Fans with eyes as good as Granolah may have noticed that multiple issues of Spider-Punk make allusions to Dragon Ball Super. Spider-Punk's concept is as straightforward as the subgenre its titular hero is named after: Spider-Man and the rest of the Marvel Universe is re-imagined as street punks and the authoritarian goons they hate. As a result the comic’s influences are mostly easy to spot, the dialogue sneaks in lyrics from classic bands like Dead Kennedys, Stooges, The Clash, and MC5. Spider-Punk’s version of Taskmaster is based on the iconic Misfits “Crimson Skull” logo while his hood substitutes for the band’s infamous “devil-lock” haircuts. But one of the book’s biggest influences might be more obvious to an anime enthusiast than your average punk rock fan.
The Dragon Ball franchise has been around since 1984 and since that time has amassed an enormous fandom worldwide, with many fans viewing Goku, the protagonist, as the manga equivalent to Superman. On its face it has little to do with the punk scene but so many people from so many walks of life adore Dragon Ball that it’s likely just as popular with punks as it is anywhere else. Featuring spiky hair with crazy colors, a ragtag group of a passionate few fighting against oppressors, and lots of screaming, Dragon Ball is way more punk than it gets credit for. Spider-Punk writer Cody Ziglar and artist Justin Mason have made their own connections between the punk rock web slinger and the legendary Akira Toriyama anime/manga series.
Strewn throughout the action sequences in Spider-Punk are direct references to the Dragon Ball Super manga as well as the anime. In a recent Instagram post, Cody Ziglar revealed three panels that serve as homages to moments from Dragon Ball Super, stating: "The plan? Sneak as many Dragon Ball references into Spider-Punk as we could." The first instance comes in issue #2 when Taskmaster introduces himself to Spider-Punk and his band of heroes, proudly pointing at himself with his thumb, just like Vegeta in the flashback sequence at the beginning of the feature length Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. The next instance is in issue #4 when Taskmaster winds Spider-Punk with a swift kick to the gut in a recreation of Granolah kicking Vegeta from the Dragon Ball Super manga series.
The first panel shown in Ziglar’s post, likely a preview of issue #5, out September 14th, is a sample of Dragon Ball references to come. The panel depicts the reanimated head of Norman Osborne in a mech suit, firing a massive laser as Spider-Punk gracefully glides just above it, a callback to Goku’s battle with Kefla from the anime series. Spider-Punk seemingly grinds over the laser beam to smash Osborne with a guitar, similar to how Goku dodges fire from Kefla in midair while charging his own Kamehameha attack. Spider-Punk’s alter ego Hobie Brown may not be a Super-Sayan, but Goku never got to hit anyone in the face with a custom spider-themed Gibson SG.
Now that this surprising source of inspiration has been revealed, fans can now keep an eye out for nods to the Dragon Ball series in future installments. Reinterpreting the epically overpowered action of Dragon Ball Super through the lens of do-it-yourself punk-rock vigilantes works far better than it has any right to. While Spider-Punk probably isn’t dying his hair blonde and growing a tail any time soon, there are decades worth of Dragon Ball showdowns to pull from for wherever his gig van takes him next.
Source: Cody Ziglar