Naoki Urasawa is one of the giants of modern manga and is perhaps best known outside Japan for his epic series "Nijuseiki Shonen (20th Century Boys)" and "Pluto," his reinterpretation of Osamu Tezuka's "Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy)." In "Monster," too, it could be argued there is a hint of Tezuka's influence.

Monster Volume 1, by Naoki Urasawa.
VIZ, Manga.