Based on pages 1-76

by Osamu Tezuka

Published by Viz

Osamu Tezuka is a rare artist and innovator who invigorated a medium. His life's work was Phoenix a collection of story about the humanity from prehistory to the far future.

In the year 3404 the organism that is Earth has been ill for a thousand years. In that time human development has become stagnant. All that remains of the Earth's surface is a sea of grass spotted with swamps. The ebb and flow of nature and civilization has stabilized at a low points. The energy of fiery rebirth seems to be necessary to exit the nadir.

The human population has gone underground into five "Eternal Capitals" where the throngs of humanity talk about mundane matters as they are propelled through the tower cities on "auto-walks". "A Tale of the Future" focuses on a member of the elite space corp, which shepherds the people of the megalopis.

Patrolman Masato Yamanobe from the Yamato Megalopolis has fallen in love with a dream-inducing organism known as a moopie. When the shapeless extraterrestrials started living with humans they look the form of pleasing shapes, such as pet animal, flowers, , or even, like Yamanobe's, a human.. The lethargy that overtaken humanity was blamed on the psychotropic effect of contact with the moopies, and the space corp central command ordered them to be exterminated. When a superior discovers Yamanobe's moopie he orders Yamanobe to kill it, but Yamanobe finds he can‚t kill the creature he considers a woman, and the two flee into the damaged world.

Structurally, the story is simple. The art work is cartoony. But this simplicity is the emotionally expressive wrapper to complex ideas. The epitome of this is the phoenix, a Bambi-eyed crane shaped bird, whose appearance is almost comical, but serves as a serious messenger about the state of the earth. In the preview, „A Tale of the Future‰ appears to be looking at humanities creations, its system, and its objects, and their fatal flaws.

Tezuka's work specialize is capturing people at their emotional juncture points; at their whit's end, or forced to make decisions that were not willing or prepared to make. The character design is optimized to facilitate portraying these emotions. The best example of this if Yamanobe's attempt to kill the Moopie. From his initial crazed determination, to frustration, to exhausting, and finally tears, with transitions to his hand on the gun, and the Moopie's face, Tezuka captures a cinematic intensity, and utilizes a comics ability to catch the full details of a moment to their full effect.

The depth of the world Tezuka constructed is evident is comic's backgrounds. The city spaces, and interior shots combine a 50's sci-fi style work a look of a functioning, highly structured society. People are moved along like electrons on a circuit board. This sterility can also be seen the shots of the Earth's surface with its breathtakingly monotonous plains, and wind empty, windswept mountains. They aren't empty through minimalist backgrounds, they capture the texture of emptiness. Tezuka's backgrounds force the reader to feel the impact of the environment.

Because manga is not linked to a certain genre, or age group, its defies blanket statements about its appear; except for exceptions like Tezuka's work. Tezuka is for everybody. Phoenix is at the top of the short list of manga everyone should own.

It wound be wonderful it the sales will encourage Viz to release the other chapters of Phoenix, and other Tezuka works. Phoenix can be pre-order this month at you local comic shop through Diamond Comics. To find your local comic shop see the locater here.

Manga Spotlight: Vagabond Part 1 #4

By Takehiko Inoue

Releases by Viz

Vagabond is the manga adaptation of Eiju Yoshikawa's "Musahi", the fictional account of the life of Miyamoto Mushashi, the self taught swordsman whose journey towards perfection, and mastery of the Art of War, would make him a feared duelist and eventually lead him to write the "Book of Five Rings".

Miyamoto Mushashi was once Shinmen Takezo, the son of a country samurai from the village of Miyamoto. Takezo, and his friend Matahachi left the village to make a name for themselves in the Battle of Sekigahara.

A convalescence stay ends with Takezo killing a bandit general, and Matahachi abandoning his fiancé to run off with an older woman. Tezuka returns home to find himself hunted by the authorities, Matahchi's family, and the brother of the bandit he killed.

Always a physical bully, anger, and life of the lam has made Takezo feral and brutal as he continues to kill he pursuers with a wooden sword. He is possessed by visions of his opponents' deaths With the spectacular failure of the samurai assign to capture Takezo, a zen monk named Takuan, and Matachi's fiancé take up the task of bringing him to justice.

Unlike samurai comics such as Lone Wolf and Cub, or Blade of the Immortal, which require conscious interpretation on the part of the reader to follow the action, Vagabond's action sequences can be followed quickly. Scrutiny of Tezuka's wild swings provides insight into his strategist, but reading can be done at the rapid pace of the action.

Reading the novel in conjunction with the manga greatly benefits both. The novel, or at least the English translation can be subdued at times, often without great detail in the visual aspects. Conversely, the manga dwells on them, lingering in frequent, and brutal fights scenes, and blatant symbolism.

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