A town overrun by local monsters and a team of reluctant recruits sent to deal with them are at the centre of Manga Mavericks Books’ latest licence. Publisher Manga Mavericks LLC, has picked up Sho Yunoko’s supernatural comedy Gago Hunters: Greetings from Amatsumizu City’s Gago Suppression Squad, and also revealed a store-exclusive variant cover for Taiyo Matsumoto’s Brothers of Japan. Both were announced during the October 2026 edition of the Manga Mavericks Monday online event.
Gago Hunters is set in Amatsumizu, a town that looks ordinary at first but where mysterious creatures called the Gago outnumber the human residents. The mayor wants a team of Gago busters to handle the problem, but no such team exists, and with a tight budget he has little choice but to draft ordinary citizens into the role. Hair stylist Umeko, cashier Mii, high school student Hiromi and Umeko’s apprentice Yuuri end up as the Gago Hunters against their will. On paper the creatures should have the upper hand, but each of the four girls has something unusual about her, and it may be the Gago who need to watch out.
The series began serialisation on HERO’S Web in 2023 and is still ongoing. Manga Mavericks Books will release Volume 1 in print and digital formats in July 2027, priced at $16.99 in print and $6.99 digitally.
Sho Yunoko is a Japan-based manga artist who specialises in gag comedy manga. Their other notable work includes the manga adaptation of Kinki Spiritual Affairs Bureau. In a message to readers, Yunoko explained where the word “Gago” comes from and reflected on the series’ possible influences.
This manga is based on and set in a specific prefecture in Japan. The word ‘Gago’ is a term in that local dialect that means something like ‘ghosts’ or ‘monsters.’ I’m positive you’ve never heard this word before, and it’s no wonder. This particular dialect is virtually unknown to the locals. Heck, even most Japanese people aren’t aware it exists, as written records are nonexistent.
So 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.
Also, I’ve been watching American sitcoms and movies since I was a kid, so I get the feeling I might have been influenced by them in one way or another. However, that may just be my imagination.
The second announcement concerns Brothers of Japan, a collection of 11 short stories by Taiyo Matsumoto, the creator of Ping Pong and Tekkonkinkreet. The stories were created when Matsumoto was in his 20s, and the collection is described as never released before. They are said to reflect the foundations of Matsumoto’s later work. The title story follows two brothers who dig a hole in their dreams to reach the other side of the world.
Brothers of Japan releases in February 2027, and a variant cover edition will be available exclusively through the Manga Mavericks Store when the book launches. The variant edition is priced at $14.99.
