ASTRO BOY is a Japanese manga series from creator Osamu Tezuka serialized in 112 chapters in Kobunsha's Sh?nen from 1952 to 1968 and later collected into 23 tank?bon volumes. Dark Horse licensed the material for English audiences in 2002 in a series of 23 digests. Astro Boy is a boy android whose creator lost his own real son. Sold to a robot circus, Astro Boy is rescued by another professor who adopts the android and accompanies him on fantastic adventures. Astro Boy--sometimes referred to as Mighty Atom--has been adapted into at least three anime series, the first of which in 1963 in an animation style which would become the template for what the world today considers 'anime' itself. Astro Boy has also been adapted into a 2009 CGI animated movie, as well as video games and soundtracks. As one of the first franchises to embrace mass merchandising, Astro Boy has become one of the most successful manga and anime franchises in the world.