Manga Mavericks Books licenses GAGO HUNTERS for 2027

Manga Mavericks Books is adding a supernatural gag comedy to its slate—and dressing up a Taiyo Matsumoto collection with a limited-run variant.

Gago Hunters

The North American publisher announced the license for Gago Hunters: Greetings from Amatsumizu City's Gago Suppression Squad during its October 2026 Manga Mavericks Monday online event. Created by Sho Yunoko, the series arrives in print and digital in July 2027.

Gago Hunters began serialization in 2023 on HERO'S Web (original title: Gagohan), with Yunoko's other credits including the manga adaptation of Kinki Spiritual Affairs Bureau. It is rooted in a real, little-known local dialect. "Gago" is a term meaning something like "ghosts" or "monsters," and Yunoko says even most Japanese people don't know the dialect exists, since written records are nonexistent.

"The fact that a manga based on this relatively unknown dialect even exists is bizarre enough, talk less of it soon being available to read overseas," the creator said.

The premise? A town overrun by monsters, a mayor on a shoestring budget, and a "crack team" of Gago busters that doesn't actually exist yet. So he volun-tells four ordinary citizens—hair stylist Umeko, cashier Mii, high school student Hiromi, and Umeko's apprentice Yuuri—to do the job. Each of them, per the publisher, has something "off" about them. The Gago had better relocate fast.

Read the official description below:

Greetings from Amatsumizu City! Come for the sights, stay for the…Gago?

At first glance, Amatsumizu is a normal-looking town, but mysterious creatures known as the Gago outnumber the people who call the city home.

The mayor calls in a crack-team of Gago busters to deal with the supernatural menace – except the team doesn’t exist yet! The mayor’s on a tight budget, leaving him no choice but to volun-tell a team of ordinary citizens to take on the job. Hair stylist Umeko, cashier Mii, high school student Hiromi, and Umeko's apprentice Yuuri become the Gago Hunters against their will. It sounds like an easy score for the supernatural, but each girl has something…off about them.

Gago Hunters Vol. 1 runs 196 pages, rated 13+, with a $16.99 print SRP and $6.99 digital price. Manga Mavericks will publish the print edition at A5 size (5.83" x 8.27").

Print pre-orders are live now on the Manga Mavericks Store.

Brothers of Japan

Also announced was a variant cover edition of Brothers of Japan ($14.99), exclusive to the Manga Mavericks Store when the book releases in February 2027, and pre-orders are live.

The collection gathers 11 stories Matsumoto, creator of Ping Pong and Tekkonkinkreet, made in his 20s, billed as "never-before-released." The title story follows two brothers who dig a hole in their dreams to reach the other side of the world. The variant is 216 pages, and its rated 13+.

Read the official description below:

An essential collection from manga maestro Taiyo Matsumoto, the acclaimed creator of Ping Pong and Tekkonkinkreet!

Created back when Taiyo Matsumoto was in his 20's, this never-before-released collection contains 11 stories that embody the foundational cornerstones of Taiyo Matsumoto's artistic universe.

The titular short story centers on two brothers who dig a hole in their dreams to reach the other side of the world.

Whether this is your first foray into Matsumoto's body of work or you are a veteran manga lover, Brothers of Japan is crucial reading, demonstrating the simplicity and rawness of manga as a storytelling art form.

Manga Mavericks began as a manga news podcast in 2016 and has since grown into a multimedia company. Gago Hunters and Brothers of Japan are part of the expansion of its publishing arm, Manga Mavericks Books.