Astro Boy Creator’s Lesser-Known Mangas Are Getting A Box Set

Manga legend Osamu Tezuka is famous for his work on Astro Boy, but the mangaka was responsible for numerous other works during his long career. Famously referred to as the “godfather of manga,” Tezuka also illustrated shorter series, and several of these are being reprinted as part of a deluxe box set. Osamu Tezuka: The Ablaze Collection will be released soon on July 8, but there’s still time to preorder it.

$53 | Releases July 8

The Osamu Tezuka: The Ablaze Collection contains four volumes showcasing Tezuka’s other work, such as One Hundred Tales, which follows an ordinary accountant falsely accused of a crime and ordered to commit ritual suicide, but is interrupted by the sudden appearance of a witch. The second volume, Shakespeare Manga Theater, adapts several of Shakespeare’s plays into manga form with familiar characters playing key roles. The third volume, Tomorrow the Birds, tells the story of super-intelligent birds overthrowing humanity, and the fourth volume, Neo Faust, follows a professor who strikes a deal with the sorceress Mephisto to live a fulfilling life in exchange for his soul.

It’s worth noting that all of these stories are available as individual trade paperbacks as well, so if you don’t want to wait until July, you can grab them all now–though you’ll pay a bit more buying them a la cart compared to the box set.

As mentioned above, Tezuka’s most well-known work is Astro Boy, which follows a robotic boy with human emotions and an arsenal of super weapons who defends Earth from evil robots and powerful imperialist governments. The sci-fi manga series originally ran from 1952 to 1968, and thanks to its strong art and storytelling, it remains highly regarded by manga fans. It also served as the inspiration for many other popular manga, anime, and video game series, including Capcom’s Mega Man. If you’re looking to grab the original Astro Boy manga, the series is available in several paperback omnibus editions.

Astro Boy Manga Omnibus Editions

Finally, you can bring Astro Boy to your desktop with this adorable new Nendoroid figure. Manufactured by Good Smile Company, this is a cute recreation of the atomic-powered hero, and it comes with swap-out face plates, rocket legs, and other accessories that can be used to make him strike a pose.

Finally, you can bring Astro Boy to your desktop with this adorable new Astro Boy Nendoroid figure launching June 11 for $41. This cute recreation of the atomic-powered hero features posable limbs and plenty of accessories like swappable face plates, rocket legs, and more.