By Kathleen Townsend
New York Comic Con’s Metaverse—2020’s all-digital version of the convention we all know and love—will feature an official induction of Osamu Tezuka into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame!
There are six inductees in total this year, including Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother, The Sandman), all four of Milestone Media’s founders (Dwayne McDuffie, Derek T. Dingle, Denys Cowan, and Michael Davis) and, of course, the incomparable Osamu Tezuka.
Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) was an incredible creator whose immense influence on manga and anime can still be felt today. Have you heard the terms “The Father of Manga” or “The Godfather of Anime?” That’s Tezuka.
Some of the most popular, most influential manga and anime of all time such as Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight, Black Jack, Buddha, and Phoenix are all Tezuka’s work.
While he influenced manga and anime for decades to come, Tezuka himself had been influenced by American comics and Walt Disney, something that can be seen in his work. Today, Tezuka’s legacy lives on. In Takarazuka, Hyogo, you can visit The Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum, a three-floor 15,000-square-foot museum dedicated to his manga, anime and legacy.
The Harvey Awards are a comics industry awards, with nominations being voted on exclusively by those in the industry (as opposed to something like the Eisner Awards, which also allow voting from librarians, journalists, and retailers).
The Harvey Awards Hall of Fame, on the other hand, are chosen by an executive committee each year. They kicked off in 1988, continuing the legacy of the Kirby Awards, which had been discontinued in 1987, and named after writer and artist Harvey Kurtzman.