Known as the Godfather of both Manga (Japanese comics) and Anime, Osamu Tezuka revolutionized the world with his creations—the most notable of which is Astro Boy (Mighty Atom). Since its launch in 1963, the franchise and licensing phenomena has generated over $3 billion in merchandise sales and continues to be an enduring success for Japan, with numerous iterations enjoyed by each consecutive generation. Astro has been featured on numerous “Greatest Anime of All-Time” lists and has inspired a multitude of animators and artists in their own work.
Official Tezuka Artist, Sean Danconia, has produced a fitting homage to 55+ years of Astro Boy and Tezuka’s broader anime library, marrying that universe to a fictional Tezuka-Town USA, situated on the iconic Route 66. “Mighty Atom (Astro Boy)—Route 66 Robo” celebrates both retro Japanese and American iconography and memorabilia. The artwork—which Danconia spent 6 months researching (driving Route 66)—showcases Astro Boy filling up with Green Tea (Matcha) at a Sinclair-inspired Gas station, peppered with an array of reimagined ads, symbols, classic logos and characters.
The art showcases Danconia’s PopMod stylization, which incorporates hand-painting (acrylic), spray paint, illustration, photography and digital mediums, combined into a dynamic collage of anime-eye candy.