The Bottom Line
As the mysterious robot killings continue, detective Gesicht tries to warn the four remaining super robots who may be the murderer's next target, including Atom. While the basic elements of Tezuka's original story remain, the twists in Pluto Volume 2 make it clear that Urasawa and Nagasaki are taking Astro Boy off the rails into exciting new territory.
Much as Frank Miller reinvented Batman in The Dark Knight Returns, Urasawa and Nagasaki have taken a familiar comics icon, stripped it down to its essentials, and remixed it in a way that feels fresh, invigorating and very relevant to its time. A manga must-read!
Pros
- A masterfully paced sci-fi mystery that sucks you in with its surprising twists and turns
- As the mystery deepens it becomes clear that Urasawa is taking this story off the Astro Boy rails
- Urasawa's Atom is a much more sensitive and complex character than the original
- Touches upon contemporary world politics in a way that's thought-provoking and timely
- Asks some Isaac Asimov-worthy questions about the role of robots in human society
Cons
- The robots in Pluto have more depth of character, which makes it that much sadder when they die
Description
- Original Title: Pluto Urasawa x Tezuka (Japan)
- Author & Artist: Naoki Urasawa
Co-Authors: Takashi Nagasaki, from a story by Osamu Tezuka - Publishers:
- VIZ Signature / VIZ Media (US)
- Shogakukan (Japan)
- ISBN: 978-1421519197
- Cover Price: $12.99 US / $15.00 CANADA
- Age Rating:
OT – Older Teens, Age 16+
for violence, robot and human murders
More about content ratings. - Manga Genres:
- Seinen (Men's) Manga
- Action / Adventure
- Drama
- Mecha / Robots
- Mystery / Suspense
- Science Fiction
- US Publication Date: March 2009
Japan Publication Date: April 2005 - Book Description: 200 pages, black and white illustrations
- More Manga by Naoki Urasawa:
Guide Review - Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Volume 2
When Frank Miller first created The Dark Knight Returns, it was shocking to see Batman as a bitter, retired crime fighter. Gone was the campy 1960's era TV hero. In his place came a menacing Dark Knight who was truer to his noir beginnings and at the same time, a much more complex anti-hero who reflected the grim, post-Reagan era of the late 1980s.
In its own way, Pluto offers a similarly radical remix of a classic comic book character, except instead of Batman, Urasawa and Nagasaki take on a Japanese icon, Astro Boy. In Pluto, Atom is not the star of the show, but one of many intriguing characters in Urasawa and Nagasaki's labyrinth of sci-fi suspense.
The boy robot in Pluto Volume 2 is still essentially the brave and sincere ambassador for peace that fans know and love -- but Urasawa has taken away Atom's pointy hair, short-shorts and his tendency for earnest proclamations. Instead, he lets Atom's compassion shine through as he is confronted with the cruel reality of war and world politics.
After an intriguing introduction to the mystery in Volume 1, Pluto Volume 2 makes it clear that this version is veering far off the rails from Tezuka's tale. The villainous, power-mad sheik of the original is replaced by something more ominous: a global conspiracy fueled by world leaders who look like the ones in power today.
Heresy though it may be, Urasawa improves upon Tezuka's Astro Boy by forgoing goofy humor and black-and-white idealism. Instead, he shows Atom and his fellow robots as complex, conflicted characters who struggle with the reasons for their existence. Are they just servants and soldiers, weapons and pawns, or are they, as sentient beings, entitled to question the illogical orders of their flawed human creators?
This is a strong second installment that delivers on the promise of the first and then some. A manga must-read!
