| abstract | - Lamp's concept came about from one of Osamu Tezuka's childhood friends. This friend had a noticeable dent in the back of his skull, which was said to be flat enough to support a candle. Tezuka then based the shape of Lamp's head on that of his friend's. Sometimes a lit candle will appear behind Lamp's head, usually when Lamp is feeling an extreme emotion. Lamp's full name further references this: an acetylene lamp is a fire-powered gas lamp often used in lighthouses or caves. Tezuka originally designed Lamp to play an American spy. In 1948, Lamp first appeared in the manga Lost World, as a criminal who joins a space expedition in hopes of finding treasure. Tezuka was then later inspired to model Lamp after Italo-French actor Lino Ventura. Tezuka caught notice of Ventura when two of his films, Touchez pas au Grisbi (1954) and Un Témoin dans la ville (1959) had become popular in Japan. Usually, Acetylene Lamp appears in Tezuka's works as intimidating and shady individuals. He most often plays villains, but has appeared in Black Jack as a dedicated but slightly loose cannon police inspector.
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