New Releases by Osamu Tezuka

''Buddha'' is the ultimate example of Tezuka''s storytelling genius and artistic mastery. The progenitor of manga as we know it, and the inspiration for countless artists, Tezuka continues to elicit the deepest awe with his sweeping grasp of the human condition.

Monmow disease, a life-threatening condition that transforms a person into a dog-like beast, is not the only villain in this brilliant medical thriller by manga god Osamu Tezuka. Said to have been a personal favourite of the artist, who held a degree in medicine and who was surprisingly attentive to Christian imagery, Ode to Kirihito demolishes naive notions about human nature, health and likely preconceptions about the comics master himself. Incorporating elements of the often lurid and adult-oriented |gekiga|, this work marks the beginning of Tezuka''s late period.

The story of an artificially created girl of the future, who searches for her parents, who do not exist.

Fumoon, a creature with supernatural powers, discovers a colossal gas cloud approaching Earth that will completely disintegrate the planet! In preparation for our world''s demise, Fumoon plans to rescue all of Earth''s living creatures and transport them via flying saucer to a new home on another planet! A dazzling work and guest-starring some friends you may recognize from Astro Boy Future World is timeless graphic fiction from one of the true masters, available for the first time in an English-language.

Recounts Siddhartha''s spiritual journey on the path to enlightenment and becoming the Buddha.

A rogue planet approaches Earth and a group of scientists discovers it is populated by dinosaurs, in the first of Osamu Tezuka''s cycle of science fiction graphic novels from the late 1940''s and early 1950''s.

Osamu Tezuka''s Astro Boy has for fifty years represented the best in all-ages graphic fiction and is regarded universally as the launching pad for the worldwide manga and anime explosion. Filled with humor, action, drama, and humanity -- not to mention robots! -- Astro Boy will remind you why comics first grabbed your heart and imagination. In this volume, Astro remains stranded in the 20th century, but he''s certainly not laying about! Astro must save the Earth from a voracious Martian fungus -- and save the intelligent organism from the hydrogen bomb -- all the while having to begin the fight for robot''s rights and to keep robots from fighting each other!

From the infinite imagination of the revered Osama Tezuka, creator of Metropolis, comes Astro Boy, the launching pad for the worldwide phenoma that are manga and anime. Standing among the pantheon of classic comics series, Astro Boy shows the absolute excitement, wonder, and entertainment that only the greatest comics can achieve, as only the true masters of the medium can create. In this volume, Astro Boy''s adventures in the 20th Century continue. After lying buried beneath the Mekong river during the Vietnam War, Astro is discovered and revived many years later in a time when robots are worked like slaves and discarded like broken toys. Teaming with the young and idealistic Dr. Ochanimizu, Astro fights for robot rights...and encounters his creator, Dr. Tenma, at the time of Astro''s creation, a situation that could create a dangerous time paradox!

In the wake of the critical acclaim of the incredible Metropolis animated feature, interest in the work of Osamu Tezuka, creator of Metropolis and the godfather of Japanese comics and animation, has never been greater, and Astro Boy is the flame that ignited the modern manga and anime industries. Perhaps the most endearing, and enduring, character to emerge from Tezuka''s volcanic imagination, Astro Boy thrills, amuses, and warms the hearts of readers of all ages. In this volume, a collision with an alien spacecraft sends Astro and the craft''s female pilot fifty years into Earth''s past, a past before robots -- not to mention aliens! Astro must find a way back to his present -- our future -- before he runs out of power, but his power is desperately needed in a world torn by war and the terror of nuclear weapons!

Half a century old, Astro Boy has once again taken America by storm! Created by the late, great Osamu Tezuka, Japan''s "God of Manga," Astro Boy is the cornerstone of today''s thriving manga and anime industries. Never before available in an English-language edition in the States, Dark Horse brings Astro Boy to America in collaboration with Studio Proteus, with translations by Frederik L. Schodt, author of Manga! Manga! and translator of Ghost in the Shell and Barefoot Gen. In this volume: Astro Boy must convince a confused robot not to aid an evil plot to take over an island rich in mineral wealth; a space leopard sent by conqueror aliens must be stopped before he can drain Earth''s energy; and Astro must team with a robot-hating detective to apprehend thieves who have stolen an artificial sun! This volume contains the following stories: Crucifix Island Space Snow Leapord The Artificial Sun

Standing shoulder to shoulder with comics and animation icons Krazy Kat, Mickey Mouse, and Tin Tin, Osama Tezuka''s Astro Boy remains as fresh today as when the boy robot first appeared nearly fifty years ago. And Tezuka''s Astro Boy original manga are now finally available in America in an English-language edition, produced in collaboration with Studio Proteus and translated by Frederik L. Schodt, well-known to manga readers for his work on Ghost in the Shell. In this volume: Astro fights to free abused robots from a robot theme park that masks a secret weapons factory; Astro and fellow robots are stranded on the moon only to discover a valley full of diamonds...but they are not alone, and the diamonds are not unguarded; Astro becomes trapped in the twentieth century after a child prodigy''s time machine breaks down; and Professor Ochanomizu and Astro Boy are caught up in a movement to overthrow a dictator who has a machine capable of producing human clones...and a force of evil robots to defend it! This volume contains the following stories: Robot Land Ivan the Fool A Day to Remember Ghost Manufacturing Machine

A timeless comics and animation classic, Osamu Tezuka'' Astro Boy is still going strong nearly half a century after its creation, and Dark Horse brings Tekuza''s original Astro Boy manga to America for the first time in an English-language edition. In the novel-length "The Greatest Robot on Earth," a wealthy sultan creates a giant robot to become the ruler of all other robots on Earth. But in order for that to happen, he must defeat the seven most powerful robots in the world, including Astro Boy, who must have his horsepower raised from 100,000 to 1,000,000 to face the challenge! And his sister, Uran, also flies in to lend a helping hand! Plus, in "Mad Machine," Professor Fuller invents a device that causes other machines to go berserk, and Astro Boy has to save the day! This volume contains the following stories: The Greatest Robot on Earth Mad Machine

Never before published in the US from the “Godather of Manga! One Hundred Tales is a story about being careful what you wish for. Ichirui Hanri is an ordinary accountant serving his master. Though innocent, he is ordered to commit hara-kiri after being entangled in some trouble in his master''s house. Just then, a witch named Sudama appears. She signs a contract with Hanri to obtain his soul in exchange for fulfilling three of his wishes. Hanri gets what he wants...but the price he pays is too high. An enchanting supernatural fable from Osamu Tezuka, known worldwide as the “Godfather of Manga” and the most influential person of the past century in the development of Japanese manga and anime.

When the meanest, orneriest, no-good black hat, known as the melon kid comes into town up looking for trouble, the townsfolk look to their sheriff, the famous civil war hero, the lemon kid to protect them. With the deadline to get out of town looming, can the two anagramic gunslingers overcome their shared history before it ends in a shoot-out? Bonus story: in a bid to find a trade route linking the east and western united states, can the intrepid members of the 13th expeditionary party make it through the dreaded black canyon alive?

A shocking display of racism ends athletic superstar James Block''s life when the woman he thought he loved admits she only dated him because of his celebrity status, and she would never marry someone of his color. His rage and temper leads him to incarceration where he meets the mysterious “Dr. F,” a man who’s invisibility ray gun killed his daughter and led to the continued diminishing visibility of his granddaughter, Ami. Once freed from jail, James tracks down the gun and turns it on himself, but stops right before the he''s fatally wounded. James can no longer be discriminated due to his skin color for he has none! He takes the nom de guerre “Alabaster” and his translucent tyranny begins with two goals: exact his revenge on his ex-girlfriend, and take on the similarly invisible Ami as his own ward. Written in a dark period of Tezuka''s life, Alabaster is a thrilling revenge story that touches on the dark side of humanity and the extent one would go to get even. It shows that not only does it affect the victims, but how destructive it is to be surrounded by such animosity. How far will you go for retribution?

IMMORTALITY, AT WHAT COST? In the Glass Mansion, a family has been frozen in cryosleep for 20 years under the orders of their patriarch. When the oldest son Ichirou awakes, he struggles to accept the reality that he has slept away 20 years of his life. Ichirou plans to exact revenge on those in his family that stole his life from him. As Shirou, the youngest brother, attempts to stop Ichirou, he becomes aware of the dangerous side effect of cryosleep that led to its national ban years ago. How far will Ichirou fall, and will Shirou be able to stop him? In Record of the Glass Castle, Osamu Tezuka tackles the great quandary of immortality at the cost of humanity, in a different, much darker light than he often does in his better-known masterpieces like Phoenix. In this tale, the search for humanity seems more hopeless than ever, tangled in hatred, greed, and lust. This one volume series is a must-read for the fans of Tezuka’s dark side, as well as those who can appreciate a story that won’t spell out all the answers.

The final fate of Ami is to be decided in the second half of Osamu Tezuka’s dark tale, ALABASTER. Alabaster hopes to have her be the queen of his future, dark and twisted kingdom that redefines what beauty is to the world, while Gen hopes to flee with her from the transparent tyrant’s wrath. When Ami’s long-forgotten brother Kanihei steps in to try to save his sister, the devious government operative Rock is out to destroy her and her world. There’s only one fate for Ami, but it might not be clear who will decide it.