Mirth And Morality

By Andrew D. Arnold Monday, Apr. 12, 2004

Looking for a great comic? Just follow Buddha. Osamu Tezuka (1928-89), a pioneer of the manga (Japanese comic book) form, added his own characters and stories to the life of the great spiritual leader, creating a graphic-novel epic. Translated into English by Vertical Inc. as an eight-volume series of stylish, $25 hardcovers, the third installment comes out this month. Though Tezuka's characters are cartoonishly cute and he frequently inserts goofy humor, the series also explores adult themes of romance and violence. Literati and pop-culture mavens alike will enjoy this manga masterwork. By Andrew D. Arnold

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"What you do from this day forward will write, or rewrite, the story of AIDS across Africa."
MICHEL SIDIBE, UNAIDS executive director, to South African President Jacob Zuma, just before Zuma announced that the country would treat all HIV-positive babies and expand testing; South Africa has the most HIV-infected people in the world
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