DRAGON BALL FULL COLOR Volume 1 coming February 4th

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

VIZ Media 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 4th.

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, visit www.VIZ.com.

ACF 951: More March Manga Madness for VIZ Manga App for Apple® iPad™

MARCH MANGA MADNESS CONTINUES

WITH DEBUT OF DRAGON BALL Z FOR

THE VIZ MANGA APP FOR iPad

March Manga Madness is fully underway as VIZ Media continues to offer readers special promotions and new manga (graphic novel) titles available exclusively for the VIZ MANGA APP for the Apple® iPad™ mobile device. The latest round of updates features debut of the classic action manga DRAGON BALL Z, as well as new updates for 8 other acclaimed manga titles currently available.

Fans should also stay tuned for an exciting digital manga first as BAKUMAN。Volume 4 prepares to debut on the VIZ Manga App on March 28th, ahead of the print edition’s national release on April 5th.

As part of the March Manga Madness promotion, all Volume 1 manga titles are available this month for only $0.99 each (instead of $4.99). After shopping, fans are invited also enter to win a $50 iTunes gift card by taking the VIZ Manga App survey. By the end of March the VIZ Manga App will feature more than 100 manga volumes available for download.

Creator Akira Toriyama’s much-loved manga classic, DRAGON BALL Z (Rated ‘A’ for All Ages), debuts on today with Volume 2 to be available before the end of the month. After years of training and adventure, Goku has become Earth's ultimate warrior. And his son, Gohan, shows even greater promise. But the stakes are increasing as even deadlier enemies threaten the planet. DRAGON BALL Z is the ultimate science fiction-martial arts manga.

The VIZ MANGA APP is available for free through the iTunes Store and all manga volumes are generally available for purchase and download in the U.S. and Canada within the application for $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) per volume.

Additional new manga volumes available this week include:

DEATH NOTE Vol. 9
MERUPURI Vol. 3
NARUTO Vol. 18
NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS Vol. 2
ONE PIECE Vol. 18
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE Vol. 2
RUROUNI KENSHIN Vol. 9
TORIKO Vol. 3

The VIZ MANGA APP is the leading application to read Japanese manga on the iPad, with a downloadable library of the most popular manga series in the world. Readers are encouraged to check the app regularly, as new additions to the store and free Chapter 1 previews of other forthcoming manga series for the iPad are featured.

For more information on the VIZ MANGA APP, visit www.VIZ.com/apps/.

ACF 094: "Blue Dragon" coming on Cartoon Network

The Blue Dragon animated series will be shown in the U.S. on the Cartoon Network starting this spring. The show is based on the popular Xbox 360 videogame developed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of Final Fantasy. It features character designs by Akira Toriyama, creator of the Dragon Ball manga series.

The Blue Dragon TV series debutted in Japan on April 7, 2007. It's an adventure story about Seven Soldiers of Light who mush awaken the magical Shadow powers within themselves, fight a despotic power and bring piece to their land.

Blue Dragon has been licensed for U.S. distribution by VIZ Media, which also handles the Naruto, Death Note, and Bleach animated series.

ACF will try to bring you anime lovers more info as it becomes available.