Black Jack is one of those titles that's so well-known, so ubiquitous, that even those of us here who have yet to lay a hand on the series already have a good idea of what is in store for us -- or at least we think we do.
After picking up the first volume of Black Jack while down at New York Anime Fest, the title has sat nervously by my side for a few weeks. This was the first Tezuka title I had ever bought, and the first one I had ever really read. I knew the man was a legend, and his art style was iconic, but I couldn't say much as to what his storytelling techniques were or how I should expect the series to go.
So, it was time to finally go and face my inadequacies. Much like a hardcore Batman fan who has never gotten around to reading Knightfall, it was time to read a title that I had been missing out on for far too long.
Black Jack by Osamu Tezuka
Published by Vertical, Inc.
Originally released September 2008
Black Jack is a character that has evolved with the times -- and has seen numerous adaptations, with ten OVA episodes, several movies, and finally an anime series not too long ago. What Vertical has translated for us is a set of stories from the original 1973 to 1983 run of the manga, published in Shukan Shonen Champion.
Black Jack is the mysterious man with the scarred face who has an ungodly talent when it comes to medical operations. Almost no job is too difficult for him -- the only problem is whether or not you can afford his prices, and whether or not you can really trust someone who operates without a medical license. Why did he lose his license? Why is he scarred? What does he do with all that money? Throughout the first volume's twelve chapters, some of these questions are answered.
The stories are often one-shot adventures, having no bearing on each other, while every so often, some of the tales feed us backstory as to Black Jack's earlier life and how he came to be the moralistic doctor who will right most any wrong. Most of the cases deal with people placed in unfortunate situations, and through Black Jack's surgery, they are able to overcome the odds or attain whatever goal they're reaching towards. The villains are clearly defined, and you end up implicitly trusting Black Jack, because he will certainly come through to save the day in some fashion or another.
Each story is haunting, though. Whether it deals with radiation sickness, car accidents, or deadly tumors, the story is presented in a way that even several days and several books after, I can vividly recall everything that happened. Through the mix of harrowing imagery and dark humor, Black Jack has a strong spirit that possesses each chapter in the volume. Perhaps it's the moralistic nature of all the tales.
The book is elegantly designed by Peter Mendelsund, showing a mix of simplistic design and surgery. When you see the book, sitting cover-out, the design instantly grabs your eye, and even on the spine, when lined up with other volumes of Black Jack, the title distinguishes itself from most everything else around it. To match the beautiful outside, Camellia Nich did a fantastic job with the translation. The entire book was a fantastic read cover-to-cover that I refused to put down. Whether you're just getting into manga, or have been a fan for decades, it would be a shame not to own this seminal title.
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