ABLAZE has announced that it has licensed four acclaimed manga titles by Osamu Tezuka from Tezuka Productions for English publication. The new licenses were made in cooperation with publisher DI Books and the books will be released under the ABLAZE MANGA imprint.

Two manga titles will be released in the latter half of 2023, while the other two titles will be launched in print and digitally in 2024.

The full details about each new licensed Tezuka manga are as follows: 

One Hundred Tales — August 2023

The manga was first serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from July 26, 1971 to October 25, 1971. 

Story: 

An adaptation of the Faust legend as a samurai period piece. Ichirui Hanri is an ordinary accountant servicing his lord. Though innocent, he is sentenced to death by hara-kiri after being entangled in a power struggle. A witch named Sudama appears and offers Hanri three wishes in exchange for his soul. Hanri accepts. Is it worth it?

Shakespeare Manga Theater — Q4 2023

Story: 

Over the course of his career, Tezuka adapted many of Shakespeare’s works: Hamlet, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet (featuring Astro Boy!), and The Merchant of Venice. This book collects them into one volume and is sure to be popular not just with Tezuka fans, but also schools interested in presenting Shakespeare in a format that is easier for readers to engage with.

Tomorrow The Birds — Q2 2024

Compiles stories from Tezuka’s Birdman Anthology that was serialized in Hayakawa Publishing’s SF Magazine from March 1971 to February 1975. 

Story: 

A science fiction manga depicting a future society in which evolved birds surpass humanity, Tomorrow the Birds is a parable about how we treat those who aren’t like us, and the eventual price that must be paid for arrogance. An unforgettable tapestry of seven-page chapters and longer stories.

Neo Faust — Q4 2024

This is the third and final part of Tezuka’s unfinished Faust manga adaptation, based on the eponymous work by Goethe. The series was serialized in Asahi Shimbun’s Asahi Journal as two parts. Part one was published from January 1, 1988 to November 11, 1988, while part two was released from December 9, 1988 to December 16, 1988. 

Story:

This adaptation of Goethe’s Faust is Tezuka’s third rendering of this classic and one of the serializations he was working on at the time of his death. Despite being terminally ill, Tezuka continued to develop his already legendary storytelling and illustrations and left behind this enthralling take on a timeless theme.

Source: press release