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Noir Caesar Produces Graphic Novel Based on Osamu Tezuka's Alabaster Manga
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
ANN's coverage of Anime Expo 2023 sponsored by Yen Press!
North American publisher Digital Manga funded a Kickstarter campaign to localize and publish the two-volume Alabaster manga in 2015.
Digital Manga describes the story:
Once a famous athlete, now an infamous villain, James Block seeks revenge against all things "beautiful." After he's arrested and convicted for assaulting his girlfriend who insulted his appearance, he meets a mad scientist in prison who tells him of the 'F Laser' he invented that can turn any carbon based organism invisible. When James finishes his prison term, he finds the 'F Laser' and points it on himself, however the imperfect laser beam leaves him disfigured with only his skin invisible. On a vicious revenge spree, he takes the nom de guerre of Alabaster and is joined by Ami, the granddaughter of the scientist who experimented on his pregnant daughter and left Ami fully invisible. Together they pull off several heists, but Ami's innocence may cause Alabaster's downfall…“I'm Alabaster...I'm sure you've heard what kind of man I am.”
“It is possible for you to understand my pain.”
Tezuka launched the manga in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine in December 1970. The manga ended in June 1971.
The manga inspired a stage musical that ran in Tokyo and Osaka in June and July last year.
Update: Noir Caesar clarified with ANN that Tokyopop is Noir Caesar's publisher, and is not involved as a producer on the company's projects.
Source: Noir Caesar AX 2023 panel (Deb Aoki)
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history