when it rains...

[David]

I began my Tezuka interest before any of his manga was available in a language I could read. And when the first books came out... Adolph, the Viz Black Jack, that first over sized Phoenix volume, wow - I was thrilled. Now I buy everything as it comes out in English... and frankly I buy less of other manga artists.

I remember when the Phoenix translations stopped for a while and I panicked that the publisher went too far out on a limb and needed to abandon the project. I scoured the net, and wrote letters to publishers and web groups. With that precariousness behind us, I even take it for granted that the translations will keep coming - even of more obscure works.

I started with what there was, now you have to make a choice. I bought them when they were new, now you have to be concerned about what might be going out of print. You can buy your favorite genre - and maybe pass over some. And the sudden wallop to the wallet - wowza - to spread it out over years didn't seem so disturbing.

What will it be like (what is it like) for new manga fans to fall into interest in Tezuka and find there have been over 70 books now in English (some common, others getting rarer and rarer)?

David

[F-Man]

Obviously I can attest as a new Tezuka fan.

Yes, there is a lot to choose from; even more so when you know two languages like I do. My strategy so far has been to buy manga books of the Tezuka anime and movies (and even games) I liked. Because after all this whole interest of mine started with exactly that, more specifically with the Metropolis movie (and I still have yet to buy the manga of that movie! What's wrong with me?).

From the onset, I never imagined I would ever own four different series (some would laugh at how few that actually is). I started out with Astro Boy for the simple reason that it was so hard to find the anime in Japanese subtitled. Except for the 1980's series, but still, I had hopes for HD releases that never materialized. Once I was reaching the end of the books, I quickly realised I would need more stuff.

When I'm out of good Tezuka animation, my thirst for his funny dramatic stories, and wonderful art, will probably compel me to blind buy books I had no previous exposure to via other mediums. I was already checking on the highest rated series on Amazon a few minutes ago, for the sake of curiousness.