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Biographical Note:
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) ran from 1984 to 1995 in Shueisha's
Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. He is also known for his design work on video games such as
Dragon Quest,
Chrono Trigger,
Tobal No. 1, and
Blue Dragon. His recent manga works include
COWA!,
Kajika,
Sand Land,
Neko Majin, and a children's book,
Toccio the Angel. He lives with his family in Japan.
Marc Notes:
First published in Japan in 1984 by Shueisha Inc., Tokyo--P. facing t.p.; In the original Japanese edition, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z are known collectively as the 42-volume series Dragon Ball. The English Dragon Ball Z was originally volumes 17-42 of the Japanese Dragon Ball--P. facing t.p.; Reads right to left.; DB: 2 of 42.; Goku and Bulma have found five of the Dragon Balls, but they must find Kame-Sen'nin, the Turtle Hermit, and face the Emperor Pilaf, who wants the balls for himself, before they'll have all seven.; 8; Rated T for teen--P. [4] of cover.; Translated from the Japanese.
Review Quotes:
"A comic masterpiece . . . Dragon Ball's spirit of fun and adventure is unparalleled."
Publisher Marketing:
Eath's greatest hero...is from outerspace!
Dragon Ball introduces a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku (a wry update of the classic Chinese "Monkey King" legend), whose quiet life changes when he meets a girl named Bulma 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 could use the help of a certain super-strong boy... (In Japan,
Dragon Ball and
Dragon Ball Z were originally a single 42-volume series. VIZ Media's
Dragon Ball contains vols. 1-16 of the original Japanese
Dragon Ball, from the beginning of the series to the climax of Goku's last fight with Piccolo.)
With the (reluctant) help of the shapeshifting pig Oolong, Goku and Bulma have found almost all the Dragon Balls they need to get their wish! To get the sixth Dragon Ball, the fearsome Ox King sends Goku on a mission: to find Kame-Sen'nin, the Turtle Hermit, whose mighty powers can put out the raging fires of Fry-Pan Mountain! But the sleazy old martial artist might just make it more trouble than it's worth! Then, with the bandits Yamcha and Pu'ar on their trail, our heroes continue their quest for the seventh and final Dragon Ball. But can they get it from little Emperor Pilaf, who wants to use his wish to rule the world?!!
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