Free Online Preview of Tezuka's Swallowing the Earth Manga

Ever since Digital Manga Publishing announced that they licensed Osamu Tezuka's Swallowing the Earth back in April 2008 at New York Comic-Con, Tezuka fans have been eagerly awaiting release of this pivotal but lesser known work from the Godfather of Manga. Now the wait is (almost) over, as DMP has provided readers with a 25-page preview of the first chapter of Swallowing the Earth through fansite Tezuka in English. There are also three additional preview pages at dmpbooks.com.

Originally published in 1968, Swallowing the Earth marks a turning point in Tezuka's artistic development and storytelling themes, as he moved from the primarily kids and teens-focused fare of stories like Astro Boy and Dororo to darker, more adult-oriented themes and social commentary as seen in works like Apollo's Song and MW.

If you've read either Apollo's Song or MW, you'll see echoes of both stories in Swallowing the Earth as it tells the tale of Zephyrus, a bewitchingly beautiful woman who drives men mad with desire. As generations of men fall under her spell, Zephyrus leaves a trail of broken hearts, minds and bodies. That is, until she meets a man who is immune to her charms, a drunkard named Gohonmatsu Seki. Who is Zephyrus, what are her reasons behind her actions? Will she truly meet her match, or will her decades-long reign of seduction and destruction continue?

The DMP Platinum edition of Swallowing the Earth is complete in one volume and will be on sale on June 24, 2009 for $24.95. This graphic novel for grown-ups is rated YA+ for readers age 16 and up, for some stylized nudity and mature themes.

Image credit: TIKYUWO NOMU by Osamu Tezuka © by Tezuka Productions. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1970. English translation rights arranged with Tezuka Productions.