Comic books are not just easy books for kids. In both the East and the West, they are now a part of our culture.
In Japan, primary schools use manga(日本漫画)to help teach lessons. What's more, a university in Kyoto has a Manga Department. Students who take a class there will have Astro Boy on their reading list. The cute robot with big eyes and black hair is still popular across the world. The artist behind Astro Boy is Osamu Tezuka, who is known as the God of manga. He also made Black Jack, one of the first medical(医学的)comic books. Tezuka was a doctor himself, so he had the ability to make the stories lively.
Astro Boy and Black Jack started a new type for comic books in Japan. Tezuka once said that the comics were able to be more than just making people laugh.
Five years after Tezuka's death, a museum to celebrate his life and his comic art opened in his hometown. There, visitors can watch Tezuka's short films, view his art, and learn about his life. You can also see his drawings, humansized models as well. A visit there is like watching through the pages of his comic books.
The world of comic books and manga cannot be kept in pages. It is on movie screens, at schools, and in museums. Although you may have never opened a comic book, you may already be a comic lover.
