'Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt' To End Hiatus

Gundam is setting a mighty fast pace for fans these days, and the franchise has zero plans to slow anything down. Not only did Sunrise confirm a slew of new anime projects are in the works, but it seems a favorite series is ready to end its on-going hiatus.

Recently, reports went live confirming the return of Gundam Thunderbolt after the series went on hiatus. Shogakukan announced the comeback in the new issue of Big Comic Superior, and artist Yasuo Ohtagaki will be back at the helm.

According to new reports (via ANN), publication will pick up as usual when Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt returns. Ohtagaki was forced to put the series on hiatus a few months ago due to medical concerns, but the artist has recovered since. The creator was suffering from tenosynovitis, a condition which causes inflammation around tendons. Naturally, the health issue made it painful to draw, and Ohtagaki was forced to put Gundam Thunderbolt on hiatus to recover.

For fans unaware of this specific Gundam series, it is a popular one amongst fans. It is set during the One Year War which the original Mobile Suit Gundam franchise explored decades ago. The series follows two top pilots fighting for the Principality of Zeon and the Earth Federation in kind. Their battleground is the so-called Thunderbolt Sector, and the series sees the factions wage violent battles in the deserted stretch of space.

If you are not a fan of the Gundam manga, then anime fans should know the title is preparing new projects just for them. Earlier this month, Sunrise confirmed its studio team is working hard on five different anime ventures which will roll out in 2019. Gundam: The Origin will be getting its own full series while other titles like Gundam: Hathaway's Flash get anime adaptations for the first time. Now, Gundam Thunderbolt will be able to assist the franchise on the print front, and fans are eager to see where the manga will go once it returns on December 14.

Need a refresher on all things Gundam Thunderbolt? Viz Media has licensed the manga for readers in the U.S., and you can find its official synopsis below:

"Into this maelstrom of destruction go two veteran Mobile Suit pilots: the deadly Zeon sniper Daryl Lorenz, and Federation ace Io Fleming. It's the beginning of a rivalry that can end only when one of them is destroyed. The lightning-streaked debris fields are about to become the stage for an epic duel where death is the only true winner."