After traversing the world as fast as light, the great robot of the new age was worshiped in 1980. Goldorak’s phenomenon was as dazzling as his fists and influenced an entire generation of viewers. Despite this triumph, Go Nagai, the creator of the original manga, never followed up on his work.
Thus ended the iconic animated series after 74 episodes, which first aired in France between 1978 and 1980 on Récré A2. Actarus managed to defeat Vega’s forces, saving the Earth from this terrible enemy. He then returned to Euphorus, his planet of origin, in the company of his sister Phenicia. Their goal: to restore their world, destroyed by Vega, a bloodthirsty and ruthless tyrant.
The Grenadier is back!
More than 40 years after its first broadcast in France at Récré A2 hosted by Dorothe, Grendizer is finally back for a sequel! So we know what happened to Actarus, a hero revered by fans of the franchise. But it’s not in the form of an animated series that the giant robot is back. The latter was resurrected in comics from the pens of 5 French authors.
Xavier Dorison (script), Denis Bajram (script and art), Brice Cossu (art), Alexis Santenac (art) and Yoann Guillo (color) have joined forces to bring Actarus’ manned mech titan to life. The comic, simply titled Goldorak, was published on October 15, 2021 by Kana editions.
Confirmed by Go Nagai himself, this sequel is official and takes place 10 years after the end of the series. The war between Vega’s forces is a distant memory, and Actarus has returned to Euphoria. As for Alcor and Venusia, they try to live a normal life.
return of the prince
The idea to revive Prince Euphoria in a sequel was conceived by Xavier Dorison at the Angoulême Comic Festival in 2016. He suggested that the Canna publications embark on an adventure: “Xavier’s crazy idea generated a lot of strong support, but we wanted to refine this album so that it had an impressive sequence.”
We wanted to take the time to make everything perfect and make this return to the barycenter between Franco-Belgian comics, manga and comics.co-author Dennis Bajram explains in the column Figaro. The latter suggested that Alexis Santenac, Yoan Gilo and Brice Kossu join the adventure and join forces to offer the best possible sequel to this pop culture monument.
“This great project took more than four years of work. “We have romanticized our childhood memories of cartoons.” We made this album with great emotion. This is a friendship story, a group album. It’s like a magical secret Beatles tour.”Bajram emphasizes.
Actarus controls his destiny
In this sequel, Actarus finds his beloved Grendizer rusty and in bad shape. He struggles to grip the handle to start the Iron Giant again, overcome with doubts. “It’s nothing more than a triumphant Grenadier we’re painting here. A myriad of memories are surfacing in Actarus’ head. The hero is assaulted by traumatic images that haunt his memory.”The author entrusts.
So when we find Actarus, he didn’t get to do what he wanted to do, he’s not the victorious hero at the end of the anime. “We really wanted to show what we saw in Vega’s troops in the cartoon: the one who questions this war and this violence, he is no longer the Actarus who ends the episode with Cornofulgur, he has to find a way other than violence”Bajram notes.
Actarus controls Grendizer
Grendiser, go!
Eventually, the Prince of Euphoria manages to reunite with his old sidekick. “This is Grendizer’s act of rebirth. Actarus’s decision is made. He wakes up. His gaze is energetic. He takes action. Let’s not forget that Actarus is a refugee from “Euphor. He is an uprooted being, he remains an illegal alien on Earth.This theme of migration runs throughout the album.Denis Bajram analyzes.
Then Goldorak bursts out of the water, bringing back memories of a bygone era, igniting the flames of our fallen heroes: “This is the second birth,” notes the robot emerging from the dark water to demonstrate its strength and power. It’s almost something amniotic.”says the designer.
And to find out how Actarus’ new adventure ends, don’t hesitate to pick up this great comic that will delight fans of the modern superhero!
Goldorak, Xavier Dorison, Denis Bajram, Brice Cossu, Alexis Sentenac and Yoann Guillo, after Gô Nagai, available from Kana éditions, Classics collection. 24.90 euros.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
