AstroBoy Online Forums

Hey guys, a lot of the long-time users might remember my NOW! Comics reviews and walkthroughs that I wrote from 2007-2010. I've come to really dislike those, since I always felt like I could do a better job of presenting the series and all the information I've found over the years.

To amend this, I recently made a brand new website. There's still some work to be done - only issue 1 has been put into a gallery and summarized and some characters still need profiles - but I honestly think it's good to go. Unlike the old articles, these are nowhere near as snarky and obscene, since I'd rather have people learn about this comic through something gentler.



This is the cover image for May 2014. I'll be changing the cover image every month until all the issues have been covered. If anybody wants to draw a cover image, let me know and I'll give you a chance!


I'm also thinking about writing Ken Steacy and apologizing for smearing his name through the articles. He actually CAN draw, but his quality started to fall apart here because he was barely paid for running an entire comic himself. I was 14-17 when I wrote those things, but still, I'd rather fix things while I can.

OMG. Tenma looks like an Auto mechanic and Hamegg looks like a sleazy Rhett Butler!

Oh I've seen that whole comic before, it's really is a lot different, of cause rather simpler but different, by the way I like the cover page on this, lf possible I like to do a cover page to. That sounds rather cool

After being introduced to Astro Boy in 1963 with the broadcast of the English dubbed series (I was 11 years old at the time) I pretty much completely forgot about him until 2009 when the movie came out. I do remember seeing a copy of a manga magazine from Japan with 'Mighty Atom' on the cover, and I had heard someplace that Astro was originally from Japan, a fact that I never knew while watching the original ELV broadcasts. (An Uncle of mine worked for Panasonic and might have brought back some magazines while on a business trip to Japan).

After seeing the trailer for Astro Boy in the theater I quickly caught up on what I'd missed over the years. I was completely unaware of the 1980 and 2003 TV series, which must have been on cable and available to me. I was also unaware of the Now Comics as well. (I didn't have regular access to the Internet until around 1993-4).
Since that point in time I've discovered Tezuka's other works, found the other two Anime series on Hulu (they've since been removed from there), and also found the original 1963 ELV up on Youtube (it has been posted and removed a bunch of times, Manga Entertainment now has a legal copy up there).

As for the Now Comics, I have mixed feelings about these. I doubt that any royalties were ever paid to Tezuka for the use of the characters, but they did seem to give him credit. Yet, they are a sort of valid 'Fan Fiction' in a way and they do fill a gap.
Interesting how concern for the environment was one theme in that first episode. Also the name of one of the scientists was borrowed from Beauty and the Beast.

Cool site.
The NOW! comics are kinda like a train wreck, aren't they? You just can't look away from it XD

"Dragonrider1227" wrote:Cool site.
The NOW! comics are kinda like a train wreck, aren't they? You just can't look away from it XD

Agreed.

My exposure to the NOW! Comics is rather limited so I'm not quite sure what to think about them to be honest, but so far from what I have seen they have been causing much eyebrow raising.