Play Comic
Also known as プレイコミック (Purei Komikku)
Play Comic (March 1970)
Play Comic is a seinen manga magazine published in Japan by Akita Shoten. Launched as a monthly magazine June 1, 1968, it is the original home to many of Tezuka’s experimental short stories.
Tezuka’s first publication in Play Comic was his short-story, “The Execution Ended at Three O’Clock”, which appeared in the June, 1968 issue. After moving another short-story, “The Tale of Hyoroku” from Colour Comic [Karā Komikkusu] to Play Comic in August, 1968, he began one of the two major series published in this magazine, Under the Air (1968-70), a series of unconnected short stories with mature themes.
Despite this, Play Comic was home to only one of Tezuka’s serials, The Book of Human Insects (1970-71).
Play Comic
| Series | Japanese Title | Begin | End | Type |
| The Execution Ended at Three O’Clock1 | 処刑は３時におわった | 1968/06 | — | Short Story |
| The Tale of Hyoroku2 | ヒョーロク記 | 1968/05/08* | 1968/08/25 | Short Story |
| The Student Activist3 | おそすぎるアイツ | 1968/08/01 | — | Short Story |
| Joe’s Visitor4 | 空気の底 [ジョーを訪ねた男] | 1968/09/25 | — | Short Story Serial |
| The Voice of the Night4 | 空気の底 [夜の声] | 1968/10/25 | — | Short Story Serial |
| The Cliff of Death4 | 空気の底 [野郎と断崖] | 1968/11/25 | — | Short Story Serial |
| Duel in the Grand Mesa4 | 空気の底 [グランドメサの決闘] | 1969/03/10 | — | Short Story Serial |
| Cape Uroko4 | 空気の底 [うろこが崎] | 1969/06/10 | — | Short Story Serial |
| Women of Dark Windows4 | 空気の底 [暗い窓の女] | 1969/07/10 | — | Short Story Serial |
| A Hole in the Bottom4 | 空気の底 [そこに穴があった] | 1969/08/10 | — | Short Story Serial |
| A Star for Exiles4 | 空気の底 [わが谷は未知なりき] | 1969/09/10 | — | Short Story Serial |
| The Cat’s Blood4 | 空気の底 [猫の血] | 1969/10/10 | — | Short Story Serial |
| The Telephone4 | 空気の底 [電話] | 1969/11/10 | — | Short Story Serial |
| Chameleon4 | 空気の底 [カメレオン] | 1969/12/13 | — | Short Story Serial |
| Miraculous Conception1 | 聖女懐妊 | 1970/01/10 | — | Short Story |
| Catastrophe in the Dark4 | 空気の底 [カタストロフ・イン・ザ・ダーク] | 1970/02/14 | — | Short Story |
| Rovanna4 | 空気の底 [ロバンナよ] | 1970/03/14 | — | Short Story |
| Space Capsule4 | 空気の底 [ふたりは空気の底に] | 1970/04/11 | — | Short Story |
| The Book of Human Insects | 人間昆虫記 | 1970/05/09 | 1971/02/13 | Ongoing Serial |
| Get Out!5 | 出ていけッ! | 1972/01/08 | — | Short Story |
| Homecoming1 | 帰還者 | 1973/01/13 | — | Short Story |
* Note: Serialization began in Colour Comic
Note 1: Collected in Clockwork Apple
Note 2: Collected in Short Arabesque
Note 3: Collected in Suspicion
Note 4: Collected in Under the Air
Note 5: Collected in Bagi, The Boss of the Earth
