Astro Boy #7

Volume 23 of Osamu Tezuka's original manga continues in this 2002 Dark Horse edition, and the cover makes a strong first impression: Astro Boy rockets upward, fists raised and jet exhaust blazing from his boots, while a massive, looming robot with mechanical tentacles and an open chest cavity dominates the space above him — scattered machinery and debris swirling outward in all directions. Tezuka's cover art (pencils and inks both his own) captures that perfect balance of wide-eyed determination and genuine danger that makes this series so enduring. If "Once Upon a Time Part 2" delivers half the energy of this image, readers are in for a treat.