Black Jack, Volume 1

Black Jack is one of the most popular manga ever published, a series that even had social repercussions in Japan where it first appeared. It was written and drawn by Osamu Tezuka, the "God of Manga," a huge figure in Japan who was sort of Stan Lee and Walt Disney combined, leaving an indelible legacy of comics and cartoons. Much of his work was for children, characterized by his most known creations Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. Black Jack is decidedly different, a work more for adults.

This series follows the exploits of a scarred, mysterious doctor-for-hire. He is not licensed, but he is highly skilled and considered the best surgeon in the world, the person who you would turn to as a last and best resort. He will take any job, but his asking price is high, and he does attract a great number of shady characters. Still, he is not as mercenary as he would seem, and after reading a few stories it becomes apparent that he is quite charitable and just. All the same, he comes across as a dark, ominous, and dramatic figure, cloaked in a cape and face partly obscured by his wild hair. Take for instance the first story in the volume, where a crime lord hires him to treat his good-for-nothing son who has been mangled beyond comprehension:

Paging Dr. Badass...

Although Tezuka widely influenced manga and propagated the "big eyes" style that is pretty cutesy and cartoonish, in Black Jack he drew in a more realistic manner. This style is especially apparent in the surgery scenes, which I guess makes a lot of sense as Tezuka actually trained to be a doctor before he began working on comics. Still, there are a great number of science fiction or fantasy elements, such as his surgery on a woman whose conjoined twin has both awareness and great mental abilities to deter those who would separate her from her sister:

Black Jack not only saves the little sister, he builds for her a body. This woman, Pinoko, becomes his assistant and lives with him. She looks like a small, baby doll girl, and he treats her as such, but she calls herself his wife and is very jealous of his interactions with women. This strange characterization is somewhat jarring but emblematic of the powerful, memorable personalities that abound in this book. There is no real over-arching storyline, and each chapter is self-contained. A reader can just jump in and read any of these suspenseful and moralistic tales of life and death.

All of the reviews I have read have praised this classic manga. Heather Bretschneider wrote, "While the medical scenarios it presents may not always be accurate, they always succeed in creating a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish." Elliot Page commented that "despite its (admittedly few) flaws, I would not hesitate to recommend Black Jack to almost anyone."

Despite its (admittedly few) flaws, I would not hesitate to recommend Black Jack to almost anyone. - See more at: http://www.anigamers.com/2010/03/review-black-jack-vols1-9-manga.html#sthash.sNV5ctUj.dpuf

Black Jack, Volume 1 was published in the US by Vertical, Inc., and they have 17 books that cover the entire series.

Osamu Tezuka would have been 83 today

Imagine Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Walt Disney rolled up into one person and that about estimates how important Osamu Tezuka is and was to Japanese comics. The man invented and popularized many of the conventions of manga and went on to produce a prodigious number of anime as well at the Mushi Production and Tezuka Productions studios.

"The God of Comics" was a a trained medical doctor who forwent practicing in order to follow his passion and make comics. In post-World War II Japan much of the industry had to be rebuilt and Tezuka's tireless efforts were a beacon in the manga and anime worlds. He worked on 700 manga series in his lifetime and produced about 150,000 volumes of work, most of which are only available in Japanese. Among his most famous series are Astro Boy, Phoenix, Blackjack, Buddha, and Kimba the White Lion, which some people claim is the direct inspiration of Disney's The Lion King. To be fair, Disney was a major influence on his work as well. Additionally, many of his works were also turned into anime series and he worked on at least 60 films. Much of his work is covered in more detail on the Tezuka in English fansite.

Tezuka's life and work are commemorated by two awards, the Osamu Tezuka Awards and the Osamu Tezuka Culture Award, both given for achievements in manga. If you are ever in Japan, you can also visit the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum, located in Takarazuka, the city where he was raised.

Tezuka Bibliography in English

Osamu Tezuka is a giant in the world of manga who created hundreds of titles, including Astro Boy (The Mighty Atom) and a biography of Buddha. There has been tons published about him in Japanese, but not so much in other languages. Katherine Dacey helps some of us out with her bibliography of the growing body of English-language commentary on his works.


Thanks to The Comics Reporter, where I found the link!

Astro Boy, Volume 3

Osamu Tezuka is considered the "god of manga" who created hundreds of volumes of comics in all types of genres while also being one of the driving forces behind the anime (Japanese cartoons) industry as well. A figure analogous to Walt Disney, his legacy lies in the countless stories and memorable characters he created, and without a doubt Astro Boy (originally called The Mighty Atom) is his most famous creation. This volume is part of Dark Horse Comics' ongoing efforts to publish the complete series in English, and it contains two stories, "The Greatest Robot in the World" and "Mad Machine."

"The Greatest Robot in the World" makes up the majority of the volume. It was originally serialized in 1964-1965 and is considered by many Tezuka's best work with the character. The plot of the story revolves around a former sultan who has built a powerful robot named Pluto. The sultan wishes to prove that Pluto is the most powerful by having him battle and destroy the 7 most advanced robots in the world. This mission gets delayed when Astro Boy refuses to duel Pluto, and so Pluto kidnaps Uran, Astro's little sister, to lure him into battle. Instead of merely being threatening, Pluto befriends Uran and begins to question his destructive mission.

"Mad Machine" is a shorter tale of a blackmail plot originally published in 1958. Dr. Foola is a greedy genius who has invented a machine that makes other machines go crazy. He demands billions of dollars in ransom in return for not bringing entire cities to a screeching halt. Dr. Tenma reconfigues Astro so that he can contend with this evil doctor and shut down the diabolical machine.

Even though Tezuka's work in this volume was done long ago, it still holds up well. The art is energetic, detailed, and very expressive. And as detailed in this review from Deb Aoki, the story is very forward thinking for a comic made more than 4 decades ago, even with some cultural insensitivity in the depictions of Arab characters.

"The Greatest Robot in the World" first appeared in manga form but has been adapted to other media. A version of the story from the 1980 Astro Boy cartoon is available here on YouTube.
Additionally, Astro Boy will be introduced to a new generation of viewers in an anticipated theatrical release in 2009.

Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, Volume 1

Osamu Tezuka is considered the Walt Disney of Japanese animation and comics, responsible for a number of beloved characters, chief among them Astro Boy. So recasting one of the most beloved of Astro Boy's stories, "The Greatest Robot on Earth" is a tall order, much as it would be to redo a classic such as Bambi or Snow White. In this case, Urasawa plays to his strengths, recasting the story into a murder mystery. A mysterious figure is destroying the most powerful robots in the world, and one detective is on the case. That detective is Gesicht, who is himself a highly advanced, powerful robot.

As the series goes on, it redresses some of the more anachronistic parts of Tezuka's tale, with a more realistic and less stereotypical portrayal of Middle Eastern people and conflicts. The ability of Urasawa to marry ideas from Tezuka's original story with popular culture and historical references from more recent times is one of the great strengths here. The story is not a direct update but also draws on a great many pop culture works like Isaac Asimov's I, Robot and Star Trek: The Next Generation as pointed out in this substantive review by Ed Sizemore. It is this eye to include disparate elements that lends greater intrigue and depth to the story.

Naoki Urasawa is one of the most acclaimed purveyors of manga in recent times. His work on series such as Monster and 20th Century Boys has led to financial and critical success. He has won the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award three times, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize twice, and the Kodansha Manga Award once. Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Diaz even called him "a national treasure in Japan."

Updating a classic for a modern audience is no easy task, but according to many reviewers, including Charles Tan, Urasawa's effort here is very successful. The strong characterizations in the story led Greg McElhatton to call it a "must read." One other review from Deb Aoki compares the updated Urasawa version to the original Osamu story.

For people interested in more discussion on this volume there is a substantial essay on the series on the Tezuka in English website.

Buddha, Volume 1: Kapilavastu

Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) accomplished much in his lifetime. He was trained as a medical doctor but his love for drawing manga led him in a different direction. Nicknamed the "Father of Anime" and also the "God of Manga," Tezuka is often considered the Japanese version of Walt Disney. He is credited with the creation of the "large eyes" style of Japanese animation and also created over 700 manga in his lifetime. In the US, his most famous creation is probably Astro Boy, originally called The Mighty Atom, a character who appeared in cartoon series in the 1960s, 1980s, and 2000s as well as an upcoming movie.

Kapilavastu, named for the birthplace of Buddha, is the first of 8 volumes published by Vertical in which Tezuka presents a chronicle of Gautama Siddhartha Buddha along with some fictional elements and characters meant to provide drama, add comic relief, and move the story along. Originally, this narrative ran serially in Kibou no Tomo magazine from 1972 to 1983 and was Tezuka's last great epic work. Although he was more of a humanist than anything else, Tezuka admired and respected Buddha and felt that his story was inspirational and important to be told. The official website of the book has character and plot descriptions for each of the 8 volumes.

Critics have commented on how readable the book is but also how modern slang and behaviors might detract from the overall narrative, how light the story is in regards to its subject matter, how Tezuka straddles the line between writing for adults and children, and how multiple sensibilities come to play in this work.

Tezuka's official website is here and contains links to the publishers who put out his works, but there is also an encyclopedic fan website called Tezuka in English.

For more information on Buddha, there are websites that sketch his life via written works and poetry, detail his teachings, and
place both into religious context.