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Astro Boy, Vol. 1 & 2
Dark Horse proudly presents one of the crown jewels of manga--Astro Boy! Created by the late Osamu Tezuka, a revered animator and cartoonist (who created over 150,000 pages of comics in his career!) considered the Walt Disney of Japan, Astro Boy was the first manga series to be adapted to animation and became a worldwide phenomenon, making Astro Boy the Mickey Mouse of anime-a jet-powered, super-strong, evil-robot-bashing, alien-invasion-smashing Mickey Mouse, that is! Exciting, whimsical, and touching, Astro Boy hearkens back to the classic era of comics and animation, featuring stories that readers young and old will enjoy.
* This special edition combines the first two volumes of the collected Astro Boy, in one value-priced collection!
* This special edition combines the first two volumes of the collected Astro Boy, in one value-priced collection!
424 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2008
73 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Osamu Tezuka
2,153 books1,291 followersDr. Osamu Tezuka (手塚治虫) was a Japanese manga artist, animator, producer and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. He is often credited as the "Father of Anime", and is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during his formative years. His prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as "the father of manga" and "the God of Manga."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 10, 2019
I can totally see the appeal of Astro Boy, I've read Pluto before, a mature take on this series which I absolutely loved, it left me curious about the source material for a while and I finally decided to pick it up, so glad I did, really entertaining despite being made in the 50's, way more interesting than Mickey Mouse or even Superman, which I never really cared for, there's a certain charm to it much like the sci-fi flicks being produced on Hollywood around that time, its also the birth of modern manga and the shounen magazine, so if you're a fan of any of these things I mentioned you should give it a try, gonna stick around for a few more volumes.
December 18, 2015
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
“Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” by Osamu Tezuka, a legendary manga master, is a collection of the first two volumes in a twenty-three-volume manga series Astro Boy. The Astro Boy series, a three-decade project that became a worldwide phenomenon and an inspiration for countless manga artists, features an extremely advanced android named Astro Boy that fights villains and their destructive creations to protect his friends, save the Earth and preserve the peace.
Five of the six stories in this book - “The Hot Dog Corps,” “Plant People,” “His Highness Deadcross,” “The Third Magician” and “White Planet” - were written in the early 1960’s, and the prequel to the whole series, “The Birth of Astro Boy,” was written in 1975. “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” also includes a very informative introduction to the Astro Boy series and Tezuka’s work in general.
THUMBS UP:
1) Entertaining.
The stories in “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” are action-packed, entertaining and funny in a silly-cute way.
2) Appealing artwork.
Strongly influenced by the works of Walt Disney, Tezuka’s art is very dynamic, detailed, entertaining and endearing. It is interesting to note that even though the Astro Boy series is Japanese manga, “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” is read from left to write because the English version is printed as a mirror image of the original.
3) Thought-provoking.
Although goofy, stories in “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” are also touching and quite thought-provoking as they raise quite a few philosophical and moral questions about technology and our shared humanity.
4) Informative introductions.
The background information on Tezuka and the Astro Boy series helps to grasp the importance of Tezuka’s work and to better understand and appreciate the Astro Boy series. In addition, most of the stories begin with a prelude in which Tezuka, the character, discusses certain aspects of that particular story or the series as a whole.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Repetitive and predictable.
Although entertaining and action-packed, the stories in “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” soon get kind of repetitive and easily predictable. Plus, the resolutions are often overly simplistic and the characters are rather two-dimensional.
2) Childish.
“Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” is perfect for its targeted audience, ten-year-old boys, but a little bit too childish for adults or even older teens. It is PACKED with robot fights, and the humor is sometimes overdone, as if the author’s sole purpose is not to make the story too serious, at any cost.
VERDICT: 2 out of 5
Osamu Tezuka’s “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” is an entertaining and historically important science fiction manga for pre-teen boys. However, although skillfully drawn and occasionally thought-provoking, it is kind of repetitive, easily predictable and a little bit too goofy for my liking.
“Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” by Osamu Tezuka, a legendary manga master, is a collection of the first two volumes in a twenty-three-volume manga series Astro Boy. The Astro Boy series, a three-decade project that became a worldwide phenomenon and an inspiration for countless manga artists, features an extremely advanced android named Astro Boy that fights villains and their destructive creations to protect his friends, save the Earth and preserve the peace.
Five of the six stories in this book - “The Hot Dog Corps,” “Plant People,” “His Highness Deadcross,” “The Third Magician” and “White Planet” - were written in the early 1960’s, and the prequel to the whole series, “The Birth of Astro Boy,” was written in 1975. “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” also includes a very informative introduction to the Astro Boy series and Tezuka’s work in general.
THUMBS UP:
1) Entertaining.
The stories in “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” are action-packed, entertaining and funny in a silly-cute way.
2) Appealing artwork.
Strongly influenced by the works of Walt Disney, Tezuka’s art is very dynamic, detailed, entertaining and endearing. It is interesting to note that even though the Astro Boy series is Japanese manga, “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” is read from left to write because the English version is printed as a mirror image of the original.
3) Thought-provoking.
Although goofy, stories in “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” are also touching and quite thought-provoking as they raise quite a few philosophical and moral questions about technology and our shared humanity.
4) Informative introductions.
The background information on Tezuka and the Astro Boy series helps to grasp the importance of Tezuka’s work and to better understand and appreciate the Astro Boy series. In addition, most of the stories begin with a prelude in which Tezuka, the character, discusses certain aspects of that particular story or the series as a whole.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Repetitive and predictable.
Although entertaining and action-packed, the stories in “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” soon get kind of repetitive and easily predictable. Plus, the resolutions are often overly simplistic and the characters are rather two-dimensional.
2) Childish.
“Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” is perfect for its targeted audience, ten-year-old boys, but a little bit too childish for adults or even older teens. It is PACKED with robot fights, and the humor is sometimes overdone, as if the author’s sole purpose is not to make the story too serious, at any cost.
VERDICT: 2 out of 5
Osamu Tezuka’s “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2” is an entertaining and historically important science fiction manga for pre-teen boys. However, although skillfully drawn and occasionally thought-provoking, it is kind of repetitive, easily predictable and a little bit too goofy for my liking.
October 22, 2015
I'd never read any Osamu Tezuka before, but we went to see the ballet, TeZuKa, at the Saddlers Wells Theatre earlier this week. An interesting mix of story telling, ballet and martial arts. Before the ballet was a talk by Helen McCarthy on Tezuka's life and works which was very interesting, but also made me realise I was missing out on a piece of Manga history with Tezuka.
The book itself is an English translation and collection of the first Astro Boy books. Six stories presented in the order they were written, with the exception of the first story which is the prequel, 'The Birth of Astro Boy', which provides a useful introduction for those of us that haven't been immersed in the Astro Boy history.
The drawing is both 'cute', as you'd expect for Manga, but manages to keep a strong sense of wit as well. The stories are both fun and engaging. They pull you along at just the right pace. If there was a weak one for me it was the 'White Planet' finale, which didn't really seem to be about Astro Boy at all.
The book itself is an English translation and collection of the first Astro Boy books. Six stories presented in the order they were written, with the exception of the first story which is the prequel, 'The Birth of Astro Boy', which provides a useful introduction for those of us that haven't been immersed in the Astro Boy history.
The drawing is both 'cute', as you'd expect for Manga, but manages to keep a strong sense of wit as well. The stories are both fun and engaging. They pull you along at just the right pace. If there was a weak one for me it was the 'White Planet' finale, which didn't really seem to be about Astro Boy at all.
January 25, 2024
i cant believe this took me so long to finish 😭😭 to be so honest, i love astro boy but this was downright tedious and almost uncomfortable to read. i still enjoyed it to an extent but damn…it was so difficult to get through
Read
March 13, 2022Yes, I know it's an acknowledged classic, and Tezuka is the founding father of manga, but put it this way: I have a lot more of a connection to superhero comics than I do to manga, and I still really struggle to enjoy most of the alleged classics by that genre's founding fathers, any more than I'd opt to fly in the Wright brothers' plane when I could be in something which built on that pioneering work while also being good. But this was dirt cheap in what I still insist on calling a Comixology sale, so I thought I might as well have a vague prod at it out of a sense of history and obligation, before getting back to Assassination Classroom. The introduction didn't give me much reason to reconsider, explaining that this collection wasn't even the complete works, that Tezuka had often gone back and reworked stuff, and then signing off with a note expressing moderate contrition for what was implied to be some fairly heavy racism. So far, so 'read one for the sake of getting a survey of the field, then move on'.
The first story was the origin, and in between the retro-futurist LOLs ("in 1974, scientists invented an ultra-miniature computer that ran on nuclear power"), the butt machine-guns, the guy drawn with a nose almost as big as the rest of his head, there were some moving robot Pinocchio moments, like AI if it hadn't been quite so desperately convinced of its own significance. Not terrible, but nothing I've not seen dozens of times before. The second story, though...bloody hell. The Hot Dog Corps gets into the similarities and differences between dogs and robots, also a central concern of one of my favourite books ever, Clifford Simak's City. But where that was elegiac, bittersweet, rural, this is globe-trotting (and beyond), all-action, indeed seemingly inventing a new visual vocabulary for action as it goes. Some of the tricks, particularly when it comes to the villains, are recognisable from early animation, but the sheer sense of scale with which its armadas and giant robots pop off the page feels all its own, still fresh and fizzing decades later. It's exciting, it's heartbreaking, sometimes it's even funny (even if, across all that time and cultural gap, it was the attempts at incidental gags which most often left me nonplussed). It is, in short, proper brilliant stuff, fun in a way I don't get at all from most Western comics of the same era. Nor did I catch much sign of the problematic depictions of which we were warned, so presumably that's a form warning that goes in every volume even if it doesn't always apply: the worst here is a couple of Russians playing quite heavily on old tropes of imperial entitlement and Soviet goonery, and for some unaccountable reason I don't feel in much of a mood to get exercised about that right now. Indeed, of the other stories in the collection, two of the more substantial ones turn on humans outraged at robots no longer willing to do what they're told, daring to get above themselves, and you really don't have to dig too far to get the metaphor in that one, do you? Though neither settles for mere allegory, both still being emphatically action stories about robots who convince as robots too. And at the heart of it all, Astro Boy himself, small and cute and sometimes capable of shaming people into doing the right thing – there's one particularly wonderful panel where he's just overheard a plan to ban sentient robots and the perspective, the shadows, everything contributes to hugely emphasising something very like Paddington's hard stare. Except that this is a Paddington who will also happily kick arse when necessary. Again, can't think why that should feel particularly enjoyable at the moment. I've already bought another four volumes while the sale's still on.
The first story was the origin, and in between the retro-futurist LOLs ("in 1974, scientists invented an ultra-miniature computer that ran on nuclear power"), the butt machine-guns, the guy drawn with a nose almost as big as the rest of his head, there were some moving robot Pinocchio moments, like AI if it hadn't been quite so desperately convinced of its own significance. Not terrible, but nothing I've not seen dozens of times before. The second story, though...bloody hell. The Hot Dog Corps gets into the similarities and differences between dogs and robots, also a central concern of one of my favourite books ever, Clifford Simak's City. But where that was elegiac, bittersweet, rural, this is globe-trotting (and beyond), all-action, indeed seemingly inventing a new visual vocabulary for action as it goes. Some of the tricks, particularly when it comes to the villains, are recognisable from early animation, but the sheer sense of scale with which its armadas and giant robots pop off the page feels all its own, still fresh and fizzing decades later. It's exciting, it's heartbreaking, sometimes it's even funny (even if, across all that time and cultural gap, it was the attempts at incidental gags which most often left me nonplussed). It is, in short, proper brilliant stuff, fun in a way I don't get at all from most Western comics of the same era. Nor did I catch much sign of the problematic depictions of which we were warned, so presumably that's a form warning that goes in every volume even if it doesn't always apply: the worst here is a couple of Russians playing quite heavily on old tropes of imperial entitlement and Soviet goonery, and for some unaccountable reason I don't feel in much of a mood to get exercised about that right now. Indeed, of the other stories in the collection, two of the more substantial ones turn on humans outraged at robots no longer willing to do what they're told, daring to get above themselves, and you really don't have to dig too far to get the metaphor in that one, do you? Though neither settles for mere allegory, both still being emphatically action stories about robots who convince as robots too. And at the heart of it all, Astro Boy himself, small and cute and sometimes capable of shaming people into doing the right thing – there's one particularly wonderful panel where he's just overheard a plan to ban sentient robots and the perspective, the shadows, everything contributes to hugely emphasising something very like Paddington's hard stare. Except that this is a Paddington who will also happily kick arse when necessary. Again, can't think why that should feel particularly enjoyable at the moment. I've already bought another four volumes while the sale's still on.
October 12, 2011
In a world not so far away, Earth has become a place shared by humans and robots (able to think for themselves, and are essentially human) alike. And in this world, Astro Boy is created by a scientist who believes he can replace his dead son with a manmade robot. When Astro Boy cannot do the one thing Tobio (the original), did: grow, he is left to fend for himself until he is able to meet some other people who promise to care for him, and help him as he continues to save the world and his friends from evil.
This first two volumes of Astro Boy feature a collection of short to longer manga stories that revolve around a basic evil-villains-therefore-save-the-world kind of plots. These adventures are both cute and exciting, allowing the reader to easily zip through the hilarious and adorable scenes, characters, and art style; all things that will attract the young and the old.
But what makes Astro Boy special, and what makes it different from any typical cutesy-style manga or even graphic novel series, is the subtle subtext and issues Tezuka brings up in each and every story. Because within this collection, while you're going to see fun stories about dogs being turned into robots for instance, the story really isn't about that, but about the idea of brain transplants, and the moral ambiguity surrounding whether (once we have the technology) we can play around with the brains of other species and beings, and 'humanize' them. This is just an example, but you get the idea.
And that's what makes Astro Boy a phenomenal collection to read and most importantly THINK ABOUT. Because even though you will enjoy the cute art, the funny bits, and the narrative, you'll still be thinking about those issues Tezuka is bringing up that not only affect the possible future, but even affect our own 21st century world. And that's what makes this work still influential and important today, that scifi goodness that will make you think and critically examine the world and its norms and ideals.
All in all, Astro Boy is cute, easy to read, and a fun hilarious comedy series. At the same time, however, it's deep, serious, and will make you question the world around you. A must read. 4/5
This first two volumes of Astro Boy feature a collection of short to longer manga stories that revolve around a basic evil-villains-therefore-save-the-world kind of plots. These adventures are both cute and exciting, allowing the reader to easily zip through the hilarious and adorable scenes, characters, and art style; all things that will attract the young and the old.
But what makes Astro Boy special, and what makes it different from any typical cutesy-style manga or even graphic novel series, is the subtle subtext and issues Tezuka brings up in each and every story. Because within this collection, while you're going to see fun stories about dogs being turned into robots for instance, the story really isn't about that, but about the idea of brain transplants, and the moral ambiguity surrounding whether (once we have the technology) we can play around with the brains of other species and beings, and 'humanize' them. This is just an example, but you get the idea.
And that's what makes Astro Boy a phenomenal collection to read and most importantly THINK ABOUT. Because even though you will enjoy the cute art, the funny bits, and the narrative, you'll still be thinking about those issues Tezuka is bringing up that not only affect the possible future, but even affect our own 21st century world. And that's what makes this work still influential and important today, that scifi goodness that will make you think and critically examine the world and its norms and ideals.
All in all, Astro Boy is cute, easy to read, and a fun hilarious comedy series. At the same time, however, it's deep, serious, and will make you question the world around you. A must read. 4/5
January 14, 2014
This volume is an important part of the history of manga. In addition to the original stories, it has several inserted annotations that explain cultural and historical oddities.
While the stories vary somewhat in quality, they're all interesting and fun.
Astro Boy, created as a robotic replacement for a young boy killed in an accident, became much more after the grieving father realized his mistake. In creating a never-aging, robotic replacement for his son, he had only extended his pain indefinitely.
The stories which follow include everything from robot magicians to cyborgs based on dogs, mostly serious but with odd bits of humor. Occasionally the logic of a story fails in weird ways, but at the core of the stories are a lot of philosophical and moral issues about technology. For instance, if man creates a true artificial intelligence, what rights will it have?
If you've never read or seen the original Astroy Boy stories, this volume is an important one to add to your reading list.
While the stories vary somewhat in quality, they're all interesting and fun.
Astro Boy, created as a robotic replacement for a young boy killed in an accident, became much more after the grieving father realized his mistake. In creating a never-aging, robotic replacement for his son, he had only extended his pain indefinitely.
The stories which follow include everything from robot magicians to cyborgs based on dogs, mostly serious but with odd bits of humor. Occasionally the logic of a story fails in weird ways, but at the core of the stories are a lot of philosophical and moral issues about technology. For instance, if man creates a true artificial intelligence, what rights will it have?
If you've never read or seen the original Astroy Boy stories, this volume is an important one to add to your reading list.
Read
September 18, 2021This was a bit of a challenge to read, not because it's a bad story but more it truly reflects the time of its publishing. These early Astro Boy comics are pretty zany at times with a strong play on visual comedy and other slapstick antics.
But it's sort of like a Puff the Magic Dragon situation, but instead of a happy song with a sad meaning, we have a seemingly light and comedic comic that touches on some pretty serious issues. The big theme across the adventures is that of equality for robots, which is a readily applicable metaphor for just about any minority group. And the different stories examine this concept from many different perspectives including a country with a robot president or even a robot magician facing the ire of a human one.
Astro Boy's dedication to the good of all persists across all these stories, but it's also clear that he's still growing into his own as a character and Tezuka is still fully "fleshing" him out, if you get my drift.
But it's sort of like a Puff the Magic Dragon situation, but instead of a happy song with a sad meaning, we have a seemingly light and comedic comic that touches on some pretty serious issues. The big theme across the adventures is that of equality for robots, which is a readily applicable metaphor for just about any minority group. And the different stories examine this concept from many different perspectives including a country with a robot president or even a robot magician facing the ire of a human one.
Astro Boy's dedication to the good of all persists across all these stories, but it's also clear that he's still growing into his own as a character and Tezuka is still fully "fleshing" him out, if you get my drift.
May 9, 2019
I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this collection. I had often heard these dismissed as childish and silly but they were really smart and complex. The best was the Deadcross storyline, which I can see why it was controversial at the time as it is still quite disturbing now but is discussing issues which are still alarmingly prescient.
August 2, 2023
While I probably won't continue reading Tezuka's Astro Boy, I definitely felt like reading at least some of it was a critical part of my manga reading experience due to Tezuka's sheer influence on the field. I'm usually not into much shōnen so I expected to find Astro Boy tough to get through, but boy was I surprised. This series, though aimed largely at young readers, is quite sophisticated in its storytelling approach and visually very engaging. Though I won't rigorously keep on reading the series (there are too many volumes), I wouldn't be surprised if I found myself delving into random volumes in the future.
This omnibus starts with "The Birth of Astro Boy", which details the creation of Astro Boy. A scientist creates Astro Boy to replace his son lost in a car accident. However, the scientist soon gets frustrated by the fact that Astro Boy will never age and so abandons the cybernetic child to the circus. There, the kid meets his new father figure, Ochanomizu, who adopts and names him "Astro Boy". There's a lot of early Disney stories that clearly influenced Tezuka, but he infuses the series with his own touches to create something both nostalgic and also highly unique. The world of Astro Boy is set in a retro-futuristic setting, which isn't quite cyberpunk or dystopian, but definitely borrows lightly from those subgenres.
The following stories - "The Hot Dog Corps", "Plant People", "His Highness Deadcross", "The Third Magician" and "White Planet" - are all episodic adventures which explore Astro Boy coming to terms with his own humanity while also trying to save the day as a proto-superhero figure. The stories, though juvenile in tone, are surprisingly twisty and creative. It's no small wonder that Astro Boy captured the imagination of many readers over the decades. What really makes these varying adventures also so captivating is Tezuka's masterful cartooning which homages classic animation while building something very innovative at the same time. The action is always dynamic, the characters are highly expressive, and the worldbuilding is seamless. This is truly a timeless series.
This omnibus starts with "The Birth of Astro Boy", which details the creation of Astro Boy. A scientist creates Astro Boy to replace his son lost in a car accident. However, the scientist soon gets frustrated by the fact that Astro Boy will never age and so abandons the cybernetic child to the circus. There, the kid meets his new father figure, Ochanomizu, who adopts and names him "Astro Boy". There's a lot of early Disney stories that clearly influenced Tezuka, but he infuses the series with his own touches to create something both nostalgic and also highly unique. The world of Astro Boy is set in a retro-futuristic setting, which isn't quite cyberpunk or dystopian, but definitely borrows lightly from those subgenres.
The following stories - "The Hot Dog Corps", "Plant People", "His Highness Deadcross", "The Third Magician" and "White Planet" - are all episodic adventures which explore Astro Boy coming to terms with his own humanity while also trying to save the day as a proto-superhero figure. The stories, though juvenile in tone, are surprisingly twisty and creative. It's no small wonder that Astro Boy captured the imagination of many readers over the decades. What really makes these varying adventures also so captivating is Tezuka's masterful cartooning which homages classic animation while building something very innovative at the same time. The action is always dynamic, the characters are highly expressive, and the worldbuilding is seamless. This is truly a timeless series.
August 26, 2020
Más profundo de lo que pensaba.
¿Es Astroboy una Historieta para niños? Si, lo es. Pero no caigamos en el error de creer que si es para niños, es básico o simplón. La obra de Tezuka es revolucionaria a muchos niveles y Astroboy no es la excepción. En cierta manera trata en sus historias temas que el futuro serán controversiales, creo que de verdad se adelanta tanto a su tiempo que hoy le llamamos ciencia ficción pero mañana puede ser una realidad. En especial el debate de la inteligencia artificial y la robótica como una nueva manifestación de lo humano. Los robots de Tezuka tienen que hacer valer su humanidad contra una orda de creadores que se sienten temor de su obra, una obra tan perfecta que incluso puede ser más humana que lo humano. En la reflexión del mundo robotico de Astroboy está reflejado nuestro mundo actual y futuro.
Además, no dejen que los engañen los temas aparentemente infantiles que propone. No lo son en absoluto. Al revés, Tezuka nuca escondió a los niños que este es un mundo agridulce, con cosas buenas y malas, justas e injustas. En el mundo de Tezuka existen los finales tristes, los sufrimientos que nos acompañan en el mundo, la violencia, el sacrificio y la injusticia. Pero también la felicidad, el perdón y la caridad. Lo que hace importante a Astroboy es que en sus entrañas de metal existe un corazón verdadero, y con eso nno quiero decir un corazón orgánico.
Pensé que este libro era mi debut y despedida con Astroboy, pero creo que no va a ser así.
¿Es Astroboy una Historieta para niños? Si, lo es. Pero no caigamos en el error de creer que si es para niños, es básico o simplón. La obra de Tezuka es revolucionaria a muchos niveles y Astroboy no es la excepción. En cierta manera trata en sus historias temas que el futuro serán controversiales, creo que de verdad se adelanta tanto a su tiempo que hoy le llamamos ciencia ficción pero mañana puede ser una realidad. En especial el debate de la inteligencia artificial y la robótica como una nueva manifestación de lo humano. Los robots de Tezuka tienen que hacer valer su humanidad contra una orda de creadores que se sienten temor de su obra, una obra tan perfecta que incluso puede ser más humana que lo humano. En la reflexión del mundo robotico de Astroboy está reflejado nuestro mundo actual y futuro.
Además, no dejen que los engañen los temas aparentemente infantiles que propone. No lo son en absoluto. Al revés, Tezuka nuca escondió a los niños que este es un mundo agridulce, con cosas buenas y malas, justas e injustas. En el mundo de Tezuka existen los finales tristes, los sufrimientos que nos acompañan en el mundo, la violencia, el sacrificio y la injusticia. Pero también la felicidad, el perdón y la caridad. Lo que hace importante a Astroboy es que en sus entrañas de metal existe un corazón verdadero, y con eso nno quiero decir un corazón orgánico.
Pensé que este libro era mi debut y despedida con Astroboy, pero creo que no va a ser así.
August 26, 2022
In the foreward of this collection, Frederik L. Schodt notes that the heroes of American comics typically fight for justice, but in Astro Boy, the titular hero fights for peace. I just think that's a cool distinction to make in your work, especially back in the '60s.
Anyway, this was a solid read. It was my first exposure to Astro Boy outside of some general cultural osmosis and Urasawa's Pluto. I was mostly expecting some silly adventures with a robot kid, not Asimovian questions on a robot's humanity. There's silly adventures, too, but the story with the Dog People army was pretty wild. I liked the one about Plant people too. Some of the stories go on for a little too long, some are cut short before their impact can really hit. But even during the weaker selections, it's still exciting to see Tezuka try out all this weird stuff, whether it be through broaching strange, specific subject matter, experimenting with panel layout/shot selection, or just doing a really silly visual gag.
I will say, the story that ends this collection, the one about the kid whose sister puts her brain in his car to win the race, that one was a stinker.
Anyway, it's weird that Astro Boy never got a nicer collected release. I would love to see him get the treatment of Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge comics, with some larger-sized hardbacks that keep the color pages in tact.
Anyway, this was a solid read. It was my first exposure to Astro Boy outside of some general cultural osmosis and Urasawa's Pluto. I was mostly expecting some silly adventures with a robot kid, not Asimovian questions on a robot's humanity. There's silly adventures, too, but the story with the Dog People army was pretty wild. I liked the one about Plant people too. Some of the stories go on for a little too long, some are cut short before their impact can really hit. But even during the weaker selections, it's still exciting to see Tezuka try out all this weird stuff, whether it be through broaching strange, specific subject matter, experimenting with panel layout/shot selection, or just doing a really silly visual gag.
I will say, the story that ends this collection, the one about the kid whose sister puts her brain in his car to win the race, that one was a stinker.
Anyway, it's weird that Astro Boy never got a nicer collected release. I would love to see him get the treatment of Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge comics, with some larger-sized hardbacks that keep the color pages in tact.
January 26, 2023
Osamu Tezuka is respected for a reason: he knew how to tell a story. The selection in this (these?) title demonstrate his clear and simple storytelling style. The stories here were picked by Tezuka from throughout the run of Astro Boy manga, meaning that you won't necessarily understand completely everything about the character at once. First-time readers won't know why Astro has so many father figures, for example.
Thankfully, the meat of the stories doesn't involve too much knowledge of Astro. You can breeze through most of these and not lose any sleep about the hows and the whys of Astro as a character. It also helps that Tezuka wrote and drew new interstitial pages explaining the background behind most of the included stories. These segments are often self-aware, where Tezuka points out real-world issues, such as the trouble in depicting violence, or why he can't seem to draw Astro with a consistent number of fingers.
This is the sort of book you can just pick up and choose a story in your down time. No big over-arching plot, just some simple and satisfying episodic entertainment.
Thankfully, the meat of the stories doesn't involve too much knowledge of Astro. You can breeze through most of these and not lose any sleep about the hows and the whys of Astro as a character. It also helps that Tezuka wrote and drew new interstitial pages explaining the background behind most of the included stories. These segments are often self-aware, where Tezuka points out real-world issues, such as the trouble in depicting violence, or why he can't seem to draw Astro with a consistent number of fingers.
This is the sort of book you can just pick up and choose a story in your down time. No big over-arching plot, just some simple and satisfying episodic entertainment.
July 13, 2020
This is a handful of early Astro Boy stories, with some cultural context provided first. They are kind of chronological for Astro Boy, though his origin story was written later. They are of inconsistent length, so the origin and second story are quite long, and drag a little bit because of it, but particularly considering they are from the early sixties (and I am comparing them to roughly contemporary American comics, mostly), they are fast paced and innovative. There is a lot more focus on visual representation of action than contemporary American comics, and far fewer walls of text. This is likely because of the author's reverence for animation over comics. These are interesting stories, and very dynamic for the time, and feature unexpected directions. This is also a fairly long collection and I was ready to move on near the end, which is when the stories actually got a bit faster paced. I may come back to later volumes after a break, because the stories were interesting, and later volumes might be shorter and come from later writing, which I expect might improve like many authors' work, but for now I feel good about having checked out something I hadn't read before.
October 10, 2024
This was free on hoopla last month so I decided I needed to check this out. Astro Boy was one of the first mangas and one of the first properties to be exported from Japan to the U.S. It's got a lot of comic strips in the character designs. They are all caricatures and often look goofy. And they clearly had no idea how to draw a dog. The story isn't bad if you read it in the frame of an old cartoon. I do think it's hilarious that Astro Boy has machine guns that come out of his butt. That first story was really weird. They were called the Hot Dog Gang and were dogs that had been transformed into cyborgs. You can tell how society has changed over the years. People would be up in arms over this now. One scene has a room full of dogs furs. It was pretty awful. Then later on, people got upset instead on some robot on robot violence comparing it to people killing one another. It was interesting to go back and read this, but parts of it were very strange, goofy and/or awful.
February 1, 2020
Known as "The Godfather of Manga", Tezuka created a manga that told the amazing adventures of boy robot, Astro Boy.
Tezuka's art was heavily influenced by Disney animation and characters have a sense of weight and movement.
This volume carries 6 tales that fill 424 pages.
These are the stories that stood out for me -
"The Birth of Astro" - The sad origin story of Astro Boy.
"The Hotdog Corps" - Mr. Mustachio's loyal dog, Perro, has been stolen and comes back as an android soldier who is used for nefarious deeds.
"His Highness Deadcross" - The very first robot president is elected and will Astro be able to protect him?
"The Third Magician" - Robot magician Kino has gone bad but why? Astro is on the case!
"White Planet" - A Spectacular race with a car with a robot brain.
Tezuka's art was heavily influenced by Disney animation and characters have a sense of weight and movement.
This volume carries 6 tales that fill 424 pages.
These are the stories that stood out for me -
"The Birth of Astro" - The sad origin story of Astro Boy.
"The Hotdog Corps" - Mr. Mustachio's loyal dog, Perro, has been stolen and comes back as an android soldier who is used for nefarious deeds.
"His Highness Deadcross" - The very first robot president is elected and will Astro be able to protect him?
"The Third Magician" - Robot magician Kino has gone bad but why? Astro is on the case!
"White Planet" - A Spectacular race with a car with a robot brain.
April 4, 2022
Very good old manga. Got to say, Hot Dog Corps was a wild ride.
It was campy, fun, full of old style art that read and drew the eye very well and those old style short stories you can't really find anymore, in my opinion. Well, maybe in Donald Duck comics.... I wouldn't say Looney Tunes, but certainly something like that. However, they had science behind it and a manga twist almost to it (it certainly blurs the line between manga and comics) that made it ... perhaps less childish? Suddenly, I'm not sure I'm recalling the maturity of my old childhood comics!
It was campy, fun, full of old style art that read and drew the eye very well and those old style short stories you can't really find anymore, in my opinion. Well, maybe in Donald Duck comics.... I wouldn't say Looney Tunes, but certainly something like that. However, they had science behind it and a manga twist almost to it (it certainly blurs the line between manga and comics) that made it ... perhaps less childish? Suddenly, I'm not sure I'm recalling the maturity of my old childhood comics!
August 6, 2023
Taking the time to read one of the true classic manga series of all time was definately worth it. Here, with Astro Boy 1 & 2 we see the beginning of he Godfather of Manga as he begins the adventures of one of his most famous creations. Reading it, its very suprising the adult topics and themes which are presented in this story. One of the most shocking ones was how one of the villains in a story met their fate. Let's just say it didn't end with a heartfelt talk about the difference between right and wrong.
May 31, 2017
This book is so good and well planned out it even has an anime but people who do not know the real definition of anime think that anime is just something drawn in the manga art style but anime is actually just a Japanese cartoon and a manga is just a Japanese book so this represents those definitions very well.
April 13, 2020
One of the most famous characters in manga, we follow the robot boy find a new home, meet new people and go on astronomical adventures in future Japan where robots make up nearly half the population. A simple and fun pickup for any manga fan with a nice cartoonish art style and super swift storytelling. A- (91%/Excellent)
March 22, 2021
Guess I should read more manga. I love being able to devour 200 pages in a sitting! There are some unnecessary interludes from the author about race in this edition but whatever. "His highness Deadcross" makes this worth the price of admission alone. It's a twisty scifi-ish thriller The magician chapter is fun as hell too.
August 26, 2025
I'd seen the character, but I'd never clocked how the topics being covered were completely at odds with the style--dark, dark themes, death, and existentialism wrapped in this cutesy cartoon style. Even the writing style feels elementary, lending it a bit more of a punch than it might otherwise have. Something to learn from this, I think.
October 29, 2021
I feel like I need to explain this rating... probably should be 2-3 stars for my enjoyment level. But 4 stars for the glimpse into the early days of shonen manga--a fascinating contrast with what I know of the golden and silver ages of comics happening in the US at similar times.
June 4, 2022
Awesome
This was a great manga. I came upon this manga by way of reading the manga Pluto by Naoki Urasawa.I had no idea that I would fall into this great vintage classic. I am so glad I did.😍
This was a great manga. I came upon this manga by way of reading the manga Pluto by Naoki Urasawa.I had no idea that I would fall into this great vintage classic. I am so glad I did.😍
December 27, 2022
This is a very well-constructed, entertaining series, aimed at a younger audience. It is a charming read regardless of one’s age, as Astro Boy (a robot) takes on various problems in his future society. There is a lightly political theme of robot equality woven in here, deftly so given the intended readership. The creator even breaks the fourth wall at times, way before Deadpool.
In doing all this, he offers a masterclass in visual storytelling, and establishes Astro as a quintessential good-hearted hero we can cheer on and care for. I would recommend this for kids, or for parents and babysitters looking for something different for their children’s bedtime stories.
Despite the fact that these aren’t connected stories, I got enough of a feel for the character and the craftsmanship of this early shonen manga pioneer that I don’t need to keep reading. The apparent influence of early American comics is also evident; I was reminded of Scrooge McDuck, Casper, Popeye, and many others. Astro Boy definitely stands on its own as a classic.
In doing all this, he offers a masterclass in visual storytelling, and establishes Astro as a quintessential good-hearted hero we can cheer on and care for. I would recommend this for kids, or for parents and babysitters looking for something different for their children’s bedtime stories.
Despite the fact that these aren’t connected stories, I got enough of a feel for the character and the craftsmanship of this early shonen manga pioneer that I don’t need to keep reading. The apparent influence of early American comics is also evident; I was reminded of Scrooge McDuck, Casper, Popeye, and many others. Astro Boy definitely stands on its own as a classic.
June 23, 2019
A few volumes of early Astro seem to contain most later robot plots. Who did Tezuka draw from?
July 12, 2019
There's almost nothing interesting here for an American adult reader. The plots are contrived and the characters are boring, but hey, at least he has machine guns in his rear end. That made me laugh.
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February 11, 2025Astro Boy is one of my favourite characters of all time! It’s so nostalgic to be reading the original manga
August 7, 2012
Here's one I've been meaning to read for some time now. I'm familiar enough with the history of manga and anime to know the significance of Tezuka's work, specifically Astro Boy. I've even read a different series that's based on Astro Boy, but I've never really known where to start. This is just volumes 1&2 put together in one book and even that appears to be somewhat of an editorial decision. The story arcs in this book are mostly from the early '60's. The storylines range from silly action to poignant absurdity (I'm referring to the Pero story in this case). Modern manga readers may note that the artwork has only begun to develop the trademark manga/anime "look".
Astro Boy is a fun read, with many goofy jokes and puns. The action is almost a constant as Astro Boy and his teacher, Mr. Mustacio manage to get themselves into all manner of predicaments. Be prepared for some major suspension of disbelief, as there is some serious deus ex machina going on in some stories. Oh, and Astro Boy has machine guns in his butt, so that's a plus, right?
Astro Boy is a fun read, with many goofy jokes and puns. The action is almost a constant as Astro Boy and his teacher, Mr. Mustacio manage to get themselves into all manner of predicaments. Be prepared for some major suspension of disbelief, as there is some serious deus ex machina going on in some stories. Oh, and Astro Boy has machine guns in his butt, so that's a plus, right?
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