Tezuka Art Biography - This Fall!

All I can say is: It's about time!

Finally, an Osamu Tezuka art biography book for English speaking fans is on the horizon, thanks to publisher Abrams ComicArts and writer Helen McCarthy. Here is the official description.

Osamu Tezuka has often been called “the god of manga” and “the Walt Disney of Japan,” but he was far more than that. Tezuka was Walt Disney, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Tim Burton, and Carl Sagan all rolled into one incredibly prolific creator, changing the face of Japanese culture forever. Best known for Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, Tezuka was instrumental in developing Japanese animation and modern manga comics.

The Art of Osamu Tezuka is the first authorized biography celebrating his work and life and featuring over 300 images—many of which have never been seen outside of Japan. With text by respected manga expert Helen McCarthy, The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga pays tribute to the work of an artist, writer, animator, doctor, entrepreneur, and traveler whose curious mind spawned dozens of animated films, and over 170,000 pages of comics art in one astonishingly creative lifetime.

The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga also includes an exclusive 45-minute DVD documentary covering Tezuka’s prolific career, from his early manga characters to his later animation work.

About the Author
Helen McCarthy is the author of eight books about Japanese animation and comics, including the first book in the English language devoted to anime: Anime! A Beginners Guide To Japanese Animation (1993). She is also the curator of the Osamu Tezuka Film Festival at London’s Barbican Centre.

To say that something like this should be on the shelf of every serious fan of anime and manga would be a huge understatement. Let's hope that the final product will be as good as it aught to be. Considering the people involved, I see no reason why it shouldn't be. The additional DVD is an incredible bonus, especially since there really isn't much of anything else out there in terms of English-language video about Tezuka to fill that gap.

The book is set to be available this October and will retail for about $40 US. You can get a jump on securing your copy of the book, possibly save some money, and help support this website by clicking on the Amazon link to the right to pre-order your copy now.