Dragon Ball Part 1-4 (Viz Monthly Comics)
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| Dragon Ball Part 1 No. 4 | |
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| Released | June 1998 |
| Publisher | Viz |
| Volume Data | |
| Format | 6.625" x 10.25" |
| Pages | 32 pages |
| Chapters |
Dragon Ball Chapter 6 Dragon Ball Chapter 7 |
| Viz Publication | |
| Translation | Mari Morimoto |
| Adaptation | Gerard Jones |
| Editor | Trish Ledoux |
| Graphic Novel | Dragon Ball Volume 1 |
Dragon Ball Part 1 No. 4 is the fourth issue of Viz's Dragon Ball Monthly Comics, the original English-language printing of the Dragon Ball manga. It was released in June 1998 alongside the fourth issue of the "Dragon Ball Z"-branded chapters. Akira Toriyama's original color pages are printed in greyscale.
List of Chapters
Further information: Viz Monthly Comics and List of Dragon Ball Chapters
| # | Viz Chapter Title | Original Publication | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06 | Dragon Ball Chapter 6: "So Long, Oolong!" |
Weekly Shōnen Jump 1985 #06 (Japan, 04 January 1985) |
1 |
| 07 | Dragon Ball Chapter 7: "Yamcha and Pu'ar" |
Weekly Shōnen Jump 1985 #07 (Japan, 12 January 1985) |
16 |
The title page of Chapter 6 is included in its original greyscale. The title page of chapter 7 is omitted.
Cover Illustration
This issue's Akira Toriyama cover illustration is the title page of Dragon Ball Chapter 93, published in the 1986 #43 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, which went on sale on 23 September 1986. This illustration gets full-page reproductions in Dragon Ball Kanzenban Volume 7,[1] Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 1 ("The Complete Illustrations"),[2] the Dragon Ball Chōgashū ("A Visual History"),[3] and Akira Toriyama - The World.[4]
Advertisements
Page 32 is an advertisement for Fist of the North Star action figures from Inteleg International. The back cover is a full-color advertisement for the Pioneer VHS release of Dragon Ball Z Movie 2: "The World's Strongest"; this advertisement is reproduced on the previous issue's page.
Staff
- English Adaptation: Gerard Jones
- Translation: Mari Morimoto
- Touch-Up Art & Lettering: Wayne Truman
- Editor: Trish Ledoux
- Cover & Interior Design: Viz Graphics
- Managing Editor: Hyoe Narita
- Editor-In-Chief: Sataro Fujii
- Publisher: Seiji Horibuchi
Letters Column
This issue is the first to feature a letters column, printed left to right on pages 31-30. There is a standard solicitation for reader letters on the inside of the front cover. A complete transcription of the column is below; fan art is omitted. The responses are written by editor Trish Ledoux. (Parentheses) and [brackets] are Viz; {braces} are Kanzenshuu notes.
| Dragon Ball Letters Page c/o Viz Comics P.O. Box 77010 San Francisco, CA 94107 viz@j-pop.com |
| {left: artwork of Shenlong and the Dragon Balls, with "ShenLong" written on the drawing} Pam Davis, San Leandro CA |
| Welcome to the first installment of what we hope will be a continuing feature—the Dragon Ball letters page! You're all invited to send your rants, raves, fan art, and other communiques to be enjoyed by all of us who are weird enough to pause and scan this "back of the book" stuff. In the future, we're sure to have plenty of time and opportunity for a true "give and take," but that can't happen until we've got your input to get us started. And so, let's hear what you have to say... |
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| Dear Viz Comics, I'm a big Dragon Ball fan. I have all the movies and (have) seen every episode (of the TV series). I have all 42 volumes of Dragon Ball but have never found anyone to translate them for me. When I saw your comics I bought them right away. I was wondering if you were going to translate all 42 volumes of Dragon Ball. Craig Norris Huntington Beach, CA |
| We'll make you a promise, Craig—if you keep buying 'em, we'll keep making 'em...all 42 Japanese import volumes of 'em, with any luck. |
| {drawing of Goku with the following handwritten text:} I really like your books but your series more. The funniest part so far. is when Gohan says, "we're being captured by a bunch of Goof Balls."[a] If I had a top 10 cartoon list Dragonball Z would be #1. By Nathan Trousdale {drawing of "Goku", "Krillin", and "Gohan" with a speech bubble saying "Thanks for makeing [sic] us!"} {/column} |
| In the Frank Sinatra view of the universe, it's "love and marriage" that's inseparable, but to those of us who love Japanese animation and comics, it's "anime and manga." It's probably inevitable that we'll get FUNimation's anime series mixed up with our own manga version, so let's take it as a given that they'll sometimes overlap in our discussions. However, because this is the manga letter column, keep in mind that our main focus will always be on DB creator Toriyama's original manga first, with anime talk reserved on a "space available" basis. |
| Dear Viz Select Comics, So Dragon Ball finally made an appearance in manga. Well done with the page order! Authenticity. Yes! I don't like Son Goku much. Nasty little tyke. Bulma is very cute but a tricky girl to have on your side. I like her little 1960s cars and bikes. I wonder if the dragon will make a personal appearance. {drawing of Shenlong's head with the following handwritten text:} Yours James Taylor {address redacted} Harrow Weald Middle England |
| We don't know if we'd characterize Son Goku as "nasty," but we agree that he's deifnitely not your average comics "tyke." You're probably already aware that DB has long been available in translation outside of Japan in countries such as France and Italy and Hong Kong and... Well, let's say it "finally made an appearance in ENGLISH-LANGUAGE manga," and be done with it. Will the dragon make an appearance? See below. |
| Dear Goku, I found Dragon Ball to be a very, very funny comic book! I love the cartoonish type of manga artwork in this comic book and love the characters like Bulma and Goku. I see Bulma has a crush on Goku. [She does!?–Ed.][b] I like the way this comic book was set up, too, with the true manga flip side to open. Keep it that way, it's true to form. Excitement is inside this story as the dragon holds Bulma hostage, and I got a kick out of the Hoi-Poi capsule type of motorbikes. They move fast and the maneuvers were awesome. It was interesting on the origin of the seven dragon balls and this makes the storyline stronger. Akira Toriyama has a brilliant comic book (that's) fun to read! Shenlong the Dragon God was intimidating to behold and then I found myself laughing again as Bulma was thinking how Goku must think he is pretty hot with that fake tail of his. Plus, Bulma is cute! Keep up the good work! {/page} Paul Dale Roberts Sacramento, CA |
| Is it a dragon that holds Bulma hostage in Issue No. 1, or are you talking about that pterodactyl-like thing...? We'll agree it does look kinda dragon-like, but... |
| Viz Comics, I've never written to a comic before, but after reading Dragon Ball I just had to. I've been a Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z fan for a while now, and have been waiting until someone wised up and brought the manga to America. I was so excited when I heard you guys were going to do it! Dragon Ball was fantastic! Of course I saw the anime first, and this issue was almost the exact same as the anime, which was cool, (as) most of the time it's usually different. Although, I did notice some changes. For instance, Goku doesn't seem as strong as he does in the anime. I think if I hadn't seen the anime first, I would have been a little confused. I hope the upcoming issues clear things up a bit for new fans. The comic doesn't really go into as much detail and explanation as the anime does about the dragon balls. I laughed through the entire book! It's definitely funnier than the cartoon! The humor is kind (of) different, too. It seems it's for an older audience. I was cracking up when I read the "Why would I want to feel your dirty butt?!" I do have a couple (of) questions: 1. Will we see Yamcha and Krillin in the near future? 2. How long will this series run? I can't wait until the next issue comes out! Hopefully we'll see Oolong in this issue! Joe Kramer {address redacted} Sewell, NJ 08080 |
| Rather than trying to decide which is better (or funnier), mightn't we say that each version has its own unique virtues, and leave it at that? We happen to enjoy the anime version very much, but on a creative level, there's not much collaboration between their writers/editors and ours—this is why you'll see Goku's soon-to-appear rival/ally Kuririn listed on the packaging for the anime-related merchandise as "Krillin." We prefer the more literalized spelling (the Japanese is "ku-ri-ri-n"). Yamcha/Oolong/Kuririn will be making their respective appearances soon; keep reading! As for how long the series will run, see our first letter. |
| Just a quick note to let you know how much I enjoy the special edition version you've been doing with Neon Genesis Evangelion and the way you're printing both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. I also appreciate the way you're presenting those last two series (such as) keeping as much of the original intent as possible (by) working in the names of the balls and the meanings to those names. I acknowledge as well the way that the artwork wasn't edited into a super-kid-safe form, as in having Goku fishing nude (as opposed to the underwear that the American TV series had). Ditto the {/column} story, by letting us see that Muten Rôshi [a.k.a. "Kame Sen'nin—Ed.] has a hentai streak. Please keep up the good work. Hurricane Heeran Encino, CA |
| Thanks for the encouragement...we're glad you're enjoying both the anime and manga versions of the series. Before we get all medieval on the TV series, though, remember that the broadcasters—especially those on-air during "cartoon time"—are under greater restrictions than the relative freedom afforded non-li'l kiddie specialized publishers such as ourselves. If we'd been in the same situation, we'd probably do the same thing. After all, what would you rather have—Goku in digital underpants... or no Goku at all? |
| Dear Letters Page, [...] I'm steaming mad that this is only a "special"—you know, only nine issues! If you only do nine issues, you'll totally leave out the fight with the Master and the Student and maybe even Krullen [sic]! What I would like to know is, why only nine issues? It could easily become popular in the U.S. You should give it a chance instead of just cutting it off at Issue 9! Please consider doing the whole series! A Fan, Charles Stauffer Spring, TX |
| Sorry to come in at "mid-rant," Charles, but we wanted to make sure we'd have enough room to answer the excellent question you've raised. For anyone who's worried that the U.S.-published manga version of Dragon Ball—announced in various publicity pieces as a "X-issue series"—isn't going further, DON'T WORRY! Way back when, at the time when dinosaurs walked the earth and we started our publication of Ranma 1/2, that was announced as a finite-issue series, too, and it's still going, isn't it? The purpose of announcing one of our manga series as an "x-issue series" is our pledge to you that the series will go AT LEAST that long, NO MATTER WHAT. Naturally, if you keep a' buying 'em, we'll keep a' making 'em—the number of issues you see announced in ads and the like is a MINIMUM guarantee. As we've said above, with any luck, we'll be going through the entire 42-volume tankôbon series together—"otanoshimi ni!," as they say at the end of our favorite TV anime episodes. Until next time, then...Kamehameha! —Editor |
| Got a title for our letters page? (It's gotta be better than what we've come up with...namely, nada.) If so, send it in. If we decide to use it, we'll send you some kinda swag for your troubles. (We'll decide what it is we're sending when we get around to bullying the intern to pack it up for you.) |
Notes
- ↑ This line comes from episode 49 of the Funimation-Ocean Studios dub of Dragon Ball Z, while the Ginyu Force members play rock-paper-scissors to decide who will fight who. The line was changed in the 2005 re-dub of the first 67 episodes, where the scene falls in episode 62: "Are you sure we shouldn't be trying to get away?" This is closer to what Gohan says in Japanese.
- ↑ This reader is probably misinterpreting scenes where Bulma tries to bribe Goku with things she thinks a boy would want, but she does develop a little crush on Goku after he grows up. This is evident in Dragon Ball Chapter 166, just after she sees him grown up for the first time, and again in Dragon Ball Chapter 287 ("Dragon Ball Z" Chapter 93), not long after she meets Vegeta, and just after she briefly sees him teamed up with Gohan and Kuririn when they come to fetch the Dragon Radar.
At this time this Viz Comics issue was published (June 1998), neither of these chapters had been published, and furthermore, neither corresponding anime scene had yet been released by Funimation. Chapter 166 was first published by Viz on January 2004 in Shonen Jump Graphic Novel Vol. 14, and Dragon Ball Episode 133 was released with faithful subtitles on 15 July 2003, months before the Cartoon Network broadcast on 23 October 2003. Chapter 287 was published by Viz in November 2001 with "Dragon Ball Z" Part 4 #12.
After learning that Goku has arrived on Planet Namek, Bulma gets nostalgic about Goku, contrasting him to Yamcha and asking herself, "Did I blow it?" The scene was faithfully adapted by Viz, but in episode 57 by the old numbering, Funimation cuts the contrast with Yamcha, making Bulma's nostalgic thoughts about Goku entirely platonic, and she instead asks, "Oh, Goku...when will I see you again?" This episode was broadcast in the United States on 15 September 1999. It was released with faithful subtitles on 01 October 2000.
References
- ↑ Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball Kanzenban Volume 7. Japan: Shueisha, 04 March 2003. ISBN 4-08-873450-5. (p. 222)
- ↑ "1986". Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 1: Complete Illustrations. Japan: Shueisha, 25 June 1995. ISBN 4-08-782751-8. (p. 35)
- ↑ "1985". Dragon Ball Chōgashū. Japan: Shueisha, 09 May 2013. ISBN 978-4-08-782520-6. (p. 16)
- ↑ "Dragon Ball". Akira Toriyama - The World. Japan: Shueisha, 15 January 1990. ISBN 4-08-858130-X). (p. 20)
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