After decades of being one of the most popular manga and anime series in the world, Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball, or at least the portion that was made into the anime Dragon Ball Z, is finally being released as a full-color comic in North America.

Viz will release the first volume, which it's calling Dragon Ball Full Color, on February 4 (It looks like it's actually Vol. 17 of the original manga/vol. 1 of Dragon Ball Z). It'll be $19.99 in print and $12.99 as a digital download from VIZManga.com and the Viz smartphone and tablet app.

"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," series editor Mike Montesa said in a Viz press release.

From the looks of the colors on the cover, the full-color version of the manga will mimic the coloring of the TV series. Goku's orange gi looks much the same, as does the uniform of his brother, Raditz.

Viz is releasing the manga as an "all ages" book. Given that the original manga has its share of blood and a few sexual references, that probably means the publisher won't have to censor some of its original content. Back in 2001, the company began temporarily publishing the manga uncensored, but with a "13 and up" rating.

Update: Viz has provided us with this statement clarifying the nature of the content:

"The images are not censored - they're fresh from Japan's hi-res files. The text is the same as the already existing manga."

 

Dragon Ball Full Color
DRAGON BALL © 1984 by BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA Inc.
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