ABLAZE to Publish 4 Manga Titles by Legendary Creator Osamu Tezuka

A legend of comics, manga, and pop culture joins the ABLAZE catalog as the publisher announces that it has licensed four acclaimed manga titles by Osamu Tezuka from Tezuka Productions, in cooperation with DI Books, for English publication under the ABLAZE MANGA imprint. The first title will debut in August of this year, with the rest slated to launch in print and digitally in the later part of 2023 and in 2024.

This is the first time any of these works will be published in English. Osamu Tezuka is known worldwide as the most influential person of the past century in the development of manga and anime. He practically pioneered the medium in the 1950s. A medical school graduate who pursued a career in comics instead, Tezuka’s early success in the years following WWII inspired generations of artists and propelled the burgeoning manga industry into what it is today. Over his lifetime, the “Godfather of Manga” drew tens of thousands of pages in approximately 700 titles for a wide variety of readerships, creating classics such as Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, and Blackjack.

One Hundred Tales 

Due in August 2023

An adaptation of the Faust legend as a samurai period piece. Ichirui Hanri is an ordinary accountant servicing his lord. Though innocent, he is sentenced to death by hara-kiri after being entangled in a power struggle. A witch named Sudama appears and offers Hanri three wishes in exchange for his soul. Hanri accepts. Is it worth it?

Shakespeare Manga Theater

Due in Q4 2023

Over the course of his career, Tezuka adapted many of Shakespeare’s works: Hamlet, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet (featuring Astro Boy!), and The Merchant of Venice. This book collects them into one volume and is sure to be popular not just with Tezuka fans, but also schools interested in presenting Shakespeare in a format that is easier for readers to engage with.

Tomorrow The Birds

Due in Q2 2024

A science fiction manga depicting a future society in which evolved birds surpass humanity, Tomorrow the Birds is a parable about how we treat those who aren’t like us, and the eventual price that must be paid for arrogance. An unforgettable tapestry of seven-page chapters and longer stories.

Neo Faust

Due in Q4 2024

This adaptation of Goethe’s Faust is Tezuka’s third rendering of this classic and one of the serializations he was working on at the time of his death. Despite being terminally ill, Tezuka continued to develop his already legendary storytelling and illustrations and left behind this enthralling take on a timeless theme.

ABLAZE continues to acquire eclectic comics titles that enrich the field.