Tag: Osamu Tezuka

Smash Pages Q&A | Samuel Sattin on ‘Unico: Awakening’

The writer of the new manga based on the work of Osamu Tezuka talks about the project, what Tezuka means to him and more.

Osamu Tezuka, who is sometimes referred to as the “God of Manga” or the “Father of Manga,” left a legacy that endures well beyond his death in 1989. The prolific creator gave us such beloved manga as Astro Boy, Princess Knight, Kimba the White Lion, Black Jack, Phoenix and Unico, among many others.

Two years ago Samuel Sattin, writer of recent Eisner nominee Buzzing, and the artist team known as Gurihiru had the opportunity to reimagine one of Tezuka’s creations for modern audiences — Unico, the story of a tiny unicorn who enraged the jealous goddess Venus, so the gods erase his memory and banish him across space and time. Unico is constantly jumping from era to era, where he must escape the gods and have his memory erased over and over again. His only ally is the West Wind, who feels sorry for him and tries to help him along his journey.

Sattin and Gurihiru teamed up for Unico: Awakening, which reintroduces the magical unicorn and draws from the original manga, while creating something new and inviting. After a successful Kickstarter, the first volume is getting a wide release courtesy of Scholastic this week.

I spoke with Sattin about the manga, the legacy of Tezuka and more. My thanks for his time.

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Ablaze will release four manga classics by Osamu Tezuka

‘One Hundred Tales,’ ‘Tomorrow the Birds’ and more will arrive in the U.S. starting in August.

Comics publisher Ablaze will bring four of manga master Osamu Tezuka’s titles to the English-speaking world via a publishing agreement with DI Books.

The titles include One Hundred Tales, which will arrive in August, as well as Shakespeare Manga Theater, Tomorrow the Birds and Neo Faust.

Sometimes referred to as ‘The Father of Manga” or “The God of Manga,” Tezuka was the creator of numerous manga and anime over the course of his career, including Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight, Phoenix and Buddha, just to name a few. Although he passed away in 1989, his works still continued to receive awards, especially in the U.S. where they’ve been translated and reprinted over the years. He was a judge’s choice to enter the Eisner Hall of Fame in 2002.

“Osamu Tezuka is perhaps the most renowned manga creator of all time and his works have been loved by multiple generations of fans for more than 70 years,” said Rich Young, co-founder of Ablaze, in a press release. “We are honored to expand the Ablaze manga catalog with four of his esteemed works
and look forward to comics and manga fans adding to their collections with these new releases.”

Here’s a bit more on each title:

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Comics Lowdown | Supply chain issues cause delays for DC Comics

Plus: Free Comic Book Day woes for New York library, Marvel’s vaccination comic, Osamu Tezuka and more.

Newsarama has reported that several titles from DC scheduled to come out over the next few months have been delayed due to supply chain issues.

“DC faces an unprecedented strain on the global supply chain, affecting all of us in the comic industry and beyond,” DC Marketing Manager Albert Ching said in a statement to retailers. “Up to this point, we’ve been able to keep delays and shortages to a minimum, but with recent notifications about COVID-related port closures, international and domestic freight delays, workforce shortages, and a severely allocated paper supply, we are unable to continue to manage this situation without disruption.”

Some Batman Day comics, DC has said, will be allocated to retailers as well due to these same issues, but

Supply chain issues have been in the news recently as manufacturers face raw materials shortages, transportation delays, higher energy costs and of course COVID-related issues. They are expected to continue into next year and will likely be exasperated with the upcoming holiday season.

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Comics Lowdown: Berganza aftermath

Reflections on the industry after the firing of Eddie Berganza, plus trouble ahead for Wizard World and new manga licenses from Anime NYC.

Sexual Harassment in Comics: Buzzfeed’s exposé of DC editor Eddie Berganza’s history of sexual harassment, followed by DC’s swift action in firing him (seven years after his actions were first brought to the attention of their HR department) has brought on a round of commentary in comics circles, where this story was well known and discussed for years. Strongly recommended: Caitlin Rosberg takes the broad view with a look at the structural of the comics industry and how the current power shields harassers and makes creators vulnerable. She goes beyond gossip to address the real issues. And if you’re still not clear on what we’re talking about here, BookRiot’s Jessica Plummer takes a look at the January DC, Marvel, and Image solicitations and names the harassers—with links.

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Comics Lowdown: RIP James Vance

The man who finished ‘Omaha the Cat Dancer’ passes away, Frank Quitely finally gets that degree, and more.

James Vance

Passings: James Vance, the author (with artist Dan Burr) of the graphic novels Kings in Disguise and On the Ropes, died on June 5 at the age of 64. Kings in Disguise was first published as a limited series by Kitchen Sink Press in 1988 and in 1989 won the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series, and the first issue won the Eisner for Best Single Issue. W.W. Norton published a collected edition in 2006, with an introduction by Alan Moore. The sequel, On the Ropes, was published by Norton in 2013. Vance was married to Omaha the Cat Dancer writer Kate Worley from 1994 to 2004, and many years later he collaborated with Omaha artist Reed Waller to complete the story, which was left unfinished at Worley’s death; it was published in 2013. Vance, who was also a playwright, talked about his work with Alex Dueben at CBR in 2013. His illness and death leaves his family in a difficult financial situation, so a GoFundMe has been set up to help.

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