Review: METROPOLIS

It's August, so once again we're focusing on old-school manga, spotlighting some of the classic titles of decades past.  Today's might be one of the oldest we'll ever cover, a one-volume wonder dating all the way back to the late 1940s. 

METROPOLIS (Metoroporisu), by Osamu Tezuka.  First published in 1949 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

The city of Metropolis is under threat by the wicked Duke Red, who ropes an unwitting scientist into creating an artificial humanoid named Michi.  The scientist fakes his death to hide himself and Michi from Duke Red, but eventually Michi escapes to learn about the world.  Meanwhile, a group of international detectives are trying to hunt down Duke Red, and these plots end up crossing thanks to Michi making friends with a couple of local children.