The Creators – Cullen Bunn – Writer, Chris Batista – Artist, Carlos Lopez – Colours, Buddy Beaudoin – Letters

The Players – Ken (The Eagle, Gatchaman), Jun (The Swan), Joe (The Condor), Jinpei (The Swallow), Ryu (The Owl), Haruto, Keiko, Sharo, Jace, Mara, Dr. Kozaburo Nambu, Lord Katse

The Story – Galactor has sent a giant monster to terrorize the city and only the Science Ninja Team can stop it. Or can they?

The Take – It has been some time since Gatchaman or Battle of the Planets has been on the stands and it has taken Mad Cave Studios, Cullen Bunn and Chris Batista to bring them back. They do so with a packed issue that introduces readers to the main team, the Beta team, the villains of Galactor, a new threat and more. One cannot say that they did not get their money’s worth with this book, at least regarding content. Thankfully, that content makes for quite a decent read as Bunn knows his lore and Batista knows how to serve it up in the most exciting of ways. Letting readers get familiar with the original cast and a possible new one through a training montage was a good idea as it lets those who picked up this book see them all in action. While it was against each other and not against a proper villain is not such a big deal as of yet, as it will most likely be no time at all before the creators of this tale have them doing so. If there was one small quibble, it would have been that there was a bit too much going on which sounds a little ridiculous to say but it would have been nice to see a little more of the main team get a little more characterization, to spread their wings just a bit more so to speak. That being said, they are sure to get their due as Bunn will hopefully have all the time in the world given that this is a new ongoing series. The same can be said of Galactor who appears during the final act, for while they made an appearance to essentially take credit for the destruction being wrought, holding them back in shadow might have worked a little better to build suspense. That being said, it all plays out as if this were an episode on television which is a good thing. The book breezes by thanks to all the action within, Bunn carrying readers along as the heroes go about their business and at the end of it all, leaves them with a few questions, the main one being why Beta team is so prominent. Will they play an important part later on in this first arc or will it be something more? It does seem like they are being set up for something, though just what that might be remains to be seen. Altogether, this first issue does the job it needs to and does it well. It hooks the reader in, makes them want to see more and brings the Science Ninja Team back to a modern audience after some time away.

Worth It? – Yes.