Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack

I have long been interested in the works of Osamu Tezuka, and actually own several volumes of his works Black Jack and Dororo at home. In particular, I've always been drawn to Black Jack, partially because I grew up with a doctor father myself, and partially because it's such a multifaceted series. Several of the stories draw heavily from Tezuka's own medical background, leading to a delightful amount of accuracy in the presentation of procedures and real-world ailments.
Which isn't to say that he's afraid to let his imagination take things off the rails, as some stories rely on supernatural, or just plain insane illnesses and treatments. For instance Pinoko, Black Jack's partner and single most recurring side character in the series, looks like a normal little girl, but is actually an 18-year old psychic teratoma inhabiting an artificial body Black Jack constructed. Which certainly sounds crazy out of context, but through Tezuka's presentation, seems weirdly plausible.
Osamu Tezuka isn't afraid to play fast and loose with story tone in general, leading to life-threatening situations contrasting heavily with often absurd visual gags, and even off-hand arguing between characters and Tezuka himself. In some of his more serious stories, he backs off a bit, but even then he'll occasionally sneak in a gag here and there. The very fact that he gave up the chance of guaranteed financial security as a doctor just to work on his comics is proof enough of his dedication to the craft, and it's not hard to see the ways in which he inspired the next generation of authors and helped build up an entire industry.