Gatchaman aka Battle of the Planets

[Qolt QuaZar]

Has anyone else been picking up these beautiful Alex Ross covered slipcases featuring unedited episodes of Gatchaman? I've been a fan of this show since before time began, but until recently like so many other Gathamanners had been forced to swallow the bastardized American versions Battle of the Planets with the H.E.R.B.I.E-esque 7-Zark-7 or G-Force with it's ridiculous names such as Ace Goodheart.

I picked up the Battle of the Planets comics when they came out a few years ago, but now that we have the TRUE version of this classic series available to us, is there any chance of a comic series based around this version? For this fanboy I would be happier than a Tool in a Box if these classic heros & the evil Galactor became a part of a bigger tapestry like the DC universe. The creators of the show grew up with American superhero comics given to them by American G.I's and GatchaMan was their attempt at creating the japanese equivilant of the superhero team. What better way for the Science Ninja Team to come full circle than for a crossover with the JLA?

[Hiromi]

I dunno. But its always good to have another Gatchaman fan.

[Basara]

Has anyone else been picking up these beautiful Alex Ross covered slipcases featuring unedited episodes of Gatchaman?

Yep, I'm loving watching the original series. I grew up on BotP and have always wanted to watch the original once I learned in the late 80's how badly bastardized Gatchaman was. This was a dream come true (much like the Animeigo release of Macross to show how superior it was to Robotech).

I picked up the Battle of the Planets comics when they came out a few years ago, but now that we have the TRUE version of this classic series available to us, is there any chance of a comic series based around this version?

Unlikely. Like it or not, Gatchaman is still more well known as BotP or G-Force here in the States. However, I did absolutely love what they did with the BotP comics, which was to write and draw them as if they were the original science ninja team. No more stupid robots, no wierd way of talking for Keyop, and every member of the team acting like a complete and total badass (especially Jason). This was the way to treat the franchise. I loved the comic.

Plus, how can you not love Zoltar finally getting to act like the rat bastard that is Berg Katse?

For this fanboy I would be happier than a Tool in a Box if these classic heros & the evil Galactor became a part of a bigger tapestry like the DC universe. The creators of the show grew up with American superhero comics given to them by American G.I's and GatchaMan was their attempt at creating the japanese equivilant of the superhero team. What better way for the Science Ninja Team to come full circle than for a crossover with the JLA?

Unfortunately, I must disagree. One of the things I love most about Gatchaman is that it is five teenagers practically all alone against the threat of Galactor. There is no margin for failure, because each one knows that if they fall, there is no one else to stop Galactor. It makes each and every "Holy shit Ken, what the hell do we do now?" moment that much more dramatic.

Also, I can count on one hand the number of good crossovers of any kind. Usually, the heroes almost always have to fight each other in a misunderstanding before becoming best friends seconds later just in time to face a team-up of their worst enemies with some half-assed plan that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Intelligent crossovers are so rare.

They also tend to showcase superhero feats that are well beyond their normal abilities (also known as the Wolverine guts Lobo corollary). Read the rubbish that was the BotP/Witchblade and the BotP/Thundercats crossovers to see this plain as day.