Osamu Tezuka ( 1928-89) is the godfather of Japanese manga comics. He originally intended to become a doctor and earned his degree before turning to what was still then considered a frivolous medium. His many early masterpieces include the series known in the U.S. as Astro Boy. With his sweeping vision, deftly intertwined plots, and indefatigable commitment to human dignity, Tezuka elevated manga to an art form. Other works available from Vertical include Apollo's Song, Ode to Kirihito and the eight-volume epic Buddha, winner of the Eisner and Harvey awards.
"""Verdict - 9.6 A diabolically epic story. + An anti-hero you can't take your eyes off of. + Osamu Tezuka. (Need we say more?) - Possibly Tezuka's bleakest work yet."" - Anime media network. ""Created during the period of 1976-1978 MW is a shocker, especially for it's time, both in terms of the potential for terrorism and the phsychological effects on the reader, who, in some cultures, might not easily adapt to this nature of storytelling (for example, what would Hollywood do with this plot?)"" - www.anime.com ""MW is a story that will make you think, and will probably make you unhappy about a segment of mankind, and will thrill you in ways that feel uncomfortable. It’s a major graphic novel by a major creator, grappling with the nature of evil in a way that superhero comics only wish they could. And it’s presented in a form nearly transparent to Western readers. From what I’ve seen, Tezuka’s dark works of the ‘60s and ‘70s are easily his best, and MW is right up there."" - ComicMix ""The author shrewdly reveals through these characters the vulnerability of human beings and the concept of latent ""original sin"" that lurks inside us."" - Brian Cirulnick"