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From the creator of Astro Boy and many other famous works comes Black
Jack. These volumes contain many short stories about an scarred,
unlicensed doctor who can perform seemingly impossible life saving
operations but charges extremely high prices. On occasion he shows he
has a heart and will help somebody in an emergency or in some very rare
cases, for free. The stories are often have a moral point to them.
What's interesting about this work is the back story of the creator.
Osamu Tezuka went to medical school to become a doctor. A combination of
his love of comics and his disagreement with the Japanese medical
establishment turned him towards comics and anime as a full time career.
Through Black Jack, Tezuka criticizes doctors, hospitals, attitudes and
other things he felt was wrong.
The stories are extremely well written and had a cathartic effect on me.
I was able to easily blow through half a book in one sitting and
probably could have done the entire book if I wanted to. They also have
a bit of Japanese screwiness to them. One of the secondary characters is
Pinoko, a child-like character who considers herself Black Jack's wife.
I don't want to spoil her origin but I'll say it has to be read to be
believed.
The artwork is pretty straight-forward and suits the stories perfectly.
Tezuka's work is simple, yet has enough detail to draw you in. There
are many panels on each page and it shows of his excelent storytelling
powers. If you grew up watching Astro Boy cartoons you'll recognize
faces that are quite similar to the cartoon series. Tezuka regularly
used the same "characters" in a variety of his works.
With the limited hardcover editions, you get a story in each that is not
reprinted in the soft cover versions. All 3 additional stories are about deformed
children that Black Jack operates on. The endings of them are usually
disturbing, and I can see why the publisher didn't want to make them
available in the mass market editions. At the back of the 3rd volume,
they talk in more detail about these stories and others that Tezuka did
that he didn't want reprinted again and excluded from all other
printings in both Japan and internationally.
I have to give this a 5 out of 5. It is some of the best manga I have
ever read. I put it up there with Akria and Lone Wolf and Cub. I would
even say it's better than Monster, the recently finished doctor on the
run conspiracy story that is highly regarded. Even though I've just read
3 hardcover collections of the series, I'm clamoring for more.
Regards,
Jamie Coville
http://www.TheGraphicNovels.com
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