Page 4 of 9

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 9:37 pm
by ASTROBUDDY
"Tetsuwan Penguin" wrote:Was the color picture from an official Tezuka publication or a knockoff? I've never seen Atom drawn with blue eyes except on third party stuff. Also the drawing style doesn't exactly match the Dr's. (and that's not his signature. )


KNOCK-OFF! I think you should choose your words more carefully as "knock-off" usually has a negative connotation!

The pictures in question are from what could be described as a Japanese deluxe trade paperback style magazine from 1978 with MUSHI Pro. copyrights, so it might be considered sanctioned as "official!."

Since Tezuka Pro. is an animation studio and not a publishing firm I don't think they had "official publications". At least not in the seventies. In just the same way Life Magazine can publish an "official James Bond anniversary edition" (with UA's blessings and support as well as the licensing fees that have to be paid), a Japanese publishing co. can publish an "official commemorative "Astro Boy" edition.

The magazine from which these pictures were taken has the English title of "Animation Golden Books" This is listed as No. 2 featuring "TetsuWan Atomu"! The book has many scenes from "Earth Defense Squadron" and other episodes (like "Birth of Atom" and World's Greatest Robot"), but also features an episode guide of all 193 original episodes, and color "renditions" from memorable episodes which include "Attack from Space" as well as "Cobalt". (After all these are not cels form the shows as the shows were in B & W!)

The diagrams showing how to draw Cobalt are "official" diagrams as they have been shown in many other publications. (Also included in the magazine are diagrams for drawing other 'Astro Boy" characters.)

Astro Boy's "blue eyes" were commented in another thread. I believe it was thought by those on the ABOL, as a by-product of the fact that "Jetter Mars" has blue eyes and publications from the seventies like Roman Album no. 7 "Memories of Mighty Atom" showed Astro Boy in color with blue eyes.

The book also has a feature depicting all the "Mighty Atom Club" magazine covers, as well as all the covers of all the Kappa Comics Astro Boy reprints.

I :heart: :astro: :)

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:24 pm
by AprilSeven
Would LOOOOOVE to own THAT!!

It wasn't until 3 years ago that I learned Astro's eyes were brown - I ALWAYS thought they were blue!

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 11:39 pm
by ASTROBUDDY
"AprilSeven" wrote:Would LOOOOOVE to own THAT!!

It wasn't until 3 years ago that I learned Astro's eyes were brown - I ALWAYS thought they were blue!


[See cover of book below]
The book turns up every now and again on eBay where I got it!
[The book also features a pinup poster of the "Astro" family, unfortunately it's too big for me to scan!]
(Nice to hear from you, AprilSeven!)

I :heart: :astro: :)

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 12:02 am
by Little Brown Fox
WANT. ;-; *makes sad grabby hands at*

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 1:14 am
by Tetsuwan Penguin
Astrobuddy, thanks for the story on that!
Yeah, that looks like a nice book, I'll have to keep an eye out for those on ebay. The eye color business made me wonder about who actually produced the product. (Guess there is a small justification here for one of our members to forget to wear his contacts, unless he is also near sighted!) I can clearly see Tezuka's name on the cover here (one of the few bits of Japanese I can spot on sight!)
The magazine from which these pictures were taken has the English title of "Animation Golden Books" This is listed as No. 2 featuring "TetsuWan Atomu"! The book has many scenes from "Earth Defense Squadron" and other episodes (like "Birth of Atom" and World's Greatest Robot"), but also features an episode guide of all 193 original episodes, and color "renditions" from memorable episodes which include "Attack from Space" as well as "Cobalt". (After all these are not cels form the shows as the shows were in B & W!)

I am beginning to wonder if some of the cels from the third season might actually have been inked IN COLOR and filmed in B&W. The shading on some of the episodes in the last season have too wide a tone range to have been drawn in only two or three shades of gray. Tezuka productions at time were already doing Kimba in color, I wonder if the crew doing Atom might have done some cels in color and simply shot them on B&W film?

PS. I wondered what color Cobalt's 'band' was. He's on the cover, and it's green like Atom's.

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 1:54 am
by Tetsuwan Penguin
Wow, Cobalt looks a bit durpy here!


From the same episode...Atom what did you do to your hair! I've never seen BOTH his spikes pointing DOWN while he's in flight before!

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 2:25 am
by ASTROBUDDY
Okay, this one's for AprilSeven. (I hope it looks good on your pc as I may have ruined my copy getting this scan.)

Here they are "Astro Boy's family"!

I :heart: :astro: :)

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 2:43 am
by Tetsuwan Penguin
That is great! There is someone missing though (Chi-Tan)

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 3:08 am
by ASTROBUDDY
"Tetsuwan Penguin" wrote:That is great! There is someone missing though (Chi-Tan)


You got me! The truth is they had just put Ti-tan down for his nap and they didn't want to wake him for this portrait. Later Atom took Uran and Ti-tan out to play!

I :heart: :astro: :)

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 3:14 am
by Little Brown Fox
... COBALT'S FACE. My poor, sweet, derpy babbu...

OMG Chi-tan's eyes! They're so huge!