Black Jack, Vol. 1

How many volumes will there be? This edition of Black Jack has a total of 17 paperback volumes, containing about 12 stories each. It is based on the Japanese 17 volume Akita bunkouban edition. Wait, paperback? so what are those expensive hardback versions? Vertical also published special limited hardback editions of books 1 to 3 in the series. They are limited to 1500 (vol.1) and 1200 (vol.2 & 3) copies and distributed through Diamond to brick and mortar comic-book stores. The difference is not only in the cover, they include three additional stories (one in each) NOT included in the Japanese edition on which the Vertical paperbacks are based. These three stories will not appear in the softcover books. More on this later. Is this The Complete Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack, then? Well, no. Even if you buy all the three hardcovers, the answer is still no. No book edition, including all the Japanese editions so far, includes all Black Jack stories as originally serialized in magazines. Also, not all the book editions omit exactly the same stories. It is a bit messy, actually. More on this later. Why were some stories excluded from the books? In many cases, criticism or controversy about the medical conditions depicted. Some of the stories missing from the books deal with lobotomies, for instance. Or are inaccurate. Or relatives of patients with the disease depicted in a story would complain. Tezuka was very sensitive to all this criticism. In other cases he simply thought the stories weren't good enough to be reprinted in book form. So, how *complete* is this? Very, actually, one of the more complete there is. There are a total of 243 issues of Black Jack. 5 "sealed" issues where never collected in book editions because they contained controversial or sensitive material. 20 more issues are excluded from some, but not all, of the Japanese book editions. 12 of these are included in the bunkouban edition on which the Vertical edition is based. And three more of these 20 appear in the special hardcover volumes 1-3. So. If you have all the Vertical paperbacks you will have 230 out of 243 stories. If you also buy the hardcovers you will have 233*. *i researched all this at tezukaineglish.com. of course i might have misread or miscalculated something. Is Black Jack a series or a serial? A series. Each chapter is a self-contained story. You can read them in almost any order. In fact, that's what you're already doing. This edition does not present the stories in chronological order of publication, but in the order Osamu Tezuka himself indicated for a deluxe edition planned shortly before his death, in 1989. For instance. The stories in this first volume are not issues #1 to #12 of the serialized manga but rather issues #1, #167, #12, #52, #29, #50, #86, #185, #57, special issue between #113 and #114, #54, and #49. There is a rationale to all this. Several of the stories give backstory information about Black Jack, where his scars come from, why he decided to become a doctor, etc. So Tezuka decided to put them at the beginning of the series in this new form. Where can i learn more about Black Jack and and all this mess about the excluded issues? Go to 'Tezuka in English' website (tezukainenglish.com). That's where i dug all this stuff up, all kudos to them. Is Black Jack really that good? As a surgeon? Definitely. As a comic-book classic? The answer is also yes. Black Jack is as classic as Tintin or Terry and the Pirates, but with surgical gore.

Most people are only familiar with Osamu Tezuka through Astro Boy, but few in the West are familiar with his other great work, Black Jack. Black Jack is about a master surgeon. Aloof, coolheaded and intelligent, Black Jack is not the nicest guy around, but he means well for all of his patients and does his best to save their lives. Though his depth is not immediately apparent, he stays an enjoyable, cool protagonist to follow through his medical exploits. Black Jack doesn't tell an overarching plot, and instead focuses on a variety of adventures involving the main character as he deals with problems from various patients. The episodic feel is fantastic for this kind of series - it very comfortably establishes the scene and the conflict, and leaves you turning pages to figure out how the marvelous Dr. Black Jack will find a way out of it. The art itself is simple, yet very charming, and is also punctuated by surprisingly detailed and intricate looking surgery scenes. A combination of exciting scenarios, a cool protagonist, and a healthy dose of surrealism lends to a real page-turner that's about as engaging now as it was in the 1970s. Whether you're looking for a new, light manga read to enjoy or you're trying to jump more into the wonderful world of Osamu Tezuka's works, Black Jack is a great addition to anyone's shelf.

I remember seeing the Black Jack series years ago at a con I was at, and from that moment on I was hooked. I searched for the comic books, which are rare and hard to find, and I ordered the original Mangas when they were first released in the states, but the copying of the art was shoddy, and the translations were terrible. When I heard that they were re-releasing the Mangas I was delighted. As soon as I got my copy I knew I would be pleased. The page spacing is perfect for the artwork, the translations are wonderful, and I am happy to see this beautiful example of Japanese manga released in a format that will apeal to American and European readers. The stories themselves show a deep and probing knowledge of the human heart and psyche, and each story helps you look into the choice between right and wrong. In anycase, after several decades, this is still an amazing series whith a rich and deeply developed plotline, and this edition truly does it justice!

厳しくも、思いやりに溢れたブラックジャックの人柄と生き方に、大きな感銘を受けました。 英語を学習中の身ですが、難しすぎる文章ではない為、教養を育みながら、英語を好きになれる、恰好な書ではないかと思います。 英語を勉強している、高校生や、大学生くらいの方々に、特にお薦めしたいです。

amazing story and the package came nicely with no damage at all!! very pleased

A mi hijo le encantan

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Classic series by the master himself, Osamu Tezuka. This series is mostly out of print, so it's nice to see it for an affordable price. One thing that needs to be said, books are fragile. Amazon is a multi-billion dollar company. If you're going to sell books, a bit more padding needs to be included in the packaging. There were a few dings, but nothing to warrant a return or anything. 5 stars for Tezuka, 3 for Amazon's packaging.