Tezuka! God of Manga Documentary Celebrates the Iconic Astro Boy Creator

There’s no doubt that Osamu Tezuka belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of legendary manga creators. His work on Astro Boy alone cements his status as one of the most important figures in the medium. That creative legacy is being explored in a new documentary called Tezuka! God of Manga.

With the Kickstarter campaign for Tezuka! God of Manga live now, IGN can exclusively debut a new set of art prints being included in the campaign. Check them out in the slideshow gallery below:

Tezuka! God of Manga is directed by Jason Andrew Cohn. Here’s the official description of the film:

TEZUKA! God of Manga will feature interviews with legendary manga and anime creators including Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), Riyoko Ikeda (Rose of Versaille), Naoki Urasawa (Monster), Go Nagai (Devilman), Yoshiyuki Tomino (Gundam), MADHOUSE co-founder and anime producer Masao Maruyama (Tokyo Godfathers), anime director Rintaro (Metropolis), best-selling fantasy author Ada Palmer (Too Like the Lightning), Samuel Sattin (Unico Awakening), and Jorge R. Gutierrez (The Book of Life), to discuss how Tezuka’s trailblazing influenced their work and changed the mediums of manga, comics, and animation.

The documentary will also include in-depth conversations with scholars Helen McCarthy (The Art of Osamu Tezuka), Natsu Onoda Power (God of Comics: Osamu Tezuka and the creation of post-World War II Manga), and the dean of English-language manga scholarship, Fred Schodt (Manga! Manga!) discussing his long working relationship with Tezuka. Once the film is funded, the producers will schedule additional interviews with artists including Paul Pope (THB) and Ron Wimberly (Prince of Cats).

“TEZUKA! God of Manga celebrates Tezuka-sensei as a preposterously prolific, enigmatic creator who forever altered popular culture by introducing young readers to a brand-new, DIY medium that rocketed around the world,” said Cohn in a statement. “The creative cross-fertilization between artists in Japan and the rest of the world made Tezuka one of the most beloved and influential artists of the 20th century. This film will celebrate his legacy and introduce his incredible creations to a new generation.”

The Kickstarter campaign for Tezuka! God of Manga is live now.

For more on the film, check out the trailer for Tezuka! God of Manga and see how Unico: Awakening reinvents a classic Tezuka creation.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.