PAGE TOP

“The Nearly Complete Works of Akira Toriyama”: Work #062
Published by 11 April 2018, 9:36 AM EDT

The official Dragon Ball website’s sixty-second entry in “The Nearly Complete Works of Akira Toriyama” — an on-going series highlighting rare and important pieces of the author’s work over the years — is the color title page for the debut chapter of Sand Land (“Setting Out”) in the 2000 No. 23 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, released 09 May 2000:

In his accompanying author comment that issue, Toriyama noted the work being put into the new series:

今回は消しゴムかけの半分以外は、すべて1人で描いたのだ。しんどいけど少しだけ満足。短めの話(ストーリー)だけどよかったら読んで下され <明>

This time, apart from half of the eraser-duties, I drew everything myself. It’s tiring, but just a bit satisfying. This story is on the short side, but give it a read if you please. <Akira>

The art was grayscaled and used as an inside title page in the collected edition released later that year on 02 November 2000:

Sand Land made its English language debut in Viz’s January 2003 premiere issue of their Shonen Jump print magazine, and ran through to completion that year. A collected edition was released in December that same year.

Other than Cowa! — and the obvious example of Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball (including Jaco the Galactic Patrolman) — it remains one of the few Toriyama series officially licensed and released in English.

Share This Post

Write a Reply or Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.