Thursday, May 31, 2012
The Comic Book History of Comics
It's a comic book, about comic books! That's right, The Comic Book History of Comics tells the story of how comic books became what they are and features some of the medium's most influential figures.
It was created by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey and originally released in 6 issues by IDW. Now, a volume collecting the entire series is being released and Comics Alliance has a preview featuring the chapter on the the life of Osamu Tezuka and the rise of manga in Japanese culture. Check it out!
You can purchase a copy of this book here on Amazon and help support AstroBoy World in the process. You will also find even more pages to preview there. Continue reading "The Comic Book History of Comics"...
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Don Dracula, Leo, Melmo, & more now on Viki.
Not too long ago I reported on Viki.com, the free streaming site that presents international video with crowd sourced subtitles. They had added 80's Astro Boy and Black Jack anime to their service, and it looks like they are not stopping there!
- Jungle Emperor Leo: The Movie,
- Don Dracula
- 3 Eyed One
- Marvelous Melmo
- Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick
- Blue Blink
- The Legend of The Forest
- Ambassador Magma
(The Ambassador Magma anime is not very good, but hey, it's the thought that counts!)
Let's hope that the streaming rights for more shows can be acquired and that the offerings continue to expand. Princess Knight would be a fantastic addition. Let them know what else you want to see! Continue reading "Don Dracula, Leo, Melmo, & more now on Viki."...
Tezuka Museum Tourism Video
The Hyogo Tourism Association and the Let's JAPAN Channel have put together this video look into the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka, Japan. It's a very detailed look on what spending a day at this museum must be like. Give it a watch!
One day, I will be there! It will be my pilgrimage.
Monday, April 30, 2012
60th Anniversary Vinyl Astro Figure
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Astro Boy manga, ZC World has released this new collectable figure in Japan.
This figure retails for about ¥12,000 ($147) and comes with a wooden box. Astro is depicted looking very young here and sure displays a lot of personality!
Check out more great pictures of this great collectable on Crunchyroll. Continue reading "60th Anniversary Vinyl Astro Figure"...
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Astro Bus
Let's turn back the clock and go all the way back to the year 2009 for some pictures of a bus decorated to advertise the November 5th release of the Astro Boy movie in Singapore. Glad someone was able to capture these images, as I didn't see anything like it at the time. I guess you could call this a promotional vehicle!
Astro Boy Bus by ~tintinspartan on deviantART
Astroboy Flying Over Taxis by ~tintinspartan on deviantART
Astroboy Soaring To The Roads by ~tintinspartan on deviantART
Crime and Punishment and Tezuka
Check out David Merill's classic anime blog Let's Anime for a great article about the rare English language edition of Osamu Tezuka's manga adaption of Crime and Punishment.
I mean, where else are you going to find a write up on Russian Literature turned into Japanese manga turned into a tool to learn English?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Black Jack 21, Uncut 80's Astro Boy Now Streaming on Viki
Viki, a website with international video entertainment, authorized for streaming with crowd sourced subtitles, is now offering the the complete 80's Astro Boy series, the Black Jack anime, and the sequel series, Black Jack 21.
The 80's Astro Boy has been legally streaming in other forms before, but what makes this special is that this is the Japanese release rather than the English dub. All 52 episodes are accounted for, including he original versions of the first and second episode, which were edited and combined into one episode for the English language broadcast. So, this may be the first time some of you have seen the full origin of Atlas! This was absent from the region 1 DVD release. I haven't gone through it all, but I imagine other episodes may have scenes missing from the English version. These episodes even feature the original Japanese title cards.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of crowd sourced translations, there are some mistakes in the subtitles. One embarrassing instance has the famous villain character call himself "Skank" instead of "Skunk". However, by registering for an account, one gains access to a subtitle editor, and so the translation can be continuously improved upon by the users watching it.
This is one of the bigger developments in Astro-Fandom for quite awhile! Plus, we get Black Jack 21, which has never been streamed with English subtitles before. This is very exciting stuff, and it bodes well for future releases of more Tezuka shows and other classic anime.
Continue reading "Black Jack 21, Uncut 80's Astro Boy Now Streaming on Viki"...




