Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix Deluxe Hardcover Collection 1

The defining masterpiece of modern manga—the series that "God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka considered his life's work—is finally available in English once again, in a beautiful, cloth-bound hardcover featuring fully restored art and new introductions by translator and author Fredrik L. Schodt (Manga! Manga!) and Hugo finalist Dr. Ada Palmer (Too Like the Lightning).

Vol. 1 includes the first two stories in publication order—"Dawn" and "Future"—presented in a large size with silkscreen-printed and gold foil–stamped covers and including color pages recovered from the original serialization and other material never before presented in any English edition: 670 pages of manga and bonus material.

From the premiere of Astro Boy on television in 1963 to the release of Buddha, Princess Knight, Dororo, Black Jack, and many other English editions of manga in the 21st century, Americans have become familiar with the vast breadth of Osamu Tezuka's stunning career, over which he produced more than 150,000 pages of comics.

Yet the most conspicuous omission from Tezuka's English catalog has long been the series he considered his magnum opus, one he worked on and reworked from the 1950s until his death in 1989: Phoenix. Known as Hi no tori ("firebird") in Japanese, this meta-series—inspired by Tezuka's omnivorous appetite for Asian folklore, American science fiction, Russian ballet and animation, and anything he he found fascinating from around the world—leaps through extremes of time and space, encompassing exciting action and experimental suspense, stark philosophy and intimate drama.

Tying it all together are the recurring "actors" of Tezuka's "Star System"; themes of mortality, legacy, love, and ego; and the titular bird herself: at times a mythical being living in a volcano, at others a spiritual presence in deep space, always a mystery.

This new Kodansha edition features the acclaimed original translation, commissioned during Tezuka's lifetime by his production company, from Dadakai—a collective consisting of Jared Cook, Shinji Sakamoto, and Frederik L. Schodt—for which they were made the inaugural inductees of the American Manga Awards Hall of Fame. This translation was previously published by Viz Media from 2002–2008 but is long out of print, and Schodt and Cook themselves have returned to assist in updating it for this edition.

The art draws on a new restoration published in Japan in 2020, intended to replicate the visuals of Phoenix precisely as it would have appeared to Japanese readers experiencing it for the first time in COM, Tezuka's seinen manga magazine. This edition features recreations of two–, three–, and four-color art treatments that were forgotten for decades, with chapter title pages and new lettering never seen before, wrapped in a cloth cover with screenprinted and foil-stamped trade dress.

The manga can be broken up into "seasons," each of which made up one complete story, and which will be published in order of publication in Japan. This first volume contains:

• I. Dawn: Drawing on the most ancient Japanese myths and chronicles, "Dawn" tells the story of a medicine man who washes up on an unfamiliar shore, where a warrior has just been killed seeking the living blood of the Phoenix to cure his wife, who is deathly ill. On threat of death, the outsider manages to nurse the widow back to health, but his motives are not pure, and the greed of Japan's first queen will soon rain chaos down upon the homeland of the Phoenix… Serialized from January–November 1967. Afterword by Haruji Mori. New introduction by translator Frederik L. Schodt.
• II. Future: Leaping from the mythical dawn of the Japanese state to the twilight of humanity, "Future" (also known as "A Tale of the Future") pits the love of a lone space patrolman against the crushing power of a totalitarian, machine-run society. In the year 3404, Masato lives in the computerized megalopolis Yamato, where he must keep the woman he loves—Tamami—hidden. Tamami is a "moopie," an alien species capable of affecting human perception, for which they have been banned and ruthlessly exterminated. When Masato's superior Rock Holmes, a ruthless and ambitious man obsessed with arresting the slide of human culture into decadence, discovers Masato's secret, he will stop at nothing to finish the moopie genocide—even if it means chasing the couple across the galaxy. Afterword by the author. New introduction by Dr. Ada Palmer (the "Terra Ignota" series, Inventing the Renaissance).

Standard and Primary covers are widely available through general retailers. They often have higher print runs and can be cheaper, especially during sales.

In contrast, Direct Market (DM) and variant covers are primarily sold in comic shops. DM editions tend to have more limited availability and may be more valuable to collectors.

The main differences lie in artwork style, availability, price, and collector appeal. Ultimately, the choice between standard and variant covers depends on personal preference, budget, and individual collecting goals.

Comic book enthusiasts have various formats to choose from when collecting their favorite stories.
Here's a brief overview of the main types:

Omnibus

• Large, hardcover collections
• Usually contain complete runs or extensive story arcs
• Typically 800-1000+ pages
• Higher price point, often €100-€150

Oversized Hardcover (OHC)

• Similar dimensions to omnibus, but thinner
• Collect shorter runs or story arcs
• Usually 300-600 pages
• Priced between €30-€50

Hardcover (HC)

• Standard-sized hardcover books
• Collect 6-12 issues typically
• Similar dimensions to single issues, but with a hard cover
• Priced around €25-€35

Trade Paperback (TP)

• Softcover collections
• Standard comic book size
• Usually collect 4-6 issues
• Most affordable option, typically €15-€25

Other Formats

• Absolute Editions: Oversized, deluxe hardcovers (mainly DC Comics)
• Compendiums: Massive paperback collections
• Graphic Novels (OGN/GN): Original stories not previously released as single issues

The choice between these formats often depends on personal preference, budget, and collecting goals. Omnibus and OHC editions offer larger artwork and more content but at a higher price, while TPs provide a more affordable way to collect complete story arcs