PandaMony Toys, the company that brought us the award-winning Alter Nation line of action figures, webisodes, a fan-club and a comic will be launching a new brand called Tankdrome, a Cowboy-Anime graphic novel coming in Spring 2024.
This illustrated undertaking welds manga-inspired visual design with western narrative structure. As a Japanese entity born from a conscious commingling of Kadokawa, Sega-Sammy, and Ultra Super Pictures, ENGI brings anime and manga authenticity to the project. Story development originates from American series creator and Panda Mony founder Ryan Magnon. TANKDROME tenders its debut, illustrated book title in spring 2024.
Shown in this article are some of the illustrations of Tankdrome, but the artwork is also so good that it looks like actual toy vehicles. Speaking of which, toys are definitely on the table for this brand, so make sure to support the graphic novel and help it grow!
Story premise
It’s 100 years into the future. After a great war, the nations of the world ban armies altogether. The totality of territorial disputes are settled in one-on-one tank battles. Each region chooses a champ to represent it in the International TANKDROME League; thereby, resolving these grievances publicly. This players alliance also produces and outputs the companion televised event, a legit ratings grabber.
In the TANKDROME-iverse, the throw-downs are TV chart toppers, because, well, these ain’t your grandma’s tanks. They’re the most stylish tanks on the road, with equally snazzy human drivers. For instance, forthcoming TANKDROME graphic novel issue #1 features leadfooted driver Bobby “The Bopper” Nash who pilots Long Tall Sally (a 1950’s hot rod tank); hulking operator Underground who drives Six-Feet-Deep (a hydraulic-hoppin’ lowrider armored vehicle); and Fujiyama Mama who handles The Iron Kitty (a “bosozoku” motorcycle-tank).
Long Tall Sally:
Portafortuna:
The Landshark:
