VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
STORY: Akira Toriyama
ART: Toyotarou
TRANSLATION: Toshikazu Aizawa
LETTERS: Paolo Gattone and Chiara Antonelli
EDITOR: Marlene First
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0144-5; paperback (January 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK
Dragon Ball was a long-running Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1984 to 1995 and was comprised of 519 individual chapters. The hero of Dragon Ball was Son Goku, and the series began with the story of his childhood.
Dragon Ball Super is a sequel to the Dragon Ball manga and to the “Dragon Ball Z” anime series. Dragon Ball Super is written by Toriyama and drawn by Toyotarou, a writer-artist who has already produced Dragon Ball spin-off manga. This new series is set several months after Goku's victory that brought peace back to Earth. Goku and his friends must defend Earth, this time from fighters from other universes and timelines.
As Dragon Ball Super, Vol. 4 (Chapters 21 to 24; entitled “Last Chance for Hope”) opens, Goku and Vegeta return from the world of “Future Trunks.” It was there that they got their butts handed to them by “Goku Black,” a mysterious warrior who looks exactly like Goku.
It turns out the Goku Black is really Zamas, the Lord of Lords from Universe 10, teamed-up with another Zamas. Now, Goku trains with Master Roshi to perfect the technique, “Matū-ba,” which he can use to seal Goku Black. When Goku and Vegeta return to the Future Trunks future parallel universe – with more allies – they find the two Zamas have come up with a way to make themselves seemingly unbeatable.
[This manga includes a bonus story.]
THE LOWDOWN: While I am an occasional reader of Dragon Ball manga, I do enjoy the series. The Dragon Ball Super manga is a nice fresh start for new readers.
Dragon Ball Super Graphic Novel Volume 4 follows Vols. 2 and 3, which moved the series beyond its original premise – the fight between Universes 6 and 7. It is true that the new direction can be a little confusing because the reader has to keep up with characters from multiple universes and timelines and also with a few duplicate characters from other timelines and universes.
Still, Vol. 4 is an example of a quintessential battle manga, and I have to admit that it is a fun read, and Toshikazu Aizawa's translation is quite useful Letterers Paolo Gattone and Chiara Antonelli continue to pack the chapters in each volume with explosive sound effects that go just right with the kinetic battles. And thanks to that cliffhanger, I want to come back for more.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Readers looking for more Dragon Ball will want to try the “Shonen Jump” title, Dragon Ball Super.
A-
7.5 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.
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