July 1966 issue - Vol. 24
The Mighty Atom Club Magazine ( 鉄腕アトムクラブ ) was a Japanese monthly magazine published by Mushi Productions that ran from August 1964 - November 1966 for Tezuka fans. It featured comics of Mighty Atom (Astro Boy), Jungle Emperor (Kimba the White Lion), and other Tezuka properties. Depending on which chapter, they could conclude in a single issue or be split into two-three parts across future issues.
History[]
Intro panel to a Mighty Atom chapter - Dark Horse release
The magazine launched after the grand success of the 1963 anime, "Mighty Atom" (Astro Boy). It was a part of the official fan club: "Mushi Productions Tomo no Kai (Friends Association)" that was founded after the success of Mighty Atom. Issues were mailed to members of the fan club. It was not officially sold in stores. Once the Mighty Atom TV show had concluded its original run in 1966, the magazine ended. It was soon replaced with a successor magazine called, "COM" after Mushi Productions went bankrupt and the fan club officially closed.
Jungle Emperor (Kimba the White Lion)[]
The comics about Kimba (Leo) started to appear in later issues. The earlier 1965 volumes contains summaries of particular manga chapters or episodes that had aired in Japan at the time (such as Great Caesar’s Ghost, for example). Known issues that contain Jungle Emperor manga chapters are Volume 20 - 28. They're illustrated by various cartoonists including Kentaro Nakagi, Shinji Nagashima, and Seiji Minami. The manga chapters based on Jungle Emperor were reused for episodes for the 1965 anime: Kimba the White Lion, (Jungle Emperor) and the 1966 Leo the Lion - Onward, Leo!. The chapters were written very close to the air dates of the episodes.
- Mommy of the Forest (Gypsy's Purple Potion) by Kentaro Nakajo (March 1966, Volume 20)
- Toto, the Panther's Revenge, Pt. 2 (The Pretenders) (April 1966, Volume, 21)
- The Mystery of Dead Man's Cave (City of Gold) by Shinji Nagashima (May 1966, Vol. 22)
- Volcano Island (Part 1) by Seiji Minami (June 1966, Vol. 23)
- Volcano Island (Part 2) by Seiji Minami (July 1966 Vol. 24)
- The Enraged Chimiset Bear (Monster of the Mountain) by Kentaro Nakajo (August 1966, Vol. 25)
- The Shrine on the Nile (The Day the Sun Went Out) by Kentaro Nakajo (September 1966, Vol. 26)
- The Man-Eating Lion (Silvertail the Renegade) by Kentaro Nakajo (October 1966, Vol. 27)
- The Pygmy's Death Dance (The Last Hunt of the Ahabi People) by Shinji Nagashima (November 1966, Vol 28)
Trivia[]
- These magazines and their exclusive manga chapters were never reprinted in their entirety. Yet, a few Astro Boy chapters in earlier issues in 1964 and 1965 have been reprinted.
- 3 chapters are available to read in its original Japanese on KimbaWLion's website.
Gallery - All Magazine Covers[]
Mighty Atom Club Magazine/Gallery
Resources[]
Pictures - Yahoo Japan Auctions, Twitter, and Kosho.co.jp
https://www.meiji.ac.jp/manga/yonezawa_lib/archives/exh_com/index.html