This article is about the manga series Astro Boy. For other uses, see Astro Boy (disambiguation).
Astro Boy (known in Japanese as "Tetsuwan Atomu" 鉄腕アトム, or Mighty Atom) is a manga series written by Osamu Tezuka, originally serialized in Shonen from April 3, 1952 until March 12, 1968. Astro Boy was also serialized in several other various publication until 1981. The series was eventually collected into 23 Tankōbon volumes by Kobunsha containing all 112 chapters. A second compilation was released by Akita-Shoten with a revised chapter order chosen by Tezuka.
Synopsis[]
Publication[]
Astro Boy began its initial run in Kobunsha's Shonen Magazine on April 3, 1952. The series ran for 16 years until March 12, 1968 [1] making Astro Boy's initial Shonen run one of the longest and most successful runs of a manga series to that date. New chapters of the manga were published monthly, along with single-page inserts and specials which appeared more infrequently. Beginning in 1964, Astro Boy was published alongside the main Shonen run in Tezuka owned, Mushi Production's Mighty Atom Club. The serialization ran until May 1966, featuring 9 chapters over its run.[2]
Sankei Newspaper[]
After the initial run of Astro Boy concluded a new series under the title The Astro Boy Chronicles. It was serialized in the Sankei Newspaper starting on January 4, 1967 and ran until February 28, 1969. The series was run daily with a new page of the story being printed in the newspaper everyday throughout its 2 year run, consisting of 18 new story arcs.[3]
One-Shots[]
Starting in the 1970's after Astro Boy's serializations had ended Tezuka published a number of one-off stories and arc's to various publications. These stories were all later included in many anthologies and collection including the Tankōbon compilations.[4]
Second Grader[]
To commemorate the release of the 1980 anime Tezuka wrote new Astro Boy chapters intended for a young audience. These stories were serialized in Second Grader Magazine from September 1980 until December 1981. [5] These were the last official chapters written by Tezuka before his death.