556 SCIENCE FICTION
Science fi ction has also held an important place in Japanese comics, known as manga.
Th e most famous series is Tetsuwan Atomu (Astro Boy in the English translations), an
important example of science fi ction manga which fi rst appeared in 1952, running until
- It was created and produced by Osamu Tezuka, popularly referred to as the God
of Manga; Tezuka holds a place in Japanese culture, manga, and anime comparable to
that of Walt Disney in the West; indeed, Disney was a major inspiration to Tezuka. He
originally trained in medicine, becoming a doctor, although he never practiced. Instead,
he became a key innovator in both manga and anime, creating work in a variety of
genres, including science fi ction, with Astro Boy arguably becoming his most successful
creation.
Astro Boy is a robot that was created by Doctor Tenma, the head of the ministry
of science. Tenma built him as a replacement for his own dead son, but soon came to
realize that this would not work, and sold the robot to the circus. Astro is rescued by
Tenma’s successor, Professor Ochanomizu, and uses his powers to fi ght evil and fur-
ther the cause of good. Th e stories were translated into English by Frederik L. Schodt.
Meanwhile, Tezuka’s growing recognition in the West can be seen in the fact that he
was asked to become art director for 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick, but
fi nancial commitments forced Tezuka to decline the off er. Translations of his work have
increased in recent years.
Another key manga series to make its mark in the West is Akira, by Katsuhiro
Otomo, which is best described as fi tting the cyberpunk sub-genre of science fi ction.
Set in a post-apocalyptic New-Toyko in 2019, the story concerns super-powered chil-
dren involved in a government research program. It was originally serialized in Japan in
Young Magazine between 1982 and 1990, and fi rst translated and reprinted by Marvel’s
Epic imprint. More recently, it has been published in six English language volumes by
Dark Horse. Another popular science fi ction manga series to debut in Young Magazine
was Ghost in the Shell (1989), by Masamune Shirow. Th is series is a thriller set in the
future in which Public Security Section 9 agents are trying to capture the Puppeteer,
who can gain control of human’s minds, yet the puppeteer is revealed to be something
more than was originally expected. Shirow’s work is noted for the inclusion of foot-
notes and commentaries, and the original series has spawned two sequels—Ghost in
the Shell 2: Man/Machine Interface, and Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human Error Processor.
A major science fi ction comic, 2000 AD, debuted in England on February 26, 1977
and is still being published at the time of this writing. It is a weekly British anthol-
ogy comic which was fi rst published by IPC magazines. Initially printed on cheap
newsprint paper, the genesis of the anthology came about as the result of a backlash
against a predecessor comic, Action, which had to be cancelled following an outcry
against violent and anti-establishment tendencies evident in the comic. Kevin Gos-
nell, an IPC magazines sub-editor, noticing the slew of upcoming science-fi ction fi lms,
decided that an sf comic would be a good business opportunity, and asked Pat Mills
to develop one. Mills, a writer and editor of some note in British comics, and the edi-
tor of Action, came to the realization that similar anti-authoritarian themes could be
