You may know the show as Battle of the Planets, G-Force or Eagle Riders, but they all came from the original Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman (Science Ninja Team Gatchaman) produced by Tatsunoko Pro in 1972. The series and its sequels ran a total of 205 episodes and inspired a three-part OAV makeover in 1994. The original designers of the show actually based their superhero designs on American comic book heroes, and one of the character designers, Yoshitaka Amano, went on to become a successful fine artist.

There has been a resurgence of interest in this show, partially through awareness of the two Gatchaman movies that will hopefully be released in the US and Japan, and partially through the works of fans here on deviantArt. Just as soon as I finished the last Gatchaman feature, I found several more pieces I wanted to share. So here are a few more of my favorite works here on dA. And don't forget to check out the *Gatchaman-Club.


This piece by ~aestheticartist has an almost Amano-like look to it.

This piece by ~FindingOx has a nice set of active poses and a tight composition.


~Raggletag has created some wonderful action figures and Minimate-type toys. Too bad Tatsunoko's merchandisers never came out with a goon figure.


Two examples of G-Force characters done very well in western cartoon style.

More cool life-size Gatchaman props by ~MalottPro

A winsome interpretation of Princess/Jun.

I have to admit Joe's my favorite, so here's original Joe and OAV Joe by ~TonyForever

You don't see a whole lot of Katse art. *VictoriaCinderton offers some unique work.

Classic Joe by ~dreamerscove

More professional Battle of the Planets comic art by *UdonCrew and *Omar-Dogan


This is work by ~dwinbotp, who worked on the Top Cow Battle of the Planets one-shots and the three-part "Manga" series.

Check out the papercraft Phoenix!

And finally...

C'mon, admit it—you've always wanted to see this! Thanks, *springie!

You may know the show as Battle of the Planets, G-Force or Eagle Riders, but they all came from the original Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman (Science Ninja Team Gatchaman) produced by Tatsunoko Pro in 1972. The series and its sequels ran a total of 205 episodes and inspired a three-part OAV makeover in 1994. The original designers of the show actually based their superhero designs on American comic book heroes, and one of the character designers, Yoshitaka Amano, went on to become a successful fine artist.

I have been a Battle of the Planets/Gatchaman fan since 1978. I guess you could consider me "old school"/"old guard," as I also have the oldest still-running Gatchaman Web site on the internet: [link]

There has been a resurgence of interest in this show, partially through awareness of the two Gatchaman movies that will hopefully be released in the US and Japan, and partially through the works of fans here on deviantArt. Here are a few of my favorite works here on dA. And don't forget to check out the *Gatchaman-Club.

and
Come on, it's G-Force Simpsonized! Not only that, the artist went through some effort to get the background information straight! gokuroo-sama deshita!

and (among others)
~MalottPro did the Gatchaman costumes and helmets for Alex Ross, and his work is not only accurate, it's neat to see what the birdstyles would look like in real life. Gatchaman employed a realistic style for anime, with uniform seams and tiny details visible. It's a big part of the series' charm.

and
When I found out Top Cow was going to release a comic on the Battle of the Planets property, I was worried they wouldn't find the right artist. I didn't have to worry— *batangbatugan not only did the original art style justice, but he managed to combine both old-school and modern anime traits in a pleasing style.


How neat to see a uniqe illustrator's take on the show. This is actually a compilation of ~belldandies's excellent work.


GRRRR!


One of =katsesama's best pieces.


A nice piece by *springie featuring her image plus one of the original Gatchaman backgrounds. Visit her gallery to get the full impact of her improvement and enthusiasm for the subject matter.

There are other Gatchaman fan art galleries online. Another good gallery is at the Gatchaman Fanfic site: [link]

A few journals ago [link] , I had asked what your favorites among your own works were and why. I got to talking with about her favorite works, and I realized that unfortunately, you can't put thumbnails in a journal reply, so I'd have to make it a separate entry. No big problem here, since *Murasaki99 is responsible both for my membership here and the inspiration to get me drawing again.

Here are my current favorites from her body of work. Since there are so many, let's categorize a few. Three each.

From Sunset & the Pistol Wraith:
and
Caz goes completely feral, revealing the curse that lurks beneath that relatively mild-mannered exterior. The colors during the transition from"skinny toff" to "undead creature of nightmare" are brilliant. The panels on the bottom of the second page, where he's reining the curse back and taking control, have wonderful emotional power.


I adore the unique overhead shot as he "drops in" on Caine Jr. and begins channeling his need to shoot things for the boy's benefit. And I love Junior's reaction: "Yer a ghost? Wicked!"

and
The central panel in the first page, when Caz is in anguish over having to shoot his friend, is understated, yet packs a wallop. In the duel itself, you realize how alien/dangerous the pistol wraith is, and yet he falls under very human circumstances with comic deadpan: "Ouch."

I have more favorites than not from this comic It just resonated with me.


From Journey:


When I first saw this page, I thought, "Holy cow!" The composition is powerful and the colors, from the holy realm to the "color code" for each character are awesome. I loved the pose of Caz struggling to hang back, and when he reacted to being burned by holy ground, I felt it. This is a brilliant page, in both color and execution.


What does it for me on this page are Caz's expressions and the shot of the characters' feet when Dayna is pushing him into the Iron Kingdoms' equivalent of Heaven. This composition is wonderfully expressive and a salute to Tezuka's work.


Cazzius escorts an old friend into the afterlife. This is so wonderful and hopeful, it just gives me goose bumps.


From Visit the IK:


Ch'laen's encounter with the tragic character from "All True Stories End in Death." It just stuck with me. That and Caine's fight with the pistol wraith (or maybe I was using that as reference?).


I adore the comedic touch in this one as Blaze recounts how her adopted brother Rouncey got his soul. Stabbity!


Scrying. Nuff said.

I also loved the warjack training, Joe's exploding boiler and the warjack accidents. It was tough picking favorites from this comic.


Horses


Just a wonderful composition, from the foal's perky expression to the background.


Okay, I'm biased. I just like the whole idea of wraith vs. determined warhorse. Get on, get bucked off, get back on....

and
Caz and Warpath channel Thelwell. I just love the battle and the stress shown in both combatants. "Auugh!"


Color works:


Seriously, This is one of my works, colored. I didn't expect the detail on this treatment. She really looks sweet.


This is a really cool rendition of a vintage comic style, complete with inking style and color range. An excellent tribute.

and
Daughter and father. Both wonderfully rendered.



Check out the rest of 's gallery. Great stuff!

3,000 hits already!

I didn't hold an official offer, but captured the screen shot, so... Here's a shot he suggested, a portrait of his character.

Whoever's visiting me, thanks!

Wow, I have 3,000 pageviews coming up! I feel like I've "arrived" now. I've decided that my next kiriban pic will be 5,000 views.

Meanwhile, I owe art to people. I figure if I list these items somewhere public, I'll be better pressed to get them done:

1. BotP does LotR crossover pic finished
2. Art for Comic Con, including silent auction pic and Joe beefcake button (btw, anyone have any suggestions? I'm a bit blocked for ideas)
3. Martial arts kid t-shirt design
4. Unofficial cover art for Vassal of El [link]