Ayako; Osamu Tezuka

A couple of weeks ago, a new Osamu Tezuka epic manga graphic novel was finally released in the U.S., called Ayako, a manga that Tezuka did from 1972-1973. Tezuka, often called the god of manga, because he virtually created the comic book art form in Japan back in the 1930s and was extremely prolific. In the U.S. Tezuka is most known as the creator of Astro Boy and Kimba The White Lion (which Disney heavily "borrowed" upon in their Lion King), but he's done comics / manga in all genres, including romance and crime fiction. Tezuka also did a wonderful eight volume manga on Buddha.

Even though Ayako was written and drawn in the early 1970s, it is never a dated work and it amazed me as much as my other two favorite Tezuka mangas, MW and Buddha. Ayako had the misfortune of being born into a very rich family, who all have very dark skeletons in their closets, and her very birth is a part of those skeletons. Taking place in Japan post WWII and going through the early 1970s, Ayako, clocks in at 700 pages and is a very fascinating graphic novel about a highly dysfunctional family who will do anything to protect their family name and the skeletons in their closets from getting out. Ayako is definitely for mature readers and definitely one of 2010's best graphic novel releases!