Dragon Ball is as popular as ever in its own right – but fans seem to love just as much when Goku and Co. get mashed up with other popular genres and brands in the entertainment industry.
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Case in point: We recently got some fantastic Dragon Ball artwork from Marvel Comics artist Gerald Parel, and now we continue that theme with this Dragon Ball Z piece by DC / Marvel Comics artist Rubens Bernardino da Silva (aka R.B. Silva) – as a sequel to his recent Dragon Ball original series artwork piece that went viral:
If you’ve ever encountered Silva’s comic book art then you know just how spot-on this rendering of Dragon Ball Z’s iconic characters and moments really is. All of the major players from the early arcs of the series are there (from left to right, clockwise):
- Super Saiyan Goku
- Bulma
- Tien
- Ginyu Force’s Guldo
- Vegeta
- Ginyu Force’s Burter, Recoome, and Jeice
- Chiaotzu
- Young Gohan
- Dende
Unfortunately, this version of the piece seen above is not yet complete, as Silva’s original sketchwork for the piece included other figures like Krillin and the sliced-up version of Freeza from the end of the “Freeza Arc”. As you can see in this semi-completed version, the outlines for Freeza, Krillin and a few others have yet to be filled in:
As stated, Dragon Ball is as popular as it’s ever been, with the new Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie being and international hit. Broly isn’t just a milestone because of the way it is re-introducing Broly into official canon, or streaming the franchise mythos’ various fragments into a new official backstory. Visually-speaking, Broly is a major Dragon Ball milestone for the way it is re-defining the series’ character designs and visual aesthetics, with director Tatsuya Nagamine and animation director Naohiro Shintani creating a visual style never-before-seen in the series.
Fans of the franchise have been wondering if the next phase of the anime series will similarly be done with a brand new visual design approach. Seeing these kind of art pieces from some big talents in the comics book industry will definitely get fans’ imaginations working on possibility of what could be – though what’s seen above may not be the best stylistic fit. Silva’s visual signature is unique, and has breathed new life into some DC and Marvel books, for sure; but as some fans note, his style is too far of a departure from traditional Dragon Ball lore – starting with Goku’s high-water pants!
Do you like this version of Dragon Ball Z you see above? Let us know in the comments!
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is out in Japan now. Funimation will bring the film to theaters in the United States on January 16th. Dragon Ball Super currently airs its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release is available to stream on FunimationNOW, VRV, and Crunchyroll.
