It's not often, if ever, that any of us gets to meet a God.

But in July of 1986, I got to meet Dr. Osamu Tezuka, the "God" of Japanese comics. A local gallery, the Walker Art Center, sponsored an exhibit on modern Japanese film, art and design. As part of that exhibit, the Walker was lucky enough to get Tezuka to host an evening of his short films and clips from some of the animated features he directed (he was apparently on his way to the Zagreb animation festival and was convinced to make a stopover in Minneapolis).

I had been a rabid fan of Tezuka's work since 1980, when I was first introduced to his manga and anime by several of my friends (I had never seen Astro Boy or Kimba the White Lion as many others of my generation had when they were growing up). He was a major influence on my artwork in both visual and narrative style. Getting to meet him was an incredible experience. Of course, he must have been quite bemused: here he was, visiting a city in the very heart of the U.S.A., only to have this crazed fanboy approach him with an armload of his books. He was kind enough to autograph them all, and even did a sketch of his Phoenix ("Hi no Tori") character in my copy of A Collection of the Works of Osamu Tezuka -- which is now my most prized possession.

I only wish I still had that tuxedo jacket!