AstroBoy Online Forums

So, the reviews are at a standstill until I can get issues eight or nine. I think I know where, but I have to wait... (Tenma goes crazy and has a machine gun! Want!)

Also, I took my first review and made it less aggressive, over-the-top dramatic and vulgar. As well, it loads a bit faster without so many oblong pictures crowding it. I used to be incredibly embarassed by the page, but now I encourage everyone who hasn't started reading the reviews to look into it.

For the others, I just edited the grammar and minor typing errors. The second review was also edited to have picture captions instead of ALT text (which you have to hold the mouse over, and it looks really unprofessional).

In the meantime, I'd like to make this thread a general one about the whole NOW! Comics series. If anyone has any questions, just put them here.

That was a great read, and you nailed everything that is just...so...wrong about that comic. It gave me a headache too, and unlike you, poor thing, I didn't have to look at every...single...panel.

Aaggh, the very idea...my tummy hurts...

A brillent review, you handled it like a pro with a sense of humour, having the links in the words too to show what you were talking about too was great. =)

The comic though...is so...so...terrible, the drawings sucked, Astro looked scary and Tenma needed anger managment o_o; i don't understand when was this comic made and WHY!? ;O;

From the what I recall from Astro Boy Essays, the NOW! comic series was an American adaptation completely *unauthorized* by Tezuka. Which explains a lot...

Thank you everyone for reading the review!

@Sgupta: Tony Caputo (the head of NOW! Comics) was notable for illegally getting character licenses. In this case, Caputo bought the Astro Boy license through a Japanese company that claimed to be the official international licensor (like Harmony Gold with Macross and Mospedia, or the American Speed Racer distributor). Tezuka discovered this was going on at the time the eighteenth issue was printed, and the series was cancelled two issues later. About twelve of Tezuka's characters, counting his self-charicature, were used unfairly because of this.

@Alittleacorn: The series was made from September 1987 to April 1989. The reason it was ever spurned seems to be that NOW!'s Speed Racer series was doing very well, and they went for another fan-favorite anime. The Speed Racer comic was usually good, but Astro Boy was poorly-executed from start to finish.

@Laughing Dragon: Sometimes I get used to the art...and then I don't look at it for a while, and then I see it again and weep. Occasionally, I draw in Steacy's style and make fun of the comic. And then I weep.


On the other hand, I'm going to scan the all the Letters to the Editor from the back of the book, since I know some people were interested in those.

Oh that makes sense, and i'm glad they pulled the plug that comic series was terrible, Didn't stand up to the REAL original Astro boy. I saw all the other reviews on the issues, the pictures gave me eyebleeds! but your jokes though gave me a laugh i loved them! (I shake my fist at you butterfly i shake my fist at you!)

Hm, i guess SOME of the story did have something going for it, but if it had been drawn WAY WAY WAY better, had gotten rid of the sexest jokes and the added a better sense of humor, and not make Astro such a crazy robot (along with his daddy) They could've gotten away with it...oh, one more thing (shoots talking dog) aliens fine BUT NO TALKING ANIMALS unless they're cyborg dogs or from another planet. >.>

Oh I just remembered something, there was a scene you mentioned in the comic where Astro gets asked for his robot licence by a cop right? They used that in the ps2 game based on the movie...o_o; i-it gives me a chills they got ideas from it.

Thank you!

References to the NOW! Comics series keep appearing in other Astro Boy media, as I've noticed too, and it's incredibly creepy. Plus, I agree with you on not liking Spud the talking dog. There were so many other characters they could have used, and yet they go with a freaky dog. And there's so much female stereotyping, angry people and more...
Part of me wishes that some of my favorite Tezuka characters, like Skunk or Sapphire, got into the comic because I know it would've been insane...


In other news, I scanned the letters colums from all the issues so far, in case anyone wanted to see those.

I think I would be better able to comment on this after I actually read or reread the comics themselves. My only comment now is that the food in the plastic bag was probably based upon the Chronicles; Tezuka likely got the idea from Asimov's Caves of Steel (or its sequel). I have Natsu Onada Power's book God of Comics, & she make much out of Tezuka's borrowing material from others.

Did somebody say that the 2009 movie actually borrowed from these comics?

BTW, the blue hyperlinks on the black background are an eyesore. I am sure there is a way to use other colors than blue.

Fauna you did the reviews right? I could've sworn someplace you mentioned about e-mailing chu and seeing the first volume pages or something. If so could you sent it to me?

Cause even though the comic looks TERRIBLE and i'm NEVER buying it, ^-^' my curious mind wanted to see how terrible it is.

"Alittleacorn" wrote:Fauna you did the reviews right? I could've sworn someplace you mentioned about e-mailing chu and seeing the first volume pages or something. If so could you sent it to me?

Cause even though the comic looks TERRIBLE and i'm NEVER buying it, ^-^' my curious mind wanted to see how terrible it is.

Well, I do have the .ZIP file somewhere, but that was back when Photobucket didn't admit large files. Now it does, and I've got the whole series so far scanned in its entirety.


Also! I put up a thing on Pixiv (the Japanese equivalent of deviantART) that shows each of the characters in Steacy's style and tells their new names and places in the story. So far 86 people have lookd at it. (My goal is to inform 100 Japanese people about NOW Comics!)