira Dream Shoppe''

''Yurara''

''Zatch Bell!''

''Zoids: Chaotic Century''

''Zombiepowder.''

Anime

The following are licensed by Viz Media:

''Bleach''

''Blue Dragon''

''Boys Over Flowers''

''Buso Renkin''

''Ceres, Celestial Legend''

''Corrector Yui''

''Cross Game''

''Death Note''

''Deko Boko Friends''

''Flame of Recca''

''Full Moon o Sagashite''

''Grandpa Danger''

''Great Dangaioh''

''Hikaru no Go''

''Honey and Clover''

''Honey and Clover II''

''Hunter x Hunter''

''Hyde & Closer''

''I"s''

''I"s Pure''

''InuYasha''

''InuYasha: The Final Act''

''Kekkaishi''

''Key the Metal Idol''

''Maison Ikkoku''

''MÄR''

''MegaMan NT Warrior''

''Mega Man Star Force (anime)''

''Mermaid Saga''

''Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory''

''Monster''

''Nana''

''Naruto''

''Naruto Shippuden''

''Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge''

''Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan''

''Ogre Slayer''

''One-Pound Gospel''

''Please Save My Earth''

''The Prince of Tennis''

''Project ARMS''

''Ranma ½''

''Reborn!''

''Saikano''

''Sanctuary''

''Strawberry 100%''

''Trouble Chocolate''

''Vampire Knight''

''Vampire Knight Guilty''

''Zatch Bell!''

''Zoids: Chaotic Century''

''Zoids: Genesis''

Films

The following are licensed by Viz Media:

''Adieu Galaxy Express 999''

''Bleach: Memories of Nobody''

''Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion''

''Bleach: Fade to Black''

''The Cat Returns''

''Death Note''

''Death Note: The Last Name''

''Densha Otoko''

''Detroit Metal City''

''Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf''

''Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle''

''Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture''

''Galaxy Express 999''

''Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence''

''Grey: Digital Target''

''Honey and Clover''

''InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time''

''InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass''

''InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler''

''InuYasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island''

''Kamikaze Girls''

''L: Change the World''

''Love*Com''

''Nana''

''Nana 2''

''Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow''

''Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel''

''Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom''

''Naruto: Shippūden the Movie''

''Naruto Shippūden 2: Bonds''

''Ping Pong''

''Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea''

''Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior''

''Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew''

''Ranma ½: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China''

''Ranma ½: Nihao My Concubine''

''Sanctuary''

Web site

For a period Viz offered an e-mail service called Viz Mail. In the first two weeks of service it had 1,000 members. The service allowed users to use stationery and letterheads decorated with characters from Viz Media properties.

References

External links

Official VIZ Media Facebook Fan Page

Category:Book publishing companies based in California Category:Entertainment companies of the United States Category:Manga distributors Category:Anime companies Category:Companies based in San Francisco, California Category:Publishing companies established in 1986

ca:VIZ Media de:Viz Media es:VIZ Media fr:VIZ Media ko:비즈 미디어 id:Viz Media it:Viz Media hu:Viz Media ms:VIZ Media ja:ビズメディア pt:Viz ru:Viz Media sv:VIZ Media tl:Viz Media uk:Viz Media

Sid the Sexist (real name Sidney Aloysius Smutt) is a character from the English comic book ''Viz''. The strip was created and mostly drawn by Simon Donald until he left the magazine in 2003, when Paul Palmer took over as artist. The character was based in part on a friend of ''Viz'' editor Chris Donald.

Character

While Sid and his mates Baz, Bob and Joe, who are all Geordies, brag continually about their sexual prowess, each strip centres around his struggle to lose his virginity. He still lives with his mother. He is a desperate 30 year-old, unable or unwilling to use any kind of decorum when approaching women, using outrageously crude lines. Sid seems under-educated and knows little of the world outside Newcastle. It is even claimed at one point that he is unable to read. He is physically very unfit, has a prominent beer belly, drinks heavily, always has a cigarette in his mouth and is cowardly despite his macho pretensions, always coming off the worse in a fight. He is also in denial: despite the misfortunes that befall him he continues to display a blind faith in his crude attitude towards women and, when rejected, often tries to pass the blame for his failure on to the woman in question or somebody else.

The recurrent format of Sid's adventures is that he believes he has found a new approach to women that will secure him a ('This time... this time! It HAS to be this time!!') and invariably ends up being humiliated, often painfully. His attempts have also unintentionally led to several homosexual encounters which reveal his homophobia or, perhaps, latent homosexuality.

In an early issue of ''Viz'', Sid approaches a woman with; 'How, pet, my name's Sid. D'ya fancy a fuck?' When answered with a definite 'No!', he continues: 'Well, would you mind lying down while I have one?' In another episode he attempts to pick up a woman by telling her that he works as 'an assistant to a well-established provider of goods to the younger end of the market'; despite being exposed as an elf in Santa's grotto in a local department store' by his derisive mates, he still attempts to keep up the pretence that his job brings him success with women--'Y'see lasses fancy summat [something] a bit special'. Although Sid's three companions do sometimes succeed with women, they are much like him in their yobbish, misogynistic, homophobic and racist outlook, never marry or expand their stagnant social circle.

Mates

Bob: a short man with a wide, flat head, a crooked nose and a crew-cut whose outfit of choice is jeans and a hooded sweater. Bob thinks most highly of Sid, is often in awe of him and his alleged power over women, is normally the first to encourage Sid in the his disastrous attempts at womanising and usually believes all but the most feeble of Sid's excuses for his failures.

Joe is the tough guy of the group due to his strength, large size and limited intelligence but is a rather peaceful person, often the one who tries to break up the fights and disputes that break out between Sid, Bob and Baz.

Baz is the most successful of Sid's friends, often seen wearing a suit or jacket with parted hair and a moustache. Baz is much more openly sceptical about Sid's abilities with women than Bob and Joe, once referring to Sid as being ''"all talk and no tackle"''. He is the only one of Sid's friends who comes close to seeing through his hollow bragging and is not afraid to suggest to Sid's face that he is still a virgin, often resulting in the two falling out or fighting.

Storylines

The lads realise that they could stand to lose some weight and go to the recreation centre to swim. Sid stuffs socks in his bathing suit to give the impression he has large genitals in order to impress the female lifeguard but reveals that he cannot swim and so cannot enter the deep end with his friends but has to go splash around the area reserved for the "bairns". After being caught urinating in the pool ("Missus! That man's havvin' a wee!"), Sid is warned by the female lifeguard. True to form, Sid tells his friends that he's "well in". Challenged by his friends to impress her he jumps into the deep end of the pool "dive bomber" style, panics and forces the lifeguard to save him, causing the socks to spill out of his bathing suit.

The lads go out for Sid's cousin's stag night in Blackpool. Everyone gets progressively more drunk and at the end of the evening Sid storms off to find a woman while his cousin is handcuffed, naked and protesting, to a street lamp. The next day Baz reads a newspaper with the headline "Youth Dies of Exposure in Blackpool". Sid, meanwhile, wakes up with a hangover and sees a head of curly blonde hair in the bed next to him. Thinking he has finally "pulled", he asks his "date" if she fancies another ride and is terrified when the owner of the blonde hair is a rather large man, who calls him "Sidney, my love" and tells him to "roll over".

The lads are puzzled by Sid's refusal to drink his usual bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale, instead ordering orange squash. Sid finally reveals his reason for abstaining: he has driven his recently purchased car to the pub. His friends insist on him giving them a ride but Sid promptly crashes into a police car. The officer is a policewoman, which prompts Sid to state that he's got the matter handled, whereby he proceeds to relate a rather crude joke about how female officers part their hair. The last panel features another police officer telling Sid "your mates reckon they're gonna kill you", so "for his own safety" he is placed in a cell with a violent sexual offender who has pictures of naked men taped to his cell wall.

Going horse riding in the belief that women become aroused by being rubbed by their saddle, an upper-class looking woman does indeed offer Sid a roll in the hay. Unfortunately for Sid his resulting cry of excitement shocks a nearby horse which then kicks him in the crotch, sending him to hospital.

Sid buys a self-help book purporting to teach success with women and brags to his friends that he will reveal the amazing secrets it contains, 'only when me cock's fallen off!' Sid's one attempt at using the method in the book and a vile-smelling pheromone spray supplied with it results only in a very rude and embarrassing rejection. Later that night, Bob, Baz and Joe have all found girls but poor Sid wanders home alone, miserable and still smelling foul.

Sid makes a £1000 bet with his friend Baz that he can seduce a woman within a week. He attempts hypnosis on a nun, who kicks him in his genitals, buys another pheromone spray (Pig Piss) which only attracts a blind woman's guide dog and makes a desperate approach to Millie Tant, who repays him with yet another vicious kick. The final frame has Sid begging his mother for £1000 to pay his debt.

Going to Barcelona, for Joe's brother's stag night, Sid, the best man, demands to go to a sex show and pays all the entrance fees. At the show, a beautiful woman wants a volunteer for a 'strip' - Sid instantly jumps on the stage. The woman blindfolds him, asks him to bend over and a man dressed in a gorilla suit takes him from behind.

Sid and his friends travel to Bangkok after hearing that prostitutes there will sell themselves for as little as a pound. Sid is robbed at gun point by one of these ladies after being tied to the bedpost. The final scene shows Sid trying to earn his flight home by working as a homosexual prostitute.

During a drinking session with Baz, Bob and Joe, Sid hears about the myth that you get a prostitute sent up to your hotel room if you call reception and ask for "an extra pillow". He dismisses the idea as ridiculous in front of his friends but, sure enough, books himself into a cheap Travelodge hotel later on and calls reception, asking for an "extra pillow". The hotel reception sends a maid up to his room with an actual extra pillow. Sid mistakes the maid for a prostitute and takes his clothes off in front of her, resulting in him being hospitalised after a serious beating. Later in hospital, after telling his mates some less-than-convincing lies about the origins of his injuries, Sid is asked by the doctor if he would like "an extra pillow" to make him feel better. Sid takes the offer literally and accepts, only for the doctor to return with a prostitute.

Joe points out that Sid, if he had a new wardrobe and hairstyle, bears an uncanny resemblance to a pop star and girls flock to him after being made to look like the artist in question. So he goes along with this deception to pull women and invites them back to his house for a "rock'n'rurl orgy", only for it to be announced that the pop star in question has come out in the press as gay. The girls are disgusted, only for Sid's homophobia to be exposed when he's chased by gay men who fancy him (Or rather, the pop star he's mistaken for).

Sid is introduced to the friend of one of his mates' girlfriends, an attractive dark-haired woman who offers sexual innuendos ("a brandy would make me randy") and flirts constantly with Sid, who is totally off his game and flustered. At the end of the evening, Sid has taken the lady back to his place, where she has proceeded to strip off and awaits him in bed completely nude. Sid strips (thinking "This is it!"), and admonishes his date to keep quiet (as he's afraid her now-blatant sexual banter will awaken his mother). Unfortunately for Sid, that's exactly what happens, as his mum walks in carrying a tray with snacks, stating she heard him "bring in a friend" who "mustn't stay long, mind."

While in the pub with his mates, Baz mentions to Sid how all librarians are 'dorty' and sex-mad, using the rather flimsy reasoning that they're surrounded by erotica and dictionaries full of 'naughty words' all day. Later on, an excited Sid goes to the library and after some harmless innuendo from the female librarian ("I've got to go and deal with a gentleman who's been stood with a hard one in his hands for ages") he exposes himself on the counter, and is later charged in court with indecent exposure.

Sid and the lads once went down to London to go to some strip clubs in Soho, only to hire a taxi operated by fellow ''Viz'' character Cockney Wanker, who takes them on a detour via Brighton and cons them out of all their money. Left with only £10 the lads decide to at least have a drink before going home, and get lured into a clip joint by a man promising a free sex show. The owner attempts to charge them £1,400 for four pints of lager. Bob, Baz and Joe agree to go to a cash point and get the money, while leaving Sid as "security," but hop back on the train to Newcastle at the first available chance. The last panel of the story sees Sid badly bruised, in his underwear and attempting to hitch-hike on the M1.

Television

Sid also starred in a spinoff animated cartoon in 1992 (also called ''Sid the Sexist'') which was aired on Channel 4. The video was released in 1992 by Polygram Video, and the DVD was released in 2004. The DVD contained all five episodes. The running time of the DVD is approximately 45 minutes.

Oot On The Tap (13:30)

The lads begin at the pub, where Sid receives a black eye from a woman after a crude attempt to chat her up. In another bar, Sid, Baz and Bob disagree over the reasons behind the rejection. Joe warns them not to fight, but they end up fighting and are thrown out. This is followed by a meal at an Indian restaurant where they order the hottest curry dishes. Everyone else proclaims that the food is so hot it's inedible; Sid denounces them as "homs" just before discovering just how hot the dish actually is. The four of them then go out to a nightclub where Sid suffers a string of failed chat-up attempts that get worse as he gets more and more drunk, eventually resulting in him being thrown out for indecent exposure. Finally at the end of the night, Sid vomits outside a kebab shop as Joe places their orders and Bob urinates up a lamp post, Baz comforting Sid by stating "It just shows ye had a good night" and Sid claiming he wants "plenty onions" on his kebab in between heaves.

Euro Sidney (11:12)

Sid and the lads decide go on holiday to Spain following an argument in the pub over where to go, resulting in Joe giving Sid a black eye for calling him a ''"fat git"''. On the plane things instantly go bad for Sid after an air stewardess on the plane "accidentally" spills hot coffee on his crotch. Once they arrive Sid instantly begins abusing the locals and other tourists, embarrassing the others and earning himself another punch in the face for his trouble. Later on whilst out by the pool Sid refuses to put on sunscreen as he believes that as it's the same sun as the one in Newcastle, it can't do him any harm. As the sun quickly goes to Sid's head he tries it on with a Swiss woman before mistaking her and her partner for Germans, mouthing off very loudly about the 1966 World Cup. The police arrive and try to calm him down and get him out of the sun but he continues to hurl abuse at them, resulting in him being beaten up, arrested and deported. Baz, Bob and Joe see out their holiday on the beach with girls they have pulled whilst a heavily-bandaged Sid tries and fails to chat up a woman on a bench in a rain-soaked Whitley Bay.

Sid's Ship Comes In (3:24)

Sid and his mates are in the pub as normal. Bob tells Sid that he, Baz and Joe don't want to hang around with Sid anymore. Sid realizes what Bob is saying, and walks away saying: "Whahey, here I come!" Later, Sid is in the nightclub where he and his mates were in the first episode. He sees a woman in a red dress, and she takes Sid back to her house.

Sid has finally scored with a woman at last until suddenly, he discovers a white patch on his bed sheet (he has had a wet dream.) He hears his mother calling him and realizes it was all a dream. He gives a sad groan, and goes back to sleep.

Sid's Blind Date (14:05)

Sid is home with his mother watching Blind Date. He decides to go on the show in an attempt to meet a woman. After going on the show he invites the oblivious Joe, Bob and Baz round to his house to watch the episode in which Sid goes up against a slow-witted Brummie and a swaggering Londoner to win a date with a posh but naive woman. Despite Sid being his usual obnoxious self, the woman mistakes his crudeness for some kind of likeable northern sense of humour. The woman chooses Sid as her date, much to the surprise of everyone watching. After the episode goes out, Sid suddenly finds himself being very popular.

Later on, Sid's mother and his mates go to London to see him and the woman discuss their date on the following episode. But at the BBC Television Centre, Baz causes trouble when he calls the security guard a "cheeky Cockney twat" after being told that they should have gone to the London Weekend Television studios instead. They finally get to the right place but during the show it is discovered that Sid's date had not gone so well due his misapprehension that sex would be involved. Afterwards Sid asks the lady if they would like to make out in the dressing room. The lady finally snaps and punches him in the testicles. Later in hospital, Baz tells Sid he was doing fine until the lady punched him in his plums. The doctor appears and tells Sid one of his testicles will emerge within a couple of years. Sid gives a horrified gulp.

The Big Pull (3:55)

Sid is in the local Newsagent looking for some dirty magazines. He buys one and hides it in a newspaper. When he bumps into a lady, she discovers the dirty magazine he was hiding in his newspaper. Sid tells her he was going to buy one called Mammoth Melons, but he picked up the wrong one. The woman gives him a cross look and he sighs.

Later, Sid is still outside the Newsagent smoking a cigarette. A boy comes along and Sid gives him some money to buy a dirty magazine for him. The woman comes along, and Sid apologizes for what happened earlier. The boy returns and tells Sid: "Mister, I can not reach Mammoth Melons. Will Gigantic Jugs Of Joy do?". Sid gulps, and the woman walks crossly away. Later at Sid's house, his friends call for him. His mother opens the door, and tells them he is in his room. As they open the door, they find Sid masturbating over some dirty magazines. He looks up at his friends and goes red in the face.

Category:Viz characters Category:Fictional people from Newcastle upon Tyne