Phoenix (Viz)

(Viz, 2004-2005)
™ and © 2004 Osamu Tezuka
b&w

Volume 4 of Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix is a genuine epic set in 8th century Japan. The story binds together the fate of grotesque murderer Gao and that of the artist Akamemaru, both of whom are haunted by the Phoenix, the eternally living embodiment of the concept of reincarnation.

This is an amazingly assured work that tells an incredibly complex narrative through the simplest sort of storytelling. “Cartoony” is a term usually reserved for use as a pejorative, but Tezuka’s simple, broad characters are capable of remarkably subtle shifts in emotion.

His two leads are especially complex creations that can’t easily be labeled as either “good” or “evil,” as new facets of their natures are revealed, when they endure frequently horrific twists of fate. There are no heroes or villains here, just victims of karma. From a Western Christian perspective, it may seem bleak, but ultimately there’s a hopeful message about human achievement and artistic expression in the face of the inevitable.

Here’s a genuine adult graphic novel that’s mature in the truest sense of the word.

— S.A. Bennett

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