PR: Viz Media Releases Dragon Ball Manga In Full Color

DRAGON BALL © 1984
by BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA Inc.

GOKU RETURNS TO NORTH AMERICA AS

VIZ MEDIA RELEASES DRAGON BALL FULL COLOR MANGA EDITION

Experience Akira Toriyama’s Bestselling Martial Arts Action Adventure In Vivid Color

San Francisco, CA, January 27, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, brings Akira Toriyama’s classic manga (graphic novel) series DRAGON BALL back to fans in an entirely new way with the release of DRAGON BALL FULL COLOR Volume 1 on February 4^th.

The new edition from the Shonen Jump imprint features a special full-color treatment of the first DRAGON BALL Z manga volume in a larger 6 5/8" x 10 ¼” size. The volume is rated ‘A’ for All Ages and will carry an MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN / £12.99 U.K. Future volumes will be published three times a year.

DRAGON BALL FULL COLOR Vol. 1 also will be available for digital download for $12.99 (USD/CAN) from VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad^®, iPhone^® and iPod^® touch, Android-powered smart phones, as well as through the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks and GooglePlay stores.

In the series, Son Goku is the greatest hero on Earth. Five years after defeating the demon king Piccolo, he’s grown up and has a family. But what is the real reason for Goku’s incredible strength? A visitor from outer space arrives bearing terrible news – Goku is an alien, and the visitor, Raditz, is Goku’s brother! When Raditz turns out to be a ruthless killer, Goku must fight his incredibly strong brother to save his family and the entire human race. A surprising alliance may be Earth’s last hope: Goku will team up with his old enemy Piccolo to save the world!

“Akira Toriyama’s bestselling manga series has thrilled generations of readers, and this new release lets fans revisit his groundbreaking martial arts action adventure in vivid full color,” says Mike Montesa, Editor. “Goku has become a skilled fighter, but new foes threaten his family and the Earth, and he must form new alliances in order to win the day. Fans current and new won’t want to miss the gorgeous new release of this classic series!”

Renowned worldwide for his playful, innovative storytelling and humorous, distinctive art style, Akira Toriyama burst onto the manga scene in 1980 with the wildly popular DR. SLUMP. His hit series Dragon Ball (published in the U.S. as DRAGON BALL and DRAGON BALL Z; both published by VIZ Media) ran from 1984 to 1995 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. He is also known for his influential design work on video games such as Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, Tobal No. 1, and Blue Dragon. His other manga works include COWA! (also published by VIZ Media), Kajika, Sand Land, Neko Majin, a children's book Toccio the Angel, and his newest series, Jaco the Galactic Patrolman.

For more information on DRAGON BALL, or other Akira Toriyama manga titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.