Tezuka In English Discussion Forums

Full view: http://dr-jerk.deviantart.com/art/Makin ... -196806040

Reposting from DA:

"Today is February 9th, another anniversary date, but one that isn't too joyous...

On February 9th, 1989, Osamu Tezuka, praised by many for his comics, had died at the age of 60. But remarkably, despite how much pain he was in, his passion for drawing comics was still as strong as ever. Reportedly, his final words were along the lines of "Please let me continue working!"

And for such simple words, it meant a lot to me when I first read about it. Here was a man, who had such a busy and hard schedule and was also in so much pain, who still loved to draw comics. And he would be willing to stick around and draw some pictures for some kids because they asked, despite the fact that he was much needed elsewhere. This man loved to draw... ever since he was a kid. And today, even 22 years later, his works are still greatly respected and he is still revered as The God of Comics. And I couldn't agree more.

When he had died, the news in Japan were all over it. And groups of people, even those who did not know him personally, had actually started to cry and mourn for him. And people still miss him today, and I occasionally see tribute drawings of the anniversary of his death. Many of those drawings associate Tezuka with The Phoenix/Hi no Tori, which is befitting, as The Phoenix can symbolize revival and of course immortality. It truly is quite fitting, and I had actually had thoughts of doing such a similar piece myself to pay respects to The God of Comics.

...But I couldn't really bring myself to draw such a thing, since it seems so overdone and I had no good ideas at the time. And while thinking about it, I thought of a piece of a boy Tezuka, putting on his trademark red beret that he is almost never seen without.

Thinking about it, I thought it would work. I do not think Osamu Tezuka would want us to mourn him forever. I believe he would want us to look towards the future, which many of his manga inspires us to do. So instead of drawing a sad or piece that mourns, I drew something else in memory of him. A young boy Osamu, putting on a beret that so symbolizes art. In a way, it's kinda like a younger version of him looking forward to the future."

...And I guess that's about it. I don't know what else to say...

OMG -- today is the day! All I can think of is "the day of the music died." Yet, he didn't really die -- look at all of us enjoying his wonderful work and reviving it and retelling it and keeping it as vital as ever.

What a wonderful portrait, Dr. Jerk! You are incredibly effective in communicating through the eyes. This is a great tribute to him, and very fitting. I'm married to a 60 year old man, let me assure you that is NOT "old" - I do feel sorrow he wasn't destined to live a longer life. I wonder how he would have adapted to the Internet. We'll never know for sure.

I never did say '60' was old, but glad you like it.

Awww, Tezuka-sensei. ;_;

Indeed, he would want us to look forward to a better future, but there's nothing wrong with remembering him. <3

While it once again is the time to remember Tezuka and his passing, you are right in that he would want us to always look to the future. I remember there was a survey on ANN.com and, even today, people in Japan still see Tezuka as an influence for manga (70% if I remember) and still are inspired by his work. Naoki Urasawa (Monster), Noriaki Kubo (Bleach), Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke) and many more talented writers and artists were inspired by Tezuka and creating their own great works to build the future of anime and manga.

It's also great to see some American artists and writers are inspired and discovering Tezuka's work. Bryan Lee O'Malley (writer/artist of Scott Pilgrim) took influence from Tezuka for his work. Will Eisner (one of the grandfathers of the American comic book and creator of the Spirit) and Neal Gaiman (acclaimed novelist and writer of Sandman) spoke highly of the God of Manga as well.

I'm extremely happy Vertical is publishing Tezuka's work for us fans over here. It's always good to see other manga fans learn of about him enjoy his work. His passion for what he did still surprises me and teaches me the value of living to the fullest and doing what you love the most.

P.S. Love your artwork, Dr. Jerk. I favorited one of your works over at Deviantart. Keep up the good work!