At New York Comic-Con 2012 back in October, Viz Media noted plans to release new “3-in-1 omnibus editions” of the Dragon Ball manga starting in June 2013, but no further details were available. At the time, this re-release sounded confusing due to the “Viz Big” edition of the manga — also 3-in-1 volumes printed on higher-quality paper and with most of its respective color chapters intact — still being readily available at retailers.
Just this month, the special Shonen Jump Alpha Yearbook 2013 contained a “Creator Spotlight” on Akira Toriyama. The spotlight (image courtesy of our forum user the original ero-sennin) promoted a “new 3-in-1 edition” of the Dragon Ball manga planned for release beginning Summer 2013, which lined up with the Comic-Con announcement.
Viz had released specially-branded “3-in-1” versions of certain series before, combining volumes together into one book on lower-quality paper than their standard “Graphic Novel” paper, though printed at the same size (roughly 5 x 7.5 inches — for comparison’s sake, the “Viz Big” versions of Dragon Ball are roughly 8.6 x 5.8 inches). Both One Piece and Bleach — neither of which had previously received a “Viz Big” version — had seen these repackagings trickle out. One Piece in particular never made it past the East Blue arc, ending its fourth “3-in-1” with volumes 10, 11, and 12 together in one book back in May 2010. That is set to change next month with a new “3-in-1” picking up with the Baroque Works arc and volumes 13, 14, and 15.
Amazon recently listed both Volume 1 (set for release 04 June 2013) and Volume 2 (set for release 03 September 2013) of the new Dragon Ball “3-in-1” editions, putting both at the 5 x 7.5 inches size.
Kanzenshuu has been able to confirm with Viz that these new editions of the Dragon Ball manga are the same type of “3-in-1” editions that One Piece has received (and will be continuing with). MSRP for these editions is $14.99, as opposed to the “Viz Big” editions which retail for $17.99. The “Viz Big” editions will still be kept in print and on the market — alongside these new “3-in-1” editions — with the collectors in mind.
