Violence! (In Tezuka)

Jumping into a comic originating in post war Japan, we are greeted with a plane crash and the immediate death of a beloved father. Later on, the black demon club destroys a city. These images condemn explosive technology and aerial travel. One might expect similar themes from a country recently involved in a terrible war. Bombs and planes left an indelible mark on Japan, and their echoing in this narrative makes sense. In The Mysterious Underground Men bombs signify the evil approach to creating change and exerting force.

The righteous characters of the comic completely rule out the use of bombs. In similar cases of building railroads, humans have often used explosives to clear the way. John subverts this expectation with his creation of a train that clears its own path through the use of a drill. Tezuka portrays the train as both effective in achieving its goal, and never being used for evil or violence. John continues this trend of nonviolence by incorporating a gun that shoots sleeping potion into his physical vocabulary along with the occasional uppercut.

Grandpa, however, exhibits some sort of hypocrisy. On page 98 he states that only "cowards use guns". Later, after escaping the gas chamber, he fires back at the termite queen without and hesitation. Her death in the resulting car crash receives no mourning or second thought. Perhaps this paints the previous generations violence during the war as necessary or forgivable. I cannot make any speculation as to the consciousness of this portrayal, but the previous explanation makes sense either way. The morality of Grandpa's actions crosses lines, but we cannot judge his actions easily. In the same way, Japan's wartime decisions present many problems for modern historians.

In any case, only the winners can implement violence. In this case, John, Grandpa and Mimio remain on the right side of history through their triumph.