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The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters
The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters

The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters, #43, Astro Boy
The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters, Astro Boy

AKA: TETSUWAN ATOMO

A perky, atomic-powered robot created by Dr Tenma (translated as Professor Boyton or Professor Balfus) to replace his deceased son, Tetsuwan Atomo (Astro Boy) proved unsatisfactory and was sold to a circus � but emerged as a long-running hero working for the Ministry of Science. Besides having superheroic powers, the na�ve young robot grappled with human emotions and personal interaction. He also got into at least one destructive fight with another robot or super-powered baddie each issue.

FIRST APPEARED IN AMBASSADOR ATOM (1952)
CREATED BY OSAMU TEZUKA
The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters
Spiky shiny �hair�, red boots and his theme song: �There you go, Astro Boy! On your flight into space!, etc�
The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters
There was a live-action TV series in Japan in 1959-60, and several episodes were cut together into a feature film, but Tetsuwan Atomo became internationally known (well, famous in America) thanks to an animated TV show which began in 1963 and was imported to the US as Astro Boy.
The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters
The English name Astro Boy was selected after the closer translation �the Mighty Atom� was rejected as �too generic� (and, perhaps as infringement of the DC Comics shrinking hero.
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The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters
The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters

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