Though he and his pint-sized assistant Pinoko try to live a quiet life in his small clinic out in in the deserted country-side, there is a steady stream of patients that other doctors have given up on beating a path to his door. As such, he is a popular choice for gangsters and other ne’er-do-wells with nowhere else to turn. Hazama Kuroo, better known by his nickname, Black Jack – an unlicensed and shadowy doctor with inhuman surgical skill.įor the most part shunned by the medical community (despite their grudging respect for his unrivaled skill as a surgeon), Black Jack operates on the fringes of society. One of Tezuka’s three medical dramas, along with Ode to Kirihito (1970-71) and A Tree in the Sun (1981-86), Black Jack (1973-83) follows the adventures of Dr.
Although it is considered one of Tezuka’s masterpieces, along with Astro Boy (1952-68), Phoenix (1967-88) and Buddha (1972-83), Black Jack (1973-83) certainly didn’t start out that way. This continuous run was followed by thirteen sporadic special issues, the last of which was published in October, 1983. Black Jack (1973-83) was originally published as a serial in Weekly Shonen Champion from November, 1973 until September, 1978.
