There was Dr. Slump.
Dr. Slump is one of the greatest gag manga ever created in the manga art form, utterly hilarious and brilliantly drawn, showing the universally hailed talent for storytelling that the author would come to be known for.
OK, a little back story. Dr. Slump is the creation of Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball. Toriyama-san had already been in the manga business since the late 70s with his obscure gag manga Wonder Island. However, when Dr. Slump premiered in Shonen Jump magazine in 1980, it was a MONSTROUS hit. It broke the record for sales, and also broke the record for amount of time between manga and anime adaptation-The anime was made only five weeks after the manga premiered. The comic was a smash, and Toriyama became a star.
Now, for the story. This particular manga is about the trials and tribulations of Dr. Norimaki and his robot daughter, Arale. Dr. Norimaki is hack when it comes to inventions, so when he creates Arale, she is immediately flawed, needing glasses. The stories, like most gag manga, are formulaic. They usually revolve around Arale's confusion with the world, and learning about how to go about every day life.
The setting of the story is almost as important as the story itself. It takes place in Penguin Village, a strange, surrealist, and twisted town filled with all kinds of weird characters, including talking animals, giant robots, superhero wannabes, ghosts, and all kinds of legendary critters.
This was Toriyama-san's biggest hit yet......until Dragon Ball, that is, which would very quickly overshadow Dr. Slump. Though it didn't disappear altogether, as both Arale and Dr. Norimaki (as well as penguin village) would star in a Dragon Ball story arc.
This manga is now available through Viz media's Shonen Jump label. If you get a chance to read it, do so........
......Just remember to have some wires and strings to stitch up your sides when you quit laughing.
