Jonah Chuang recommends Dragon Ball Z
Think of these volumes as a straight up no-nonsense version of what was already, despite its minor flaws, one of the greatest action series of all time. The sequel to Dragon Ball is about the now-adult Son Goku, alien from another planet who is sent to Earth as a baby to conquer it, but after falling in love with its people, becomes its greatest hero. Together with his friends and family, he defends the planet from overwhelming alien threats with the help of the magical Dragon Balls.
For those of you who know the watered down animated Toonami versions from TV, these books have all of the stuff and none of the fluff. You do lose the dazzling animated fights with the manga version, but the story and character development are streamlined, and we’re treated to a better paced telling which makes the relationships feel more familiar and authentic. The manga version also includes more banter, quirkiness, and small, personal jokes that make you feel closer to the DBZ family than ever before.
Dragon Ball Z is father to many of the tropes that we love in action movies and animation today. Its treatment of flying/fighting, impact cratering, power levels, getting suped up, and the idea of taking enemies and making them regular heroes carry forward into pop culture today. It’s a classic series that feels just as fresh and interesting today as when it was first released 25 years ago.
[Read Dragon Ball Z on comiXology]
For fans of: Action, Martial Arts, Humor
Jonah Chuang is a production coordinator assistant at comixology. He has attended both The Office conventions in Scranton, PA and met Ricky Gervais last week.