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Phoenix Right

Comics were once under attack, and admittedly they still are.  According to parents, teachers and politicians, they're a bad influence and rot the brain like toffee erodes teeth.  Fortunately, the medium's reputation has improved some in recent years, and is sometimes even recognised and celebrated by major newspapers and critics. 

Manga is a little like the black sheep half-brother of American comics.  They share many of the same inspirations, but manga did its own thing for years and has only recently made a name for itself in North America.  Unfortunately, now it has to endure the same trials its brother went through some decades before.  Some parents are quick to automatically give manga a red "x" because it's, y'know, foreign.  It ain't like the rest of us.  What kind of morals do they have in Japan, what with those half-naked women and funny big eyes?  Throw that trash away, Billy. 

As a result, Osamu Tezuka is a name known in every corner of Japan, but few North Americans are able to identify him as the father of manga--even if they're familiar with some of his most famous works, such as Astro Boy or Kimba the White Lion.  Adults might vaguely recall growing up with "that cartoon about that robot," or "that thing about that white lion," and children today seem to identify with Ash from Pokemon or Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh much more than the Tezuka characters who are, in essence, their ancestors.  Both generations--and any succeeding--are cheating themselves by not remembering Tezuka and indulging in his "life's work" … the Phoenix series. 

Even established manga fans are not all familiar with Tezuka's time-spanning chronicles of the legendary bird who bears witness to the birth, growth, destruction and re-birth of humanity.  The series has been fairly low-key in North America.  The oversized mangas seem a little intimidating on the shelf, but each volume is a self-contained story that either takes place in the distant past or the far-flung future, and the timeline eventually closes in near the present day, illustrating mankind's struggle through the ages.   

Tezuka's brilliance as a writer shows with Phoenix's inclusion of young readers in its epic themes of war, death and resurrection.  Tezuka's fans have always admired his direct way of speaking to children without speaking down to them.  Volume 2 of the series, titled "Future", narrates the end of the world in one of the most powerful and emotional manga titles ever published.  There is nuclear holocaust, betrayal, and the main character, Yamanobe, even attempts suicide several times after he's involuntarily granted immorality and is appointed the lone usher of mankind's rebirth.  His loneliness during the dark, empty eons climaxes when he discovers survival pod that supposedly contains a person who sealed him or herself away before nuclear radiation blanketed the planet.  After waiting over 5,000 years to ensure the fallout won't hurt his companion, he opens the pod to find nothing but dust. 

Mass genocide is an absolute "No!" in comics geared for American children, and the endless disappointments and heartbreak Yamanobe endures might also be considered taboo.  Most artists and writers will sit and conference for hours about how to "handle" such touchy subjects, but Tezuka wasn't interested in "handling" with his Phoenix chronicles.  He wanted to talk about mankind's history and purpose, and it so happens sometimes humans don't do pretty things.  Death is inevitable and harsh … but it's not meaningless.  Every person, regardless of their age, has a right to believe that. 

Aside from its straightforward depictions of humankind, Phoenix succeeds as a manga for both children and adults with its presentation.  Tezuka's art has always been beautiful and distinctive, and in fact sparked the "anime" style that's so familiar today.  But Phoenix contains Tezuka's finest work, and its wide range of subjects allowed him to go anywhere he wanted: Across glittering skylines, into ancient villages, through barren wastelands of dead grass and into outer space.  In "Future," cities bustle underground while endless blizzards and desolate winds tear at the earth's crust.  It's a striking contrast of imagery. 

While Phoenix simplifies mankind's end without dumbing it down, the content is appropriate for all ages.  There is no excessive blood or swearing, no sex or gore.  There's no reason a parent should be afraid to hand a volume to their eleven-year-old, unless they feel their child is "not yet ready" to read about death and life … in which case Johnny should also avoid watching the evening news or observing the world around him.