Tezuka once more

I read a lot of Tezuka (Atom Boy, Black Jack) when I was younger and then I read none at all. So I missed out when the more serious Tezuka stories came out in the late 1990s and 2000s - Phoenix, Buddha and Adolf.
I started reading Late Tezuka and now moving to those tomes I've missed. Phoenix is good and Buddha is one of the best things I've read. The amount of research Tezuka must have done into Buddha's life, teachings and philosophy, I wonder if Tezuka is a Buddhist himself.

Check out this image of a prince from Vol 8, the last volume. Reminds me of Little Orphan Annie. And also Starfire from the Teen Titans.

The breaking down barriers typical of Tezuka is also here.

Article on Buddha:

http://comics212.net/2010/01/06/manga-milestones-2000-2009-10-manga-that-changed-comics-5/