A kids comic with adult themes running through it. A real all ages comic by a master of the medium. If you wanted to start a child on reading comic books this is an excellent starting point. ( )

Regarded by many as the Japanese equivalent of Walt Disney, Osamu Tezuka was highly renowned and respected for his countless manga works by people of all ages. A legend to this very day, even since his death in 1989, Tezuka spent a lifetime creating solid stories with heart-warming characters, and every one of his series incorporated powerful life-lessons. But no creation of his has ever been more acclaimed, both in Japan and world-wide, than the famous Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atomu, or Mighty Atom). The stories were regularly serialized in a popular manga magazine in Japan, from the early fifties all the way to the late sixties. Although there have been three different anime series based on the manga (each of which debuted in 1963, 1980, and 2003, respectively), all airing overseas as well, North American audiences had never actually experienced the actual manga version which first made this character such a significant icon. That changed in 2002, when Dark Horse Comics released the first of a 23-volume collection containing all the original Astro Boy stories ever created by Osamu Tezuka. The final volume was released a year later, in 2003; by then a new anime series, fresh from Japan, was airing on TV.

This first volume contains three stories. In 'The Birth of Astro Boy', it is revealed that the boy robot was originally created by a brilliant robotics scientist named Dr. Tenma in the image of his late son, Tobio, who died in a car crash. After much time had passed as Tenma raised his new 'Tobio' like a normal human child, loving him as much as he had his flesh-and-blood son, Tenma's grief finally left him completely. But one day Tenma came to learn that the robot could not take Tobio's place after all, and was only a painful reminder of what he had lost, upon realizing for the first time that he was incapable of growing. ("Blast! This thing's just a doll, after all! It's not my son!") Enraged, Dr. Tenma had the poor boy sold to the cruel owner of a robot circus, who constantly abused him and treated him like a slave. After awhile, Professor Ochanomizu- the new head of the Ministry of Science and Technology since Tenma mysteriously vanished- suddenly noticed him performing, and immediately knew that this was no ordinary robot. He convinced Hamegg, the ringmaster, to turn him over to him, and since then became both a father-figure and mentor to the boy. With Ochanomizu's encouragement, he learned to tap into the seven super-powers he had originally been created with (transforming his feet into jets, enabling him to fly through air and space; 100,000 horsepower strength; sensing whether people are good or evil; speaking and understanding over sixty languages; retractable machine-guns in his rear; searchlights in his eyes; and enhanced hearing by a thousand-times) and use them in a continual fight for justice. And so, the robot hero named Astro Boy was born.
In 'The Hot-Dog Corps', Mr. Mustachio- a respected teacher at the local school where Astro and his friends attend, and a good friend of Professor Ochanomizu- is distraught when his beloved dog, Pero, is kidnapped. Not long after that, a mysterious robot called #44 arrives at the school by plane and silently confronts Mustachio, who is terrified. Almost as suddenly as he came, the odd robot takes off again. Astro gives chase, and tracks the plane all the way to a desolate military base in the middle of a frozen Russian tundra. While doing some secret spy-work, Astro learns that all the soldiers there are robots just like #44, known as the Hot Dog Corps, who are under the command of a woman known as the Grand Duchess Maria, who had them created to destroy all rockets headed for the moon- apparently, her mother had vanished during a Soviet-funded voyage to the moon; as she had been the first person to land upon its surface, the Duchess intended to forever preserve the moon in the name of her family. Astro also discovers that all the solders have a strange tendency to behave like dogs, and that the robot #44 in particular just might be connected to Pero and his disappearance. It's up to Astro to stop the Hot Dog Corps from destroying any more moon-bound rockets, while solving the mystery behind #44.
In 'Plant People', Astro fights to save the Earth from a race of plant-like aliens who are bent of stealing all the planet's water for their own survival. Astro meets a young boy among them, who got imprisoned as a traitor for trying to stop them, and together they work to save the water. But when the boy dies helping Astro, all that remains of him is a flower, which Astro plants to forever preserve his memory.

Osamu Tezuka's 'Astro Boy' is exciting, whimsical, and heart-warming, an overall enjoyable manga series for all ages. It is safe to say that this was way ahead of its time, particularly regarding the futuristic aspects incorporated, and is unique on many levels. This world takes place in Tokyo, Japan in the 2000's (according to Tezuka's self-drawn 'commentary' right before the very first story, Astro Boy himself was created in 2003) where Tezuka's vision of technology is incredibly advanced, with robots, automation, and high-tech computers and machinery, all designed to make man's life as easy as possible. At the same time, interestingly enough, Tezuka manages to include in his stories several old-fashioned, traditional ideas- which doesn't awkwardly clash at all, but rather, nicely balances out. In a future volume, Tezuka himself admitted that this was a deliberate attempt to compromise with his readers between a world that might seem too fantastical and far-fetched to them at times, and a much more familiar world to which they could better relate. Tezuka pulled such a difficult feat off with success, blending everything together seamlessly and without distraction. This decision of his was altogether appropriate, as a significant and ongoing theme was people's uneasy relationship with rapidly-evolving technology, and their difficulty in keeping up and competing with it all; Astro would usually find himself caught in the middle of the citizens' fear and prejudice, which would extend to the robot populace, as he strove to build a stronger bridge between robots and humans. In fact, in Tezuka's introductory commentary in the beginning, he leaves his readers to ponder an important theoretical question, whether or not technology has truly improved man's lives or made them any happier.
Courageous and warm-hearted, the child-like robot has often been described as a champion of justice, always fighting for peace and equality. What makes the character so incredibly unique is that he is a super-hero, a robot, and a child all in one. Everything about him, from his appearance to his mannerisms, conveys a young boy with this amazing sense of purity, innocence, and wide-eyed wonder and curiosity about him, but is never afraid to spring into action to save the day, which means that he has no tolerance for evil and wrong-doing, and is known for kicking some serious butt.
The artwork is solid and fluid, a perfect example of old-time comics and cartoons. Tezuka combines typical cartoonish slapstick and humor with realistic, serious themes, such as prejudice and death; indeed, Tezuka is not afraid to go dark, and even depressing, when the situation calls for it. Some endings are actually very bittersweet. The stories are chock-full of a wide variety of engaging action and emotion on each page, and the characters' body-language, facial expressions, and even eyes powerfully depict the goings-on of the scene every bit as well as the dialogue, if not more so. ( )

Reviewed Nov. 7, 2007 on 52n52.blogspot.com. ( )

Astro Boy is one of the original Japanese manga. This new reissue includes the story of Astro Boy’s birth/creation, an early issue telling the story of the Hot Dog Corps and a mini-comic on the Plant people, all starring Astro Boy. The main story, Hot Dog Corps, chronicles Astro Boy as he tries to rescue Mr. Mustachio’s pet dog from the ruthless Duchess Maria and her robot-staffed palace guards, who are awaking to their true canine natures.

Dueling robots, flying car chases and man’s best friend, this comic has it all. This is a fun read, and a great historical look at the grandfather of Japanese manga. This is probably most interesting for 10-14-year-old boys, or anyone with a special interest in manga. ( )