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Black Jack, Vol. 1 (Black Jack Hazard Edizioni #1)

4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 · rating details · 1,121 ratings · 81 reviews

In this twisted medical drama, a supremely talented doctor is driven underground and forced to practice in secret. From monstrous facial afflictions to organ transplants using live donors, no case is too strange, no client too unsavory, no operation too risky for Black Jack.

Paperback, 184 pages

Published February 5th 1999 by VIZ Media LLC (first published July 13th 1977)

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May 24, 2012 Tosh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Osamu Tezuka is not an easy manga genius to contain in a neat simple package. On one level he's the Walt Disney of Japan/Manga world, on the other he's a very dark artist who has a rather bleak view of the world that comes off sad and often shocking.

The Atomic Bomb in many ways started off Tezuka's imagination and thoughts on the welfare of our planet, and via his works on Buddha as well as Hitler he also come up with beloved manga characters like Astro Boy, White Lion, and the very odd charact...more

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May 24, 2012 Trane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Tezuka fans, insane doctors, manga surgeons, stethescope fetishists

Shelves: manga-and-comics

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. These new Vertical editions of Tezuka's Black Jack are really nice — thick cream-colored paper, great reproduction fo the drawings, and fantastic covers. In fact, the cover of volume one features an embossed indentation that highlights the image of a set of hook retractors opening a surgical incision to reveal the guts inside. Clever as a cleaver.

If you're only familiar with Tezuka's Astro Boy, then you may not be prepared for the glorious blood-and-guts grotesquerie of the Black Jack series, a...more These new Vertical editions of Tezuka's Black Jack are really nice — thick cream-colored paper, great reproduction fo the drawings, and fantastic covers. In fact, the cover of volume one features an embossed indentation that highlights the image of a set of hook retractors opening a surgical incision to reveal the guts inside. Clever as a cleaver.

If you're only familiar with Tezuka's Astro Boy, then you may not be prepared for the glorious blood-and-guts grotesquerie of the Black Jack series, a series that flaunts its polymorphous perversity at the level of the medical. The usual synopsis of the Black Jack saga goes something like this: "Black Jack, the world's greatest surgeon, roams the world without a license curing those who deserve it and applying his own sense of moral justice to the unjust and hypocritical." That's my own summary, but you can see summaries like this everywhere. Here's from Wikipedia: "Most of the episodes involve Black Jack doing some good deed, for which he rarely gets recognition—often curing the poor and destitute for free, or teaching a capitalist fat cat and his pompous colleagues a lesson in humility." And here's from the back flap of the Vertical publication: "Black Jack chronicles the travails of an enigmatic surgeon-for-hire who is more good than he pretends to be." Basically Black Jack is generally cast in the role of the benevolent outlaw, the individualist who carries within himself an ethical and moral sense that always turns out to be far superior to the world of corruption that surrounds him.

While these descriptions definitely describe one of the moods of this series, they completely miss the mark when it comes to what makes this series distinct, disturbing, and wonderful. Let's examine some patients:

1) "The First Storm of Spring." A schoolgirl falls in love with a man that she keeps having visions of after she's gotten a cornea transplant. But the man turns out to be a murderer and the cornea is from his last victim. Luckily Black Jack shows up at the right moment to scalpel the guy in the side.

2) "Teratoid Cystoma." (Look that one up!) A woman is dying from a tumor but no doctor can come close because of the psychic force that the tumor unleashes whenever anyone gets near. It turns out that the tumor is actually a (mostly) unformed twin who has been living within the woman's body. Although the twin has no body proper it has enough organs to have developed a life and consciousness of its own. Black Jack convinces the twin to allow the operation and he builds a doll body for her and carefully installs all the organs after removal, in effect creating his living doll/daughter sidekick, Pinoko. Pinoko, who talks with a coy lisp that is more annoying than it is cute, is referred to by Black Jack as his 'assistant' even though she calls herself "the Wife" and insists that she's 18 even though she's stuck in the artificial body of a child. If only Papa Freud had lived long enough to see this case study.

3)"Confluence." Black Jack meets up with a young colleague of his who works alone as a ship's surgeon. Later it turns out that Black Jack was at medical school with this doctor and that the doctor was once a woman, but now presents as a man. Black Jack saved her life in medical school by removing her uterus and ovaries to save her from cancer. She has always been in love with him and just before the surgery Black Jack reveals his love for her and kisses her. Then Megumi begins Kei (different readings of the same Chinese character) and signs on as a ship's doctor and now Kei and Black Jack can only meet from time to time and dream about what could have been.

And I haven't even mentioned the sores that appear on a person's body in the shape of a face, the scalpel covered with calcium like a pearl, the painter who is the victim of an atomic test much like the one that took place at Bikini Atoll and demands that he be kept alive long enough to finish his masterpiece, as well as severed limbs galore, at least two full body transplants, and a hand transplant so that a sushi chef can continue to make the most delicious sushi in all of Japan. Not to mention the building-sized computerized surgeon-bot that develops a mental illness.

These. These are the joys. (less)

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Nov 24, 2012 Nick rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wasn't my favorite piece of work by Tezuka, but I found it enjoyable and worthy of attention. Although the universe is internally consistent, each chapter is a self contained story. Thats nice, in a way. Its more like a collection of short stories than a fat novel. I had a little bit of trouble getting over how scientifically/medically impossible most of these cases are, but once I acknowledged that this is taking place in the realm of fantasy I was able to enjoy it without that hinderance. The...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Charles Dee Mitchell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels-illustration

Black Jack is the manga series from the creator of Astro Boy that is most popular among adult readers.

I don't know what that really means. These stories of a mysterious surgeon, a young man whose hair is part white and part black and whose faces is marked by a diagonally stitched scar, are perhaps somewhat more sophisticated than some of Tezuka's other work, but there is nothing particularly adult about them. Black Jack is an unlicensed surgeon who charges outrageously high fees and insists on w...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Paul Dembina rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wasn't particularly looking forward to reading this but as our Graphic Novel reading group were going to be discussing it decided to give it my best shot.

Almost gave up after the 1st chapter as I found the abrupt changes in tone rather odd (but then I should be used to that now after having read a bit of Mange and watched a fair amount of Anime).

Anyway, I read to the end of this volume. Still not really my cup of tea. Tezuka's often has oddly androgonous male characters. I already came across...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Chelsy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: anthology-s, classics, manga-shelf

Wow. This was a lot of fun!
Again, don't be fooled by the artwork. Behind the bouncy imagery is a dark and bloody world, full of surgical tools, strange diseases, and a mysterious companion called fate.
Aside from reading a tad bit of A Message From Adolf this is the only, more mature, work I've seen of Tezuka's. I've read the first five volumes in this series, and the most mature thing about them was the mention/attempt of molestation and, of course, the gore. Disturbing and bizarre diseases come...more

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Feb 12, 2011 Jedishampoo rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is classic stuff I wasn't sure I'd get into, but it's classic for a reason: it's really engrossing and enjoyable. The characters are fascinating, and the stories are by turns heartwarming or horrific or both. The little girl he created sometimes creeps me out but at other times I think she's funny and cute. (The only one so far that made me WTF? was the one where Black Jack gives his girlfriend an emergency hysterectomy because of cancer... but of course once she has her woman parts removed...more

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Oct 15, 2009 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics-manga-graphic-novels

Made by the creator of the original master of manga, best known for Astro Boy, Black Jack is a series of vignettes about an unlicensed, but genius doctor with a heart of gold who likes to pretend that he's only in it for the money.

The art is more polished than Astro Boy, and the series is oriented toward and older audience and less campy, but still has silly elements in it. Both the art style and wacky stories remind the reader that the series was definitely made in the 70s, in a good fun way. I...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Kari Ramirez rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Strange little stories about impossible surgeries and life lessons.

Black Jack was a serialized comic that gain cult status back in the 70s. These volumes are collections of the short, 20-ish, page stories that were published back then. The stories center around Black Jack, an unlicensed but brilliant surgeon who can perform miracle surgeries for the right price.

While he comes across as arrogant & greedy to his patients and other doctors he's actually quite the opposite, but I think his loner...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Raed Al-ahmadi rated it 5 of 5 stars

this book was written by osamu tezuka who is re known artist of "astro boy" and "the white lion" .

osamu was a medical student once but he hated how the medical system worked , and he loved drawing .

the artist reflects on him self of what if he continued medicine instead ?

he would've been an underground dr. / a dr. with no limits .

all the cases presents the ethics and disease that are realistic in presentation .

but some are fictional diseases .

still the protagonist is a "jack of all trades " in...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Deanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

As I have only read the 1st instalment of the series I haven't decided how much I like it yet. The book has a very serial feel to it and the other Tezuka books I have read have not seemed that way - Ode to Hirohito, Buddha, MW, etc. (Even though they were serialized as well.) I am filled with questions - why doesn't Blackjack practise legally, why is he so disdainful of the medical establishment, why does he charge exorbitant prices when he condemns doctors for doing the same, etc. I can wait to...more

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May 24, 2012 Colin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of Tezuka; people looking for slightly off-kilter manga.

Shelves: four-star

Given his background in medicine, one would imagine that Tezuka's manga take on the medical drama as a genre would be one rooted deeply in reality and science. Yet, the Tezuka who drew and wrote Black Jack is the same Tezuka we all know and love: Black Jack is off-the-walls crazy throughout most of its duration, and only 'stoops' to medical soundness as a very slim basis for its self-contained stories--though after a medical condition has been established, anything can (and usually does) happen....more

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May 24, 2012 Skipper Ritchotte rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Volume 1 is a collection of stories with no real arc providing connective tissue, so like many short story collections, some succeed while others fall short of the mark. I could've given this four stars just for the idea of a rogue, unlicensed doctor roving around like a mercenary (think of a one-man A-Team, with scrubs); it's ballsy, supernatural, medical fun--a combination I've never seen before.

But there were alienating themes that were a turn-off, like the portrayal of the black doctor in t...more

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May 24, 2012 Felipe Chiaramonte rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lembranças de órgãos, que passam a possuir identidades; máquinas doentes e não em precipitado diagnóstico de mal-funcionamento; mudanças corporais que ditam amores e ambições; traços de personalidade que escapam ao incosciente e vazam à realidade; fantásticos feitios cirúrgicos derrotados pela incurável morte. As doze histórias curtas do parasitário, antipático e solitário (mas apenas para quem não foi por ele tratado) Dr. Black Jack são carregadas, em suas narrativas fantásticas, de um simbolis...more

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May 24, 2012 Bren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Perhaps the single most enchanting thing about Osamu Tezuka's stories are his characters, clearly, who never seem to lose sight of the fact that they are in comics. No matter the tragedy, nor the extent to which they suffer, does the story ever become mired in such unspeakable sadness that the “comic” element of manga becomes paradoxical. This is quite evident in Black Jack, Vol. 1.

Take, for instance, the sudden forest fire which threatens the life of a young crippled polio sufferer. Through the...more Perhaps the single most enchanting thing about Osamu Tezuka's stories are his characters, clearly, who never seem to lose sight of the fact that they are in comics. No matter the tragedy, nor the extent to which they suffer, does the story ever become mired in such unspeakable sadness that the “comic” element of manga becomes paradoxical. This is quite evident in Black Jack, Vol. 1.

Take, for instance, the sudden forest fire which threatens the life of a young crippled polio sufferer. Through the smoke comes a man shouting warnings for those who would trek onwards. The man, as it turns out, is Osamu Tezuka's manga alter-ego, appearing in the scene for no other reason than to lighten the situation.

Another instance, after hearing the news that his protégé was struck and killed by a truck, a sushi chef runs from his place of employ, alongside Astro Boy (Tezuka's most famous creation). Always a grim smile at the ready, Tezuka not only knows how to create melodrama, but how to diffuse it so that it never becomes hokey or trite. In life, there is tragedy. In comics, unexpected humour. Tezuka mixes them both together, and manages to achieve what so very few could without risking self-mockery.

Black Jack is the famed unlicensed surgeon of manga. Working, often times, under inhospitable circumstances, the scarred doctor is able to clear his head of all external thoughts and focus on performing the miracles that everybody says cannot be done. Everybody, that is, except for the very desperate who solicit his help to begin with.

Of course, the premises under which each short story unfolds is quite impossible to attain in the real world, that outside of manga. Tezuka does not spend a lot of time trying to convince readers that such feats could be achieved otherwise, and treats the surgical material as lightly as he can. It never becomes an outright joke, but it is accepted that the task Black Jack sets out on will be successfully completed – and therefore the focus is removed from the surgery to the characters and their dire situations. Black Jack is a medical drama where medicine takes a back seat to the real reason behind the circumstances... the comic/human element.

That said, Black Jack is a very appealing manga, but not universally so. Adult circumstances (“adult” only in comparison to something such as, say, Astro Boy) discourages younger readership, while the airy atmosphere may deter some die-hard adult readership who do not expect to see such a humorous treatment of the given circumstances. Black Jack is a boon to those who love to read comics, but wished that the stories and characters were a little more “grown up” than typical comics fare.

On occasion, a story seems to breeze past, with very little by means of character development. This is due to the limited space in which Tezuka had to operate, if you will. Having been serialized in the 1970s, a set number of pages was given to Black Jack, and with each story being more-or-less self-sustaining, that leaves little room for involved development. With the primary characters recurring (Black Jack himself, of course, and his live-in companion 18-year-old Pinoko – who turns out to be aptly named, for reasons not explicitly stated in one particular story line), this is not so much an issue, but with the one-shot characters, one must quickly get a feel for the personage before the end of that tale.

Filled with humour, pathos, and surprise cameos (Doctor Oliphant as Sushi restaurateur?), Black Jack lays the foundation of what has become part of Osamu Tezuka's high relevance and mythos even today. Not to be missed by anyone who has ever admired the man's work.(less)

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May 24, 2012 Dave Maddock rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novels

I don't like anime so I've avoided manga in my Great Graphic Novel Experiment of the past year. Also the bookstores don't seem to stock much beyond Naruto and Bleach which I'm not interested in. That, as I've come to learn about most of my unfounded biases, was myopic.

Black Jack is a fun read of episodic stories targeted at an older demographic. Some episodes are very good, some only so-so. I liked the origin of Pinoko--Tezuka's take on Pinocchio I assume. One instance of an African-American dra...more

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May 24, 2012 Vicki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comics-and-manga, own

This volume of Black Jack tells a series of standalone tales based on cases taken by the fantastically talented freelance surgeon, Black Jack.

Good things to know about the book are:

- There is (or seems to me to be) a strange dichotomy to Tezuka's presentation style with Black Jack that it takes a little while to get comfortable with, but once you are then it fine. The author often deals with some very adult subjects: after all we are following a surgeon who deals with some pretty gruesome cases,...more

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May 24, 2012 Ron rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: medical, manga, short-stories

The first volume in the English-language edition of Osamu Tezuka's long-running series of self-contained stories about a brilliant but unlicensed surgeon who is widely believed to be a purely mercenary cad, but who actually has a massive sentimental streak. The tone can shift wildly from one story to the next; among the cases in this collection are the removal of a teratoid cystoma that has developed a mind of its own, a young girl who receives a cornea transplant and then is haunted by the imag...more

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Sep 09, 2010 Korynn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: comic-collections

A series of short stories involving the brilliant, skewed morality of Black Jack, scarred surgeon for hire. Each story has a bizarre element to it, a strange logic that seems more disturbing after reading it. One story that sticks in my mind is the one involving a gifted sushi chef who loses his arms. The fantastic ending of the story with the donor's wife sobbing over his hands somewhat creeps me out although the whole thing makes sense on a karmic level.

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Jun 08, 2010 Marissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comix

I don't know quite what to make of the tone of Tezuka's Black Jack series. It kind of alternates between offbeat comedy and goofy melodrama. It's an enjoyable, if kind of bizarre read. It's hard to know how much you lose without the Japanese cultural context as a framework to enjoy and understand this comic, but it's still a pretty fun read regardless. Again, not quite as good as Dororo in my book, but weird in a way I really like.

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Jan 30, 2013 Tria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

Bless Dr. Tezuka for making Black Jack.It's incredible of him to use his medical knowledge to make this manga, though some of the medical cases are really questionable, nevertheless, Black Jack always have your attention. Very inspiring and some stories are very touching, including Black Jack's own life story and how Pinoko was 'created'. I really recommend this manga and also I recommend everyone to watch the anime as well.

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Jun 23, 2009 Molly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, manga

Tezuka is awesome- I haven't been disappointed by anything of his yet. Well, I didn't get totally into Astro Boy, but it was still good. Anyway, the Black Jack books are really good- comprised of short stories about a doctor who can pretty much fix anyone (except when the author is trying to make a point)they keep you reading and interested. Lots of gender issues at which I bristle, but still good for what it is.

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Dec 06, 2008 Robert Beveridge rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008-goal-list, cuy-co-pub-lib, finished

Osamu Tezuka, Black Jack (ViZ, 1987)

Tezuka, who had a medical degree but never practiced medicine, was a natural to create medical-thriller manga. Thus, Black Jack. I was first introduced to Tezuka through Ode to Kirihito , and thus this more traditional manga came as something of a surprise to me; it has the usual episodic feel of manga (not surprisingly, given that they're usually published in installment form in magazines before being collected into single-title books like this one).

In this...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Anthony rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First time I've read Tezuka; love the way the cartoonish characters are drawn, from their hands to their bodies to their faces; every character has a diff. face style; every story had a great ending; reminded me of those fun will eisner stories that always leaves u w/ something to think bout; every story had a unique ending

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Apr 24, 2011 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga-graphic-novel

This is a translated Japanese manga, so if you have a problem reading it Japanese style, go with the western graphic novels. Black Jack (Kuro'o) is a surgeon for hire, who despite charging exorbitant fees for surgery that would be impossible for anyone else, has a kind heart under his Frankensteinish exterior.

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May 24, 2012 Travis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: manga

Odd, but compelling read.
This series, featuring mysterious rogue surgeon Blackjack is a truly odd mix. The art is cartoony, yet the medical details are shown in an almost stomach turningly real detail. Most of the surgeries are so weird or extreme that it has a sci-fi feel, yet, Tezuka does his research, so all the details make you think that you think maybe they could be done.
The humor is broad and uneven.
Each story has some kind of moral or message and those range from very subtle and moving t...more

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Jun 23, 2010 Alex Watkins rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, graphic-novel

Fun stories about a bad-ass doctor who can do anything and also by himself. Kinda like House, but also a master surgeon who can do impossible surgeries even on a robot! or a parasitic twin reconstructing them in a plastic body, that was gross. Entertainment!

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Mar 01, 2012 Sijin Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Funny story. It's amazing how the author can come up with such random and creative storyline. I find the book quite similar to Franken Fran. But it's a bit awkward considering the author of Black Jack is the same author as Astro Boy

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Jan 14, 2010 scarlettraces rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga-manhwa, yay-for-libraries

maybe if i read more tezuka, the god-of-manga switch will flip and i'll start raving about him like everyone else. in the meantime, entertaining but not mind-bending.

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Apr 22, 2013 Aurelio Ippandoza rated it 5 of 5 stars

Favorite series by Tezuka.I like the characters in this series. The storylines sometimes verge on the very weird,but that's just tezuka.

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About Osamu Tezuka

From Wikipedia:
Dr. Osamu Tezuka (手塚治虫) was a Japanese manga artist, animator, producer and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. He is often credited as the "Father of Anime", and is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during his f...more

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