Astro Boy, Vol. 3

鉄腕アトム [Tetsuwan Atom] #3

by Osamu Tezuka

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

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Shonen, Adventure

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Dr. 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."

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in 2015 I ordered two Astroboy books as a treat for my husband. As a boy he was fascinated by the kid robot, so the books I ordered back then were to be the start of a trip down memory lane.

But because of one thing and another i never ordered any other titles until last week when I added two more. Naturally I get to read them before turning them over to hubby.

This one, Number 3 in the reprinted series, is my favorite so far. There is one long story and one very short one. The Greatest Robot On Earth was originally published serially between June 1964 and January 1965. It tells the story of Pluto, an evil robot created solely to destroy all the other robots of the world so that he will become The Greatest.

Kerbash! Kersmash! Kerboom!

Can Astroboy stop him? Will he have enough horsepower? Will those guns in his butt do any good at all against Pluto? How will Astroboy's sister get involved? (And where did she come from, anyway?!)

The second story in this volume is 1958's Mad Machine and deals with the one day a year that all machines are allowed a day to rest. What happens when one evil store owner denies his robots this right? And how will Astroboy be able to do anything?! He doesn't have his butt guns in this story!! (Maybe he had them and just didn't use them, who knows?!)

Kathud! Voosh!!

I'm off to start the next volume!

[Agnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

“Astro Boy, Vol. 3” by Osamu Tezuka, a legendary manga master, is the third volume 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.

This volume contains two stories: “The Greatest Robot on Earth” (1964) and “Mad Machine” (1958). In “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” the most popular story arc in the whole Astro Boy series, a villainous sultan creates a giant robot that is programmed to destroy the seven great robots of the world, including Astro Boy, and to become the king of all robots. In a much shorter story, “Mad Machine,” Dr. Foola invents a device that causes all other machines to go crazy.

THUMBS UP:

1) Entertaining, thought-provoking and skillfully drawn.
Just like in “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2,” the stories in the third volume, especially “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” are action-packed, entertaining and funny in a silly-cute way but at the same time quite touching and thought-provoking as they raise quite a few philosophical and moral questions about technology and our shared humanity. Plus, the illustrations, which are strongly influenced by the works of Walt Disney, are very dynamic, detailed, entertaining and simply endearing.

2) Likable villain.
Although most of the characters in the Astro Boy series are rather two-dimensional, Pluto, the destructive robot in “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” is a powerful exception; he is complex, relatable and, above all, extremely likable.

3) Inspiration for the Pluto series.
“The Greatest Robot on Earth” is the base for Naomi Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s science fiction manga series Pluto. Although the Pluto series is much more thrilling and suspenseful, way more thought-provoking and emotionally powerful, and the characters are much more complex, realistic and relatable, it is definitely worth reading this original version as it makes you appreciate Urasawa’s story even more. However, I do recommend reading “The Greatest Robot on Earth” first as it might seem a little bit disappointing otherwise.

COULD BE BETTER:

1) Two-dimensional characters.
To avoid spoilers, I read “The Greatest Robot on Earth” after I finished the Pluto series. As a result, I was slightly disappointed as the original story is quite childish, and most of the characters are rather two-dimensional. For example, I absolutely hated Tezuka’s version of Astro Boy’s little sister Uran - such a spoiled brat! She is definitely not the same cute, lovable and smart girl I’ve met in the Pluto series.

2) Overly simplistic and too goofy.
Although “The Greatest Robot on Earth” is more compelling and thought-provoking than the other Astro Boy stories I’ve read, “Mad Machine” reminded me why I gave the previous volumes only two stars: it’s overly simplistic and way too goofy for my liking.

VERDICT: 3 out of 5

Just like the previous volumes, “Astro Boy, Vol. 3” by Osamu Tezuka is entertaining, quite thought-provoking and skillfully drawn but also overly simplistic and too goofy. Plus, the characters are rather two-dimensional. However, this volume contains the most popular story arc in the whole Astro Boy series, “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” that inspired Urasawa’s manga series Pluto, and therefore, it is a must-read for the fans of the latter.

[M. J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly comprised of The Greatest Robot on Earth story (which Naoki Urasawa famously adapted in PLUTO: Naoki Urasawa x Ozamu Tezuka, Vol.1) this volume of Astro Boy has most of the qualities that I admire in Osamu Tezuka. This is a story written for children so the themes of ethics, free will and international conflicts are delicately addressed, emotionally engaging, but never in a truly uncomfortable or heavy-handed way. The plot is quite simple, an exiled despot in his quest for power and world domination builds a powerful robot, Pluto, to destroy every other mighty robot, including Astro Boy. Why should we care? They are only robots after all. Slowly and subtly Tezuka shows to the reader the nuances of some of these robots, their motivations, their sense of honor, their sense of community, their bonds. There's a lot of room to grow and expand this story (which makes Urasawa's adaptation a more meaningful endeavor in my eyes now), however Tezuka is able to write an emotionally complex story without losing the simplicity of his story-telling, it's kid's literature that does not underestimate the kid (which is essential according to C. S. Lewis). The last story is short and forgettable compared to the first one, Tezuka's longer tales are always my favorite ones. Still, this volume is essential reading for Astro Boy and Tezuka's fans alike.

[Damon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has the story that Urasawa's Pluto was based on. After reading the source material, it made me appreciate Pluto even more - that you could draw the depth that Urasawa's work has out of this story is pretty impressive. Not that this is bad, but it's definitely... well, simplistic may not make the point strongly enough. I understand that it's an unfair comparison, and I shouldn't judge a 100-page story written for children 50 years ago by a much longer, more mature contemporary work, so I'll try not to - as an Astro Boy story, it's pretty good. (Though there were a couple scenes with a naked little girl robot that maybe didn't seem weird when it was originally released, but did to me now.) Overall, entertaining stuff, with more content than the general kids' comic of the time probably had.

[Alex Sarll]

After the first bumper volume surprised me with how accomplished it was, initially this felt like it might have been farmed out to a small child, at least in terms of the plot, where a bell-end sultan has a robot built to beat up all the other robots and thus become king robot. I mean, I live in the 2020s, so it's not that I find it implausible for a rich idiot to decide that, or be outraged that his tech guy didn't make a robot which never breaks down and can't be beaten, as if those were sensible demands - but any attempt to read it as satire felt wobbly when the rest of the story was going along with that approach, Astro Boy being told that he doesn't need an upgrade from 100,000 horsepower to a million in the old 'be yourself' vein, rather than anyone suggesting that it might pose technical problems. But it's mostly saved by the pizzazz of Tezuka's cartooning, and an elegiac introduction reminds us there are better things to come. Sure enough, the more practical issues with such an upgrade are eventually raised, and the marauding Pluto's reluctance to serve as a proxy for human willy-waving creeps to the fore (not to mention the increasing hilarity of his always exiting his master's palace by just smashing through the wall). The moral of the story is crashingly obvious - being the greatest robot on Earth means something very different to just being the most aggro - but the misdirection that's gone before means it lands, and heavens know there are still plenty of comics coming out each month which could stand to learn the lesson.

The Mad Machine, on the other hand, is absolutely filler, albeit very lively filler, and I imagine Colt the robot politician with a gun for a head would be very popular in certain modern parties, if only it weren't for his concern with minority rights.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a joy.

I've already read a few times that this near-volume length story "The Greatest Robot on Earth" is the most famous and beloved Astro Boy story (and inspired a full-length and popular manga "Pluto") and it's easy to see why it gives pleasure and made a splash, particularly the little I know of comics in general from the period. This is a simple but strangely intense robot smashing epic which surely single handedly inspired the mecha obsession of the 70s (your Mazinger Z's and whatnot) in which a guy creates the robot "Pluto" to be the greatest robot on earth and to smah the living daylights out of the other 7 great robots - of which astro boy is one) in order to prove it. That's basically it, but the depth of feeling and emotion wrung out of this simple story of robot oblivion is nothing short of extraordinary and by the end I was onside with both Astro Boy and Pluto (despite his stubborn allegiance to his mission), bless their hearts. This might have some of the best art I've seen from Tezuka thus far, too so that helps. What a joy to read, I'm probably hooked on astro boy for a bit, now.

Backup story Mad Machine is an early one, and was probably as forgettable as the first was memorable - but it's only the final 20 pages of the volume.

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had started reading Astro Boy after completing PLUTO: Naoki Urasawa x Ozamu Tezuka, Band 001. Pluto was an amazing series, and I'm still bummed that it's over. I had never read anything Astro Boy up until that point, so honestly, I wasn't sure what to think of it. But, it was fast-paced, exciting, and all-round great. This book includes the story "The Greatest Robot on Earth" that inspired Pluto. And...well, after reading Pluto, I was disappointed. Sure, this is one book and that was 8, so they had time to develop the story a lot more, but this just sort of fell flat to me. I was pretty disappointed that the story wasn't fleshed out more. I think my mistake was reading Pluto first. Read this first, then Pluto. You'll be glad you did.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 1951 book. The series is promoted as the first manga ever written. The story of this volume is the basis for the modern manga series Pluto (review of that separately).

This book is a very strange mix of American comic style and Japanese manga style. I guess it is something of a precursor to both, though I don't know when American comics originated. The images are simple and very stylised with extrordinarily fanciful robot designs. The story is about a sultan who makes the biggest and best robot in the world and its bid to become King of Robots. Apparently the winner is decided by who has the most horsepower in a fight. Quaint! ^_^

Definitely worth reading in conjunction with Pluto. Fascinating as a piece of manga history.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the art and design much more then the story. Although Astro Boy does get in some sick fights, but then he spends 10 pages complaining about losing robot honor. Fucking Japanese and their honor...even robots are affected by this mass guilt.

[Natalie]

I can honestly say that I have no idea how the heck this book was the manga that ‘started’ the shounen manga or inspired manga artists with their successful shounen series such as Dragon Ball. This manga is just kind of out there that I have absolutely no idea how I was going to rate this.

First off, this manga was made in the 50’s so the art and the story really has an old fashion type story structure that we’ve seen in old comics before. Especially in the sci-fi and the action genre. The hero lives life normally (or sometimes discovers new powers about himself). A villain appears and causes chaos.

There’s nothing much to say about this book except for the fact that some of the scenes in this manga don’t make any sense and just pop out of nowhere. For example, in the beginning of the manga there is this young boy driving a car. Mind you that this kid is no older than 12 years old and yet he recklessly drives the car and ends up getting into an accident. There’s also the police cars that are shaped like dog heads and there are some sort of diamonds on the moon (or some sort of crystals with an abandoned city, I can’t remember).

The plot is just series of events that happen to our protagonist, Astro Boy and they are kind of boring and lame. They’re predictable and the villains are not really that interesting and can sometimes be kind of stupid. Astro Boy is the only thing about this manga I actually enjoyed. He’s nice, wants to do the right thing, stands up for his friends and is basically your typical superhero. He’s not that interesting or complex but they do give him a good backstory that makes you feel sympathy for him.

If you like the story of robots coexisting with human then this’ll be a cute manga to check out. Just keep in mind that it was made in the 50’s so the plot and the characters are kind of old fashioned and not that complex.

[Agung Wicaksono · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ada dua cerita di volume ini. Pertama, berjudul 'The Greatest Robot on Earth' yang bercerita seorang sultan asal Timur Tengah yang menginginkan robotnya, Pluto, menjadi robot terhebat di Bumi. Lantas, Pluto yang diprogram untuk itu mulai menemui tujuh robot yang dianggap memiliki kekuatan luar biasa untuk dihancurkan, salah satunya Astro. Astro yang memiliki pikiran layaknya manusia, sangat heran ketika Pluto mau saja disuruh berbuat jahat seperti itu. Pluto pun hanya menjawab bahwa ia hidup sesuai program yang dibuat penciptanya, sehingga ia tidak memiliki tujuan lain selain itu. Setelah cerita ini berakhir, Astro jadi merenungi sikap manusia yang suka menciptakan robot untuk saling menghancurkan. Mirip dengan perang yang masih terjadi ketika manga ini dibuat.

Kedua, berjudul 'Mad Machine' yang menampilkan tentang mesin ciptaan ilmuwan egois yang bisa membuat para robot menjadi gila ketika mereka terkena gelombang dari mesin tersebut. Selain itu, di bagian ini diceritakan juga peran robot di dunia politik yang bertujuan untuk memberikan kesejahteraan hidup para robot yang dianggap bekerja melebihi batas waktu yang sewajarnya.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has "The Greatest Robot on Earth" story in it, which is the basis for Naoki Urasawa's manga Pluto, one of my all time favorite comics. It's weird reading this and seeing how little was changed. Like a lot was altered and added but there's still a solid groundwork provided by Tezuka.

It's basically just a new, strong robot comes to town and challenges the world's strongest robots to fights. All the stuff with Pluto slowly showing signs of his own free will and desire was very nice. Also having the climactic final robot duel take place on an active volcano was a fun choice. I mean in 1965 volcanos probably hadn't been used in many action setpieces yet so like, good on Tezuka for utilizing them.

Also Epsilon has a really great design in this. Maybe one of my favorites from Tezuka.

[Dan P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another exciting volume of Astro Boy adventures!

This one's mainly the Greatest Robot on Earth story, which is one of the best regarded and influential Astro Boy chapters. It still reads great. Each of the titular greatest robots has real charm and the conclusion appropriately turns the idea of greatness on its head.

There's a quality to the worldbuilding these 50's and 60's stories that feels kind of trial and error. It's the idea of continuity (AKA canon) being assembled in front of us using whatever parts fit into today's material. That approach can be a little frustrating for modern readers in our era of shared universes and canon/non-canon specific stories, coordinated by IP-conscious media corporations. But this is the foundation that all of that was built upon, right? One guy putting his crazy ideas down on the page to tell the coolest stories he can. I love it!

[Allan Olley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection contains the stories "The Greatest Robot in the World" and "Mad Machine". The first story is from 1964-1965 and includes a prologue comic written later with Osamu Tezuki explaining some of the background behind the story. The Greatest Robot in the World is the story Pluto a robot who is seeking to defeat the seven most powerful robots on Earth (one of whom is of course Astro Boy). The character motivations are often simplistic and a bit unconvincing, but the story and characters manage a few twists and turns and a little pathos here and there that and the action make for a relatively entertaining read. The second story Mad Machine from 1958 is short has no added prologue and is a very pretty typical Astro Boy story.

[Philip McCarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming off of the intellectual and fascinatingly in depth high of Pluto (one of the best series I've experienced), I was interested in seeing what the source material entailed. The fact that Urasawa created such a story from The Greatest Robot on earth is really impressive. I had a lot of fun reading this book and thought the story was delivered as a well put together children's story. The themes of the adventure are all subtly put in there and build upon one another to a climax that is fittingly emotional and dynamic. One thing reading this book has done for me, is make me want to read more of Tezuka's stuff.

[Gabriel Benitez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compré este tomo, porque aquí viene la historia original en que se basa Pluto, de Urozawa. Siendo justos, la historia es de corte preadolecente e impresionó a muchos lectores en su tiempo (incluso al mismo Urozawa) por sus escenas de acción. Pero también, las obras de Tezuka demuestran ser más profundas de lo que parecen y "El mejor robot en la faz de la tierra" es una historia con gran profundidad humana.

[Keith Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you only have time to read one of the 23 volumes in this series, make it this one. “The Greatest Robot of the World” is an outstanding story. Not that it is the most affecting Astro Boy story, nor is it my favorite, but it definitely establishes the parameters of the setting, the hero, and the conflict of a typical Astro Boy story.

[Anthony Wendel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume contains tone of the most well known Astro Boy stories. The story, "The Greatest Robot on Earth" features the legendary robot Pluto who seeks to destroy the 7 most powerful robots in the world. This leads to intense battles as Pluto faces off against the 7 robots. Definately one of the best storylines so far.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not the first person to track down this volume due to my love of Pluto, and I won't be the last. It was fascinating to see which parts carried over, were fleshed out or abandoned, but that also makes it difficult to judge on its own merits.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many others I'm watching Pluto on Netflix and while I'd read it several years ago, I'd never read the original "Greatest Robot on Earth" storyline found in this volume of Astro Boy. An enjoyable read on its own, but best today as a companion to Pluto.

[rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pluto's story is really something. The story after had a fine message but comparatively felt like just filling out pages.

I've seen a few other "best battle bot" stories in my day, but this one having no internal arrogance and ultimately leaving me feeling badly for him impressed me so much.

[T. Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad to have read it. It's probably important to keep a historical perspective when reading these simple stories. Now I'm looking forward to reading Pluto!

[jisung ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

me dieron ganas de ver la película omg

[ShadenRainbow · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book so much!! i cryed at the end! if you are suching for a monga that will get more and more interesting as you get further in to it this is for you

[Shaden Åberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Verry Good, the ending made me cry😅 Read it in a Long car ride. Over all a verry Good and satisfying ending

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cool to see the source for Urasawa's Pluto. Big surprise that it keeps a lot of the same story.

[Matt Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

The optimism, warm humanity, and stunning simplicity of the artwork are enough to make this a pleasant read.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Pluto.

[Marchel · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Serangan Siput Raksasa Gerunika
Bagaimana jika hewan yang dikembangkan untuk jadi makanan kita malah berbalik memangsa kita?

2. Gas Kembali Muda
Sebuah meteor jatuh dan mengandung gas yang bisa membuat hewan dan manusia kembali menjadi muda. Wah pasti jadi rebutan para tante-tante pesolek yang nda suka ama keriput yang muncul di wajahnya pasti ^^

3. Manusia-manusia Lemari Pendingin
Atom Boy diminta tolong untuk membantu membuka sebuah piramida. Dalam usahanya ini, Atom dihalangi oleh Sphinx dan pasukan manusia kepiting. Apa sih yang dilindungi Sphinx dan manusia kepiting ini?

4. Obat Bius Kuda Kuning
Cerita tentang anak-anak muda yang teracuni obat bius. Tahun 1955 Ozamu Tezuka sudah dapat menggambarkan secara pas efek yang terjadi jika mengonsumsi narkoba.

5. Duel di Arpus
Atom sedih karena dia tidak bisa merasakan emosi seperti manusia, dan meminta Dokter Ochanomizu untuk memasangkan jantung buatan sehingga dia bisa merasakan indahnya suatu bunga atau suatu lagu. Tapi hal itu juga membuat Atom bisa merasakan takut.

6. Balas Dendam Profesor Ram
Profesor Ram dendam karena ibunya dibunuh secara keji. Untuk itu dia membuat sebuah robot bernama Atlas dan memasukkan faktor Omega sehingga Atlas menjadi jahat. Sayang, hal ini kelak yang membuat Ram dibunuh Atlas.

7. Mesin Ruang Waktu
Ada sebuah mesin mendarat di depan rumah Profesor Ochanomizu. Ketika sedang menyelidiki, ternyata mereka terbawa ke masa depan dan masa lalu.

8. Makhluk Rawa Lumpur Hijau
Cerita ini berkaitan dengan cerita sebelumnya. Makhluk mirip kadal di masa prasejarah ternyata menyelinap masuk mesin waktu, dan berkembang biak di masa kini. Makhluk ini mampu menghipnotis manusia dan hewan dengan cairan beracun yang keluar dari mulutnya. Menghipnotis dan memperbudak serta memakannya...

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just picked this up out of historical curiosity, because of reading the 'remake' version in Urasawa's 'Pluto.' But it was actually a lot of fun. I guess this is the Japanese equivalent of Silver Age American comics, with the accompanying insanity (and completely unself-conscious and unexamined insanity, which is what makes this era stand out from the modern, deconstructed versions -- of COURSE a superintelligent Australian robot runs a nursery school, why wouldn't it?). But anyway, the story is a weird combination of fun and serious (there's a message about the futility of war in here), and the cartooning is really dynamic. The only problem with this print version is that the pages are so small I had to squint a bit. Also, I have no idea if this was originally in color or B&W, though the black and white line art looks really nice.