Black Jack
Posted on | October 15, 2008 | 9 Comments
Black Jack Volume 1 by Osamu Tezuka (amazon)
It is very nice that we’re having so many Tezuka works translated into English. But while I appreciate works like Ode To Kirihito I don’t see myself wanting to reread it anytime soon. It was missing a certain element of fun that I usually expect from the creator of Astro Boy. I’ve been looking forward to reading Black Jack. I think this is a series that I’ll be collecting and rereading. It combines explorations of medical philosophy with crazily awesome surgery in short stories that made me want to read more.
Black Jack is a mysterious unlicensed physician with a jagged scar across his face and a penchant for wearing billowing cloaks. He sells his surgical services to whoever is willing to pay his high prices but he doesn’t hesitate to work against his clients’ wishes when the situation demands it. As the first volume of Black Jack progresses the reader begins to learn more about his past.
Black Jack opens with the story of a rich man who thinks his money will be able to preserve his irresponsible son’s life after he is injured by a reckless car accident. Black Jack agrees to perform the surgery but when the rich man decides to secure an unwilling donor by prosecuting a poor boy in order to get spare parts for his son, Black Jack draws on his knowledge of cosmetic surgery. A couple stories deal with the issues of women working as doctors, and an episode showing Black Jack’s lost love has a surprisingly fluid take on gender.
Black Jack always seems willing to scrub in and cut away at anyone or anything. He can handle brain transplants, conjoined twin separation, eye surgery, artificial intelligence computer repair, and he can even build artificial bodies. While he charges high fees for some of his clients, he’s also willing to work for free drinks from a man who can’t afford his price. Tezuka studied medicine, and I think part of the reason why Black Jack is so fun to read is that it showcases Tezuka’s enthusiasm for the subject. There are some occasional poop jokes, and Tezuka himself makes an appearance as a patient suffering from deadlinitis. I’m definitely going to pick up Volume 2.
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9 Responses to “Black Jack”
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October 15th, 2008 @ 9:16 am
I love Blackjack and am eagerly waiting for the next volume. While I enjoy the anime (have you seen it?), I enjoy the manga more – because it does have the moments of humor along with the drama. The carbuncle story is one of my favorites, creepy as it is, just because Tezuka turned the story around and made me feel sorry for it. And the chef story always makes me sniffle. I’m really looking forward to reading the story that’s referenced in articles on Blackjack – where Blackjack’s father brings his second wife to Blackjack for plastic surgery. Hope it’s in volume two.
October 15th, 2008 @ 11:50 am
I haven’t seen the anime, and I don’t seem to have much time to watch anime now so I’ll probably stick with the manga.
October 15th, 2008 @ 4:12 pm
I’ve heard of this anime but never looked into it. Sounds very interesting, reminds me of MONSTER because of all the medical stuff.
October 15th, 2008 @ 11:22 pm
It is really worth checking out!
October 16th, 2008 @ 11:49 am
[...] that’s how the story reads in my Viz copy. However, in reading TangongaT’s review, I see the story described as: an episode showing Black Jack’s lost love has a [...]
October 17th, 2008 @ 7:06 am
[...] out Royal Green at Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page. Tangognat can’t get enough of Black Jack. Kris reviews Candy and vols. 1 and 2 of Oh my god! at Manic About [...]
October 18th, 2008 @ 8:57 am
I’m of the same opinion as you regarding Tezuka, except I haven’t even managed to work up the enthusiasm to read Ode to Kirihito or MW yet, though I do own both. Dororo, being a shounen adventure, was the title I chose as my first Tezuka, and I think that was a good decision. Black Jack will be my second, and I pestered my poor local comic shop guy to death trying to secure one of the limited edition hardcovers.
I’m thinking of picking up Astro Boy, too. At least, I’ll definitely be reading the first three volumes before Viz begins publishing Pluto next spring.
October 18th, 2008 @ 9:00 pm
I have also not made it through the first volume of Phoenix. I keep meaning to read it.
October 19th, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
Yeah, Phoenix seems a little too deep for me. Like.. even more so than the two I mentioned before. I know it’s a classic and probably one of these days I’ll get around to it, but it’s pretty daunting.