Mad Cave Studios Announces GATCHAMAN 2024 Publishing Line

By Staff Reports

It’s Mad Cave Studios 10-year anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than to announce their 2024 GATCHAMAN publishing program at ComicsPro!

The Gatchaman license, originally acquired in 2023 from Tatsunoko Productions, will feature an exciting new rollout of content featuring an ongoing series with a subsequent Vol. 1 trade release, individual character one-shots, and a Galactor miniseries! These new Gatchaman titles will expand upon the original Science Ninja Team Gatchaman continuity, with each project honing its own unique focus while contributing to the overall publishing line.

Chas! Pangburn, Senior Editor at Mad Cave Studios spoke of the forthcoming projects: 

“We’re playing in the world of the original Science Ninja Team Gatchaman series that ran from 1972-1974. With 105 episodes worth of content, the series is ripe with world-building and storytelling possibilities. Our goal through an ongoing series, one-shots, and spin-offs is to further flesh out this legacy with new characters, mechas, and villains—all while paying respects to the existing continuity the series is known for. Tatsunoko graciously invited us to play with their toys, so we’re pushing them to the limit. Fans, new and old, are definitely in for a treat!”

Mark Irwin, Senior Vice President of  Mad Cave Studios added: “We can’t wait to introduce a full publishing menu of Gatchaman titles to thrill fans wanting more of Ken, Joe, Jun, Jinpei, and Ryu. Mad Cave is going big for our tenth anniversary, and being the publishers of the Science Ninja Team is part of our Kagaku Ninpō (science ninja technique) for 2024 and beyond!”

GATCHAMAN ONGOING SERIES (May)
(W) Cullen Bunn (A) Chris Batista

A mechanical terror has descended upon numerous cities and the world’s greatest scientists are disappearing. Our only hope: Science Ninja Team Gatchaman! As they battle these machinations from the international terrorist organization known as Galactor, their strength, willpower, and even vehicles are pushed to the absolute limit. If they fail…who’s waiting in the wings to take their place?

This all-new series begins with Gatchaman #0, available as a free promotional item at participating retailers worldwide on Free Comic Book Day 2024 (Saturday, May 4) and featuring cover artist Chris Samnee.

The ongoing story continues in Gatchaman #1 in June, with Cover A by Inaki Miranda, Cover B by Sanford Greene (which connects with the B covers for issues #2-5 to form a panoramic image), Cover C by Chris Batista, the Cover D Blank Sketch Cover edition, and Cover E retailer incentive by Francine Delgado. Trade paperback available in December, collecting the complete storyline from issues #0-5.

GATCHAMAN ONE-SHOT SPECIALS (June)
(W) Tommy Lee Edwards (A) Mindy Lee

Debuts with Gatchaman—Ken: Deathmatch, focusing on Ken the Eagle. 

Ken goes undercover to infiltrate an underground gambling ring where martial artists from around the globe fight to the death. There, the winners are captured and brought to a secret Galactor recruiting base. If they refuse to join, the captives are dropped in the jungle and hunted as prey for Galactor’s training program. Can anyone make it out alive?

The second one-shot will be Gatchaman—Jun, focusing on Jun the Swan, which will be released in November.

GATCHAMAN: GALACTOR MINISERIES
(W) Steve Orlando (A) Kath Lobo

Four-issue miniseries exploring the seedy underbelly of the Gatchaman universe.

Galactor is under siege by a threat from within! After a secret attempt on his life, Berg Katse sets about to uncover a conspiracy within Galactor, born of their earliest days. Galactor’s leader goes undercover to hunt, identify, and ruthlessly dispense with a revolution growing within Galactor’s ranks. The masked villain Berg Katse must root out a conspiracy within Galactor, the sinister organization that plagues Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.

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