Librarian
God of Manga: Osamu Tezuka & the Birth of Modern Manga
Detail from Shin Takarajima (The New Treasure Island) by Osamu Tezuka (1947).
It is hard to imagine how Japan's manga industry, as well as its animation industry, could have grown to their current scale and diversity without [Osamu Tezuka's] pioneering example...His influence in Japan could be seen as equivalent to that of Walt Disney, Hergé, Will Eisner and Jack Kirby rolled into one...
— Paul Gravett, Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics
In April 1947, a 19-year-old Japanese medical student published Shin Takarajima (The New Treasure Island), which became a bestselling cultural phenomenon (Bouissou, 2010, p. 25). Considered the first work of kindai (modern) manga, Shin Takarajima launched the career of arguably the most influential mangaka of all time: Osamu Tezuka. Referred to as the "god" or "father" of manga, Tezuka is credited with pioneering many of the visual storytelling conventions still present in the medium today (Serchay, 2010, p.57). While Tezuka is best known for his works aimed at children — including Tetsuwan Atomu (Mighty Atom or Astro Boy), Ribon no Kishi (Princess Knight) and Jungle Taitei (Jungle Emperor, later made into an animated film entitled Kimba the White Lion which is said to have inspired Disney's Lion King) — he made several works for adult audiences as well. Notable among these are Metropolis, a science-fiction tale inspired by a single frame of Fritz Lang's film of the same name, and Hi no Tori (Phoenix), an epic work that Tezuka crafted over thirty years and which he considered his masterpiece.
Ayako
Overflowing with imagery of the cold war seen through Japan's eyes, Ayako is firmly set in realism taking inspiration from a number of historical events that occurred over the American occupation and the cultural-revolution which soon followed.
Dororo
A samurai lord has bartered away his newborn's organs to forty-eight demons in exchange for power. Yet the abandoned infant survives thanks to a doctor who equips him with letal prosthetics with which the wronged son will hunt down the multitude of demons to reclaim his body one piece at a time!
Ode to Kirihito
Dr. Osanai Kirihito has uncovered a fatal medical condition that transforms humans into dog-like beasts. In this thrilling narrative, Christian dogmas of human compassion, charity, and redemption will be put to the test.
Princess Knight
Filled with narrow escapes, treacherous courtiers, dashing pirates, meddlesome witches, magical transformations, and cinema-worthy displays of derring-do, this early shojo masterpiece is a fast-paced tale of a heroic princess who can best any man at fencing, yet is graceful enough to catch the eye of Prince Charming.
Buddha
Osamu Tezuka's vaunted storytelling genius, consummate skill at visual expression, and warm humanity blossom fully in his eight-volume epic of Siddhartha's life and times.
Astro Boy Omnibus, Vol. 1
Built by a brilliant scientist to replace his lost son, but with powers beyond imagination, Astro Boy fights for the oppressed and helpless, whether they be human, alien, or robot. Exciting, whimsical, and touching, Astro Boy brings back the classic era of comics and animation, featuring tales that readers young and old will enjoy
God of Comics: Osamu Tezuka and the creation of post-World War II manga
Cartoonist Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) is the single most important figure in Japanese post-World War II comics. Along with creating the character Astro Boy (Mighty Atom in Japan), he is best known for establishing story comics as the mainstream genre in the Japanese comic book industry, creating narratives with cinematic flow and complex characters.
