Welcome to the Monthly Dragon Ball Report, a monthly column series where we take a look back at pages that appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump when the Dragon Ball manga was still being serialized.
For the fifth installment in this series, we'll be joining our heroes—and unlikely allies—as they blast off to Planet Namek and battle Frieza’s forces for the Namekian Dragon Balls!

Part 1 of the Fierce Battle on Planet Namek: Weekly Shonen Jump 1989 No. 46 – 1990 No. 28

Many lives were lost in the battle against Nappa and Vegeta… In an attempt to bring Piccolo and their other fallen friends back to life, Bulma, Gohan, and Krillin embark on a cosmic journey to Planet Namek.

The cover for this issue shows off Goku and the others in some sporty spacewear! The intergalactic theme continued on the opening color pages, where we were treated to the mysterious landscape of this new alien world. Fans couldn't contain their excitement!

It was at this time that the popularity of Dragon Ball Carddass really exploded! There was even a pull-out bonus entitled "Carddass Jump Super Heroes Illustration" that provided tons of exciting info about the third set in vibrant color.

Back in the story, Frieza and his cohorts made their debut as they searched for the Dragon Balls. Frieza emanated a terrifying aura as he carried out terrible deeds from his mysterious space pod chair.

And to make matters even worse, Vegeta also appeared on Planet Namek to continue his bid for the Dragon Balls! The vicious Saiyan prince had powered up after recovering from his battle with Goku and earth's defenders and made quick work of his former "rival" in the Frieza Force, Kiwi! The explosive "dirty fireworks" method he used to finish off Kiwi made a big impression on fans as well.

After his wounds were healed, Goku also hurriedly departed for Planet Namek! Goku's gravity training while traveling through the galaxy in his spaceship was also super cool and was admired by countless fans.

*The giveaway shown above has ended.
Moving on a bit, the new year's issue for 1990 was loaded with present gift giveaways! Lucky readers were able to win awesome gifts like a gold Dragon Ball-themed alarm clock or a VCP.

*The giveaway shown above has ended.
Goku continued to make appearances on the covers of Shonen Jump, such as on the left here where he helped celebrate Christmas in a Santa suit, or on the right where the Saiyan appeared in the center to celebrate 5.3 million copies of the magazine sold!

This bonus calendar also sported a Dragon Ball cover! The decision of whether to actually use it as a calendar or keep it as a collector's item was a real dilemma at the time...

Checking back in with our heroes, Gohan and Krillin watched in horror as the Frieza Force continued their attack on a Namekian village until Gohan couldn't take it anymore and jumped in to attack Dodoria and save a young Namekian! Krillin followed and the rescue attempt succeeded, but the towering pink titan gave chase after our heroes!
The 1990 No.5 issue even featured two action packed chapters released at the same time! Readers got to enjoy twice the usual amount of fun as the battle for the Dragon Balls was presented with some fabulous full-color pages. The title pages for these two chapters actually served as a "spot the differences" game, so if you're feeling nostalgic, go back and give it a try!

1990 was also jam-packed with Dragon Ball goodness from the very start of the year! The "Akira Toriyama: the World" artbook was released...

...and a new movie, "Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest", was announced!

Back in the manga, first Krillin and then Gohan went to see the Great Elder and had their hidden potential unleashed...

...and meanwhile, in the anime version, the wicked Frieza made his terrifying debut!
At this point the anime was speeding along so much it was about to catch up with the manga, making it exhilarating to watch! Looking back at it now, it was an amazing time!

The stage for the eventual battle between Goku and Frieza began to be set on the covers of Shonen Jump, and amidst this exciting atmosphere, an F1 racing boom also took over the world! Weekly Shonen Jump even joined the F1 Japan Grand Prix as a sponsor, which led to the dream collab you see here! Check out Goku and company decked out in F1 style on the cover and poster!

As the situation on Namek grew more complicated, Frieza summoned the Ginyu Force, whose arrival on the distant planet got readers at the time even more excited!

After barely defeating Guldo, Recoome stepped up and proved to be a magnitude stronger than any opponent Gohan, Krillin and even Vegeta had ever faced before!

Just when all hope seemed lost, Goku touched down on Planet Namek at long last!

And just like it felt to wait for the next Weekly Shonen Jump issue, we're sure that you'll have fun waiting for the next column!