Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam

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Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam
機動戦士クロスボーン・ガンダム (Kidou Senshi Crossbone Gundam)
Genre	Adventure, Mecha, Science Fiction
Manga
Authored by	Yoshiyuki Tomino
Publisher	Kadokawa Shoten
Serialized in	Shonen Ace
Original run	1994 – 1997
No. of volumes	6

The manga series Crossbone Gundam (クロスボーン・ガンダム) is a 6 volume manga written by Tomino Yoshiyuki and illustrated by Hasegawa Yuichi; it is the sequel to the anime movie Mobile Suit Gundam F91.

[edit] Overview

The story takes place 10 years after the end of Gundam F91. The movie's heroes, Seabook Arno and Cecily Fairchild, discover that Crux Dogatie of the Jupiter Energy Fleet is plotting to conquer Earth with the forces of his Jupiter Empire. In response, Cecily takes up her birth name "Berah Ronah" and recreates the Crossbone Vanguard, who disguise themselves as pirates attacking the Jupiter Energy Fleet. Seabook, under the alias "Kincaido Nau", is one of the new Vanguard's top pilots. The other is Zabine Chareux, a veteran of the original Crossbone Vanguard. The main character of Crossbone Gundam is a teenage Newtype named Tobia Arronax, who gets swept up in the war between the Crossbone Vanguard and Jupiter Empire.

While Gundam F91 is understandably viewed as a disappointment by many Gundam fans, Crossbone Gundam is widely regarded as one of Gundam's best installments, with its likeable cast, well-written story, and unique "pirate Gundam" mechanical designs. Its quality easily leads one to wonder how Gundam F91 would have turned out had Tomino been able to complete it as the originally planned 52 episode TV series, rather than having to condense it into a single 2-hour movie. The popularity of the series is such that it has two sequels. The first is a single volume story collection called 'Skull Heart', taking place several years after the events of the main manga with Tobia as the new leader of the reorganized Crossbone Vanguard. A second multi-volume sequel called 'Seven of Steel' is currently in production with the first volume coming out in December of 2006.

Apart from a fan-translation, this manga has never been distributed in English.

[edit] Sequels

In 2003, Hasegawa returned to write a sequel, named Crossbone Gundam Skull Heart (after the eponymous mobile suit, piloted by Tobia). The manga consists of a series of individual stories, centered on the exploits of the Crossbone Vanguard three years after the end of the original series, with some exceptions; the first story is set during the One Year War and deals with Crossbone pilot Umon Samon's youth. The series also features the "return" of Grey Stoke, the aged future version of Judau Ashta, who previously appeared in Hasegawa's V Gundam Sidestory manga.

2006 saw the release of Crossbone Gundam: The Seven of Steel. Taking place shortly after Skull Heart, the series has Tobia and friends meeting Europa, the second wife of original Crossbone villain Crux Dugachi, who warns of a revitalized Jupiter Empire invasion. Of particular note is the presence of the F-99 "Recordbreaker", a mobile suit based on the Crossbone Gundams, which is chronologically the first mobile suit to use the "Wings of Light" made famous by the V2 Gundam.