The Prescience and Universality of Tezuka’s Manga Masterpiece “Black Jack”

A famed scene from the manga in which the spirit of Doctor Honma speaks to Black Jack, delivering the line at the top of this article, after the loss of a surgery patient. (© Tezuka Productions)

Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1928, Tezuka Osamu made his professional manga debut in 1946 and continued producing work at a prodigious rate until his passing at the age of 60 in 1989. (© Tezuka Productions)

“What is a doctor’s purpose?” cries Black Jack. (© Tezuka Productions)