17 Manga by Osamu Tezuka

Japanese Title: Ningen Konchuuki
Publisher: Vertical Inc.
Japan Publication Dates: 1970 - 1971
US Publication Dates: September 20, 2011
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Self-centered and seductive Toshiko Tomura is the mistress of reinvention. As she becomes an actress, a designer and a novelist, she leaves a path of destruction in her wake. That is, until she meets an industrialist who is almost as ruthless as she is.

Bottom Line: The Book of Human Insects paints a dim view of feminine ambitions, with a heroine who is a siren, a victim, and ultimately, an enigma.

Japanese Title: Kirihito no Sanka
Publisher: Vertical Inc.
Japan Publication Dates: 1970 - 1971
US Publication Dates: July 21, 2009
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Seeking a cure for Monmow disease, Dr. Kirihito Osanai becomes infected and his face morphs into canine features. His journey to find a cure for this strange disease takes Dr. Kirihito all over the world, as experiences human cruelty and compassion firsthand.

Bottom Line: Bound as a single 800-page volume, Ode to Kirihito draws upon Tezuka's lifelong interest in medicine, and contains some Tezuka's most dynamic, experimental page designs.

Japanese Title: Ayako
Publisher: Vertical Inc.
Japan Publication Dates: 1972 - 1973
US Publication Dates: November 30, 2010
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Set against the backdrop of vast social changes in Japan in the wake of World War II, Ayako is a tale about a young girl from a powerful clan who has been locked away for most of her life to keep the family's secrets secret. But as she grows up, her family's dysfunctional hierarchy begins to disintegrate, and she plays an unexpected role in their destruction.

Bottom Line: Ayako is a dark and sprawling narrative that weaves together real historical events with unspeakable horrors committed by a fictitious family. It's a dense read that will enthrall Tezuka fans, but might be too much for a casual reader to enjoy.

Japanese Title: Buddha
Publisher: Vertical Inc.
Japan Publication Dates: 1972 - 1983
US Publication Dates: 2006 - 2007
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Drawing upon historical fact and narrative fiction, Tezuka retells the life story of Gautama Buddha, a prince who turned away from a life of luxury to teach compassion to all. True to Tezuka's style, Buddha also weaves in several fictional characters from his 'star' system to illustrate Buddha's teachings.

Bottom Line: By mixing history and allegory, Buddha has much to offer to readers who are fascinated by philosophy, religon and great graphic novels.

Japanese Title: Burakku Jakku
Publisher: Vertical Inc.
Japan Publication Dates: 1973 - 1983
US Publication Dates: 2008 - 2010
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Black Jack is a rogue surgeon who can perform miracles on patients who are gravely injured or ill. The innocent and the wicked alike receive his care, as long as they can meet his price, but Black Jack always prescribes his own diagnosis of justice in the end.

Bottom Line: A winning medical series filled with heartwarming drama, humor and suspense that stands up well to the test of time.

Japanese Title: Muu
Publisher: Vertical Inc.
Japan Publication Dates: 1976 - 1978
US Publication Dates: October 2007
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MW is a suspenseful story for adults about an amoral, gender-bending killer, his Catholic priest lover/accomplice/enemy, and the government cover-up of a deadly poison gas leak.

Bottom Line: A heady mix of sex, politics, action, corruption and suspense, MW is a journey down the darker alleys of Tezuka's storytelling.

Japanese Title: Adorufu ni Tsugu
Publisher: VIZ Media
Japan Publication Dates: 1983 - 1985
US Publication Dates: 1996 - 2001
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A Japanese reporter stumbles upon a document that proves that Adolf Hitler came from a Jewish bloodline. The reporter's life becomes intertwined with three men named Adolf: Hitler and two other young men: one Jewish and the other half-German, half-Japanese in this tale of WW II suspense and espionage.

Bottom Line: As one of the first of Tezuka's "mature" works to appear in English, and as a later work in his career, Adolf is well worth seeking out, although you'll have to comb used bookstores to find all five volumes.

UPDATE: Vertical will be publishing a new 2-volume edition of Adolf in mid-2012.