Astro Boy's english publishing history

[Mamango]

The English Publication History of Astro Boy The Manga

Before the Astro Boy manga came to the U.S. there was several companies ripping off Astro Boy the TV show(which came to the U.S. before the manga did). The 1965 Gold Key publishing company published a one-shot comic book, licensed by NBC Enterprises, based on the US version of the 1963-1966 Astro Boy TV. It had two stories in it titled "Gangor the Monster" and "Attack of the Mud People". Astro Boy also appears in the premium giveaway series, "March of Comics" (# 285) also published by Gold Key in 1966. In 1987, Now Comics released a Astro Boy comic series titled The Original Astro Boy that lasted to 20 issues and a short in a Speed Racer comic(published by Now Comics also). Now Comics did not ask permission to release The Original Astro Boy comics (they are not original at all) but before Tezuka Productions could do anything to punish them Now Comics went out of business. In 2002 Dark Horse with permission from Tezuka Productions released Astro Boy the manga in a 24 volume collection from 2002-2004. Dark Horse had with each Astro Boy volume a racism note stating that they will not change any racist part of Astro Boy because Tezuka had died and changing the content in the manga would be rude to it’s creator. As of today Dark Horse is republishing Astro Boy as omnibus versions which contain three Astro Boy volumes of content. Only two Astro Boy omnibus mangas have released so far. There should be eight Astro Boy omnibus mangas in all when Dark Horse is done publishing them all.
ps. I plan to have a Princess Knight english publishing history next and then I will have dvd history posts.

[Jeffbert]

I would like to clarify the thing you said about racist content. I suppose you may have meant to say that some of the depictions of certain races, when considered by today's standards might seem offensive. Yet, as Tezuka mimicked Disney's style, he drew those as Disney drew them, etc. I refer you to the actual disclaimer in the Dark Horse books, as I, hardly consider myself a qualified defender of either DH or Tezuka.

[Mamango]

Sorry their is a lot of info to get down and I sometimes skim over the little things with unjust to its entire content, making it so the fact is glossed over. I try to prevent this but their is like I said a lot of content to get inscribed.

[Jeffbert]

ok