Magnetic Press has just launched a Kickstarter to fund the English-translated collection of Tezucomi, a two-volume manga anthology of Osamu Tezuka tributes by all-star international creators. The Kickstarter will run until August 19, with a funding goal of $7,500 – but as of time of writing the goal has already been well surpassed.
The Tezucomi collection will come as a two-volume set totalling 600 pages of material with the aim to publish in November, in time for what would have been Tezuka’s 95th birthday. The Kickstarter has the option of two formats for Tezucomi backers – the books as traditional manga-sized paperbacks ($49 together or $25 each volume), premium oversized 7.75”x11” gallery hardcover editions ($79 together or $40 each), and exclusive limited edition boxed sets for the paperback ($80) and hardcover editions ($99) which are limited to 500 copies each. There are also digital editions available for purchase at $15 per volume. The books will be in the traditional manga style and read right to left.
Tezucomi was initially published as an 18-issue series in Japan in 2018 by Micro Magazine in partnership with Tezuka Productions, coinciding with what would have been Osamu Tezuka’s 90th year (Tezuka passed away in 1989, age 60). Tezuka Productions invited all star creators from around the world to do their own takes on the God of Manga’s huge library of classic characters. Alongside each of the 18 stories, a brief history of the original Tezuka series and author spotlights will be featured.
Among the big names involved you have I Kill Giants creators Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura do a Black Jack story; David Lafuente take on Big X; Elsa Brants’ Princess Knight; Florence Torta & Philippe Cardona do Astro Boy and Dororo stories, and more.
The number of European creators involved – such as Blacksad’s Juan Diaz Canales or Naja’s JD Morvan – has made this a choice get for bande dessinée (eurocomic) localisation publisher Magnetic Press.
As Magnetic Press say on the Kickstarter:
“Individually selected by Tezuka Productions for this project, the roster of European talent featured in TEZUCOMI is impressive — and may be quite familiar to fans of Magnetic Press! Springboarding from Magnetic’s identity for publishing the best European material in English, TEZUCOMI is the perfect intersection of East meets West.”
The full creator and story breakdown:
- Kimba, by Reno Lemaire (Dreamland)
- Black Jack: Heartless, by Joe Kelly & Ken Niimura (I Kill Giants)
- Team Phoenix, by Kenny Ruiz (Magic 7; Wakfu)
- Big X, by David Lafuente (Radiant Red; Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man)
- Barbara, by Belen Ortega (Millennium Saga)
- MW, by Victor Santos (Polar)
- Unico, by MIG (Wakfu; Ogrest)
- Songoku, by Kenny Ruiz (Team Phoenix)
- Midnight, by JD Morvan & Scietronc (Naja; Zaya; Meka)
- Buddha, by Valerie Mangin & Brice Cossu (FRNCK)
- Ayako, by Sourya (Talli)
- Metropolis, by Mathieu Bablet (Shangri-La; Carbon & Silicon; Adrastea)
- Dororo, by Florence Torta & Philippe Cardona (Sentai School)
- Princess Knight, by Elsa Brants (Save Me, Pythia)
- Message to Adolf, by Juan Diaz Canales (Blacksad; Fraternity)
- Astro Boy, by Florence Torta & Philippe Cardona
- Apollo’s Song, by Luis NCT (Wahcommo)
- Black Jack, by Betrand Gatignol (The Ogre Gods saga)
Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) has often been called the “Godfather…”, the “Father…”, and the “God of Manga”. His pioneering work in postwar Japan (influenced stylistically by Disney animation) led to the rise of modern manga and anime. His own influence has driven successive generations of mangaka and western admirers. A prolific creator, he is known for classic kids series as Astro Boy, Black Jack, Kimba the Lion, Dororo, Unico, Princess Knight, Dororo…and that is before you get to his own mature material he produced in response to the emergence of gekiga adult comics in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
