Gatchaman: Joe – Bloodline #1: The Condor flies Alone

The first tv show I can honestly say I was obsessed with was Battle of the Planets. Gatchaman came later and that worked really well because it was definitely for an older audience compared to it’s sanitized and altered western counterpart. I remember both fondly and was really excited when Mad Cave announced the launch of the new comic line. What I wasn’t prepared for was how truly fantastic it would be. What drew me to review this issue is Orlando’s spectacular work on the Galactor mini series in 2024. Between himself the creative team they added a spectacular dimension to the character of Berg Katse so I was very intrigued to see what they could do with Joe Asakura, the second in command hot head of the Gatchaman team.

Unlike the Galactor mini Orlando, artist Nicola Scott, colorist Joao Canola and letterer Frank Cvetkovic only have a one shot to tell the story and dig into the character so the pacing is much faster and to be honest feels a little rushed. What Orlando does achieve nicely is opening the character up through Joe’s first person narration throughout the story. Joe wants to have family he thought he no longer had but at the same time is pragmatic enough and certainly well trained enough to recognize the trap he’s most certainly walking into. The trip home stirs something in Joe and Orlando captures that well, while balancing the journey he’s on with a suitable amount of Galactor ass-kickery. Orlando rounds the issue off well with a personal moment between Joe and Ken and the sombre reality of what it is to be one of the team but that team is also family.

Nicola Scott is one of those artists that just make’s everything and everyone she draws gorgeous. Scott and colorist Joao Canola capture the classic feel of the Gatchaman look but Scott also elevates that feel with superb paneling, gorgeous splash page spreads and hero moment panels. The art team gets to do a bit of everything in the issue. From action in the streets to a tuxedo clad James Bondesque confrontation in a bathroom to the final show down with Galactor villains, Scott hits you with the iconography of the franchise to excellent effect.

For the softer more emotive personal moments from Joe, Scott and Canola play off Joes soulful blue eyes and his facial expressions. Joe’s still the badass of the team but the art team soften that with he eyes. This is a very pretty comic and that lifts the slightly rushed feel of the script with solid breakdowns and beautiful well structured paneling from start to finish. I was given a review PDFfor this from Mad Cave and the fact that the double splash pages are together and not separated really show off the art from the team. There’s a nice touch on Frank Cvetkovic’s letters which is that Joe’s narration lettering is colored in his uniform colors. Small touches like that lift this book from a good experience to a great one.