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Dragon Ball has unearthed draft versions of Akira Toriyama’s spine art featured in early volume releases, serving as a reminder of old designs and nearly forgotten characters.
The official Dragon Ball site recently unveiled artwork (available for 24 hours only) that would later inspire the spine art seen in Dragon Ball volume releases. The artwork would be split up across sequential volumes so that the full image would only appear when fans combined them all. Readers can check the spine art out here, first released in 1989 and featuring Piccolo, Yajirobe, Korin, Launch, Turtle and Gohan, now that the designs have been returned to the vault.
Dragon Ball Releases OG Goku Artwork That “Perfectly Encapsulates” Its Pre-Anime Promotion
The latest edition of the Akira Toriyama Archive reveals retro Goku artwork that captures the spirit of the original Dragon Ball manga.
Manga Collectible Spine Art Has Been in Decline With the Rise of Digital Publishing
While still featuring in new releases, spine art is a reminder of the collectible culture seen in the physical manga community, as well as of industry changes over the years. The continued transition to digital sees the practice’s decline, with manga platforms viably competing with the biggest apps in the world based on transaction volume. Meanwhile, the rise of vertical scrolling manga sees WEBTOON’s monthly active users bigger than most countries.
Nevertheless, while digital dominates in Japan, physical manga remains king in the U.S. Alongside the reveal of the best-selling manga of 2023, an analysis by ComicsBeat revealed that digital manga’s market share was in the single digits for most printed books. Meanwhile, physical manga sales continue to broadly trend upward, up nearly 7.5x compared to a decade ago.
Dragon Ball’s Toei Unearths Frieza’s First Anime Appearance Over 30 Years On
Dragon Ball anime studio Toei Animation unearths Frieza’s first anime appearance from over 30 years ago, cementing the villain’s legacy forever.
Dragon Ball is regularly unearthing rare art and iconic moments from the series. This month, the official site showcased Toriyama’s color art of Gotenks while rarely-seen Toriyama manga characters from works like Savings Soldier Cashman and Dub and Peter 1 got redraws from Dragon Ball Super artist Toyotarou.
Fans can check out early Dragon Ball in physical and digital, with licensor VIZ describing Volume 1: “Meet a naive young monkey-tailed boy named Goku, whose quiet life changes when he meets Bulma, a girl who is on a quest to collect seven “Dragon Balls.” If she gathers them all, an incredibly powerful dragon will appear and grant her one wish. But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and Bulma needs Goku’s help (and his super-strength)! With a magic staff for a weapon and a flying cloud for a ride, Goku sets out on the adventure of a lifetime…”
Dragon Ball
Son Gokû, a fighter with a monkey tail, goes on a quest with an assortment of odd characters in search of the Dragon Balls, a set of crystals that can give its bearer anything they desire.
- Author
- Akira Toriyama
- Artist
- Akira Toriyama
- Release Date
- November 20, 1984
- Genre
- Adventure , Fantasy , Comedy , Martial Arts
- Chapters
- 519
- Volumes
- 42
- Adaptation
- Dragon Ball
- Publisher
- Shueisha, Madman Entertainment, Viz Media
Source: Dragon Ball official site
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