Titan has announced the latest addition to its comic franchise based on cult '80s anime Robotech and, for the first time, the publisher is dipping back into the continuity of the original series.
Robotech: Rick Hunter is written by Brandon Easton and drawn by Simone Ragazzoni and focuses on the adventures of ace Veritech pilot Hunter as he investigates an attack on Yokohama by the alien Zentraedi. Most intriguingly, the new series is set after the events of the original Macross saga, with flashbacks to key moments in the original anime.
We've got an exclusive cover reveal for the new issue by artist Nahuel Grego below:
In the universe of Robotech, an alien starship has crashed on Earth, leading to humanity developing incredible new technologies - including advanced transformable mecha. The saga ran for 3 seasons, 85 episodes and covered three separate generations of characters.
Robotech has a long history in comics. DC published a two-issue Robotech Defenders miniseries in 1984. The franchise then bounced between various publishers - Comico, Eternity, Academy and Antarctic Press - before returning to DC, who rebooted the series under the Wildstorm imprint.
Titan got hold of the licence in 2017 and published a monthly comic written by Brian Wood and Simon Furman, and drawn by Marco Turini and Hendry Prasetva, which ran for 24 issues. They also published the alternate universe-set Robotech: The Remix miniseries.
You can check out an early sketch by Simone Ragazzoni for the brand-new prototype YF-4 Veritech below:
Here's Titan's official synopsis for Robotech: Rick Hunter #1:
THE WAIT IS OVER...ROBOTECH LAUNCHES INTO AN EPIC NEW SERIES!
After the devastating events of the Macross saga, RICK HUNTER must face an all new threat, along with the ghosts of his past — when a Zentraedi splinter group attacks Yokohama, Rick is called to investigate! Piloting the new prototype YF-4 Veritech, Rick encounters old friends and new enemies, all while recounting the moments of his life that shaped most epic moments in the ROBOTECH universe!
Robotech: Rick Hunter #1 is published by Titan Comics on August 2.
