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Go-Man: Champion of Earth
Lonely latchkey kid Tobi dreams of growing up to fight the giant monsters that plague his city, just like his dad does, but when he stumbles upon the power to turn into the colossal superhero, Go-Man, he realizes he’s been wishing his childhood away.
Champion of Earth is an action-packed, highly bingeable middle grade adventure series about how one kid overcomes the differences that set him apart from his classmates in order to make friends and save his city. It’s also, at its heart, a story about an autistic kid overcoming neglect in his home. It draws on Hamish’s own childhood experiences and obsessions, making this project very close to his heart.
This is not just your ordinary superhero story. The superhero element in Go-Man is a metaphor for masking, the camouflaging behavior that many autistic people employ to suppress their true identity in an effort to conform with those around them. As a superhero, Tobi is more popular than ever! But this masking effort drains him of all of his energy, making him retreat into his bedroom for days.
Tobi’s goal is to become someone who doesn’t need his superhero side anymore. He must ultimately learn to love himself as he is, find friends who appreciate him for himself, and finally enjoy being just a kid before it’s too late.
Champion of Earth is an action-packed, highly bingeable middle grade adventure series about how one kid overcomes the differences that set him apart from his classmates in order to make friends and save his city. It’s also, at its heart, a story about an autistic kid overcoming neglect in his home. It draws on Hamish’s own childhood experiences and obsessions, making this project very close to his heart.
This is not just your ordinary superhero story. The superhero element in Go-Man is a metaphor for masking, the camouflaging behavior that many autistic people employ to suppress their true identity in an effort to conform with those around them. As a superhero, Tobi is more popular than ever! But this masking effort drains him of all of his energy, making him retreat into his bedroom for days.
Tobi’s goal is to become someone who doesn’t need his superhero side anymore. He must ultimately learn to love himself as he is, find friends who appreciate him for himself, and finally enjoy being just a kid before it’s too late.
216 pages, Paperback
Published August 26, 2025
3 people are currently reading
2544 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 13, 2025
A totally charming and inclusive love letter to Ultraman and Tokusatsu.
October 13, 2025
We are so back. The Eisner-award winning creator of Deadendia turns his prescient eye, zippy style, and effortless worldbuilding to the kaiju genre. Go-Man! is Tobi, a boy who’s story is stepping in a few different genres which seem a dime a dozen with graphic books: superhero, kaiju, coming-of-age. Steele’s fresh aura comes from attention to Tobi’s autism and the smooth, bold illustrations that echo one of the most famous mangas ever: Astro Boy.
Before the story opens, Tobi’s supergenius mother died under mysterious circumstances, possibly triggered by her in-home science experiments. His dad is mysteriously absent, so his only friend is OkiDoki, a super friendly AI robo-pet who helps at home. At school, it’s another story. The cheery, rigidly standardized Model City 3 seems to breed contempt for anyone different, but also is a place where monsters appear on a semi-weekly basis. While the school children and population flee to underground shelters, the kaiju are beaten back by Robugs– massive robots piloted by color-coded operators that fly off from their moon base to save the planet, time and time again. This tired heroism has settled in, the Robug pilots gloat and fight for recognition, and see themselves as saving an ungrateful population. Tobi, bored with school, longs to help the Robugs– even ignoring evacuation protocols, risking his life to get rooftop views of the titanic battles. When something changes, he gets more than he bargained for. Because the kaiji battles are so commonplace in the story’s universe, Steele adds deft, fun references, like Crocs, computer therapists, and the trappings and obsessions of fandom.
For fans of Astro Boy there’s the illustrated cleanliness, and readers of series like Amulet or Mech Cadet Yu will enjoy the story. The newer action sci-fi of The Lego Movie and Godzilla films and youth superhero narratives like Spiderman have the same feels as well.
Before the story opens, Tobi’s supergenius mother died under mysterious circumstances, possibly triggered by her in-home science experiments. His dad is mysteriously absent, so his only friend is OkiDoki, a super friendly AI robo-pet who helps at home. At school, it’s another story. The cheery, rigidly standardized Model City 3 seems to breed contempt for anyone different, but also is a place where monsters appear on a semi-weekly basis. While the school children and population flee to underground shelters, the kaiju are beaten back by Robugs– massive robots piloted by color-coded operators that fly off from their moon base to save the planet, time and time again. This tired heroism has settled in, the Robug pilots gloat and fight for recognition, and see themselves as saving an ungrateful population. Tobi, bored with school, longs to help the Robugs– even ignoring evacuation protocols, risking his life to get rooftop views of the titanic battles. When something changes, he gets more than he bargained for. Because the kaiji battles are so commonplace in the story’s universe, Steele adds deft, fun references, like Crocs, computer therapists, and the trappings and obsessions of fandom.
For fans of Astro Boy there’s the illustrated cleanliness, and readers of series like Amulet or Mech Cadet Yu will enjoy the story. The newer action sci-fi of The Lego Movie and Godzilla films and youth superhero narratives like Spiderman have the same feels as well.
September 19, 2025
I don't know what else to say about this comic, except that it was a super fun read.
Loved the art style, loved the story, loved the characters.
A great addition to the giant robot/giant monster genre.
Highly recommend, especially for the ND rep!
Loved the art style, loved the story, loved the characters.
A great addition to the giant robot/giant monster genre.
Highly recommend, especially for the ND rep!
September 11, 2025
I adored this! Hamish Steele has once again created a wonderful world of action, humour and well-rounded characters.
Can’t wait for Volume 2!
Can’t wait for Volume 2!
August 31, 2025
Thank you, Storygram Tours, Union Square Kids, & Hamish Steele for sending me an ARC for the tour! Also, thank you, NetGalley, for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review! 🥰🫶
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I LOVE Hamish Steele’s previous graphic novel series, DeadEndia, so I was so excited when this new series was announced! It definitely lived up to the hype in my head, if not surpassed it! 😊 The world of Go-Man is set in the future, where G.O.s or Giant Organisms attack the model cities of Earth. These model cities are built by robots and contain bunkers and easily repairable infrastructure in response to the monster attacks, which began 50 years ago. Model City 3, where our protagonist Tobi lives, isn't defenseless as they have the Robug Squad protecting them; Tobi’s absentee father being the leader - Robug Red. Tobi wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a hero himself because if he were on the Robug Squad, then that means his father would have to talk to Tobi.
.
During a G.O. attack, Tobi gets his wish and gains the ability to turn into Go-Man, and helps to defeat the monster. Throughout the story, Tobi gains the friendship of his late mother’s computer AI, who inhabits a robot monkey his mom made, named Okiedokie, and classmate (and Go-Man superfan) Grace. I loved seeing the relationship between Tobi and Grace! At the beginning, Tobi thinks being lonely is the best; he isn't good at making friends, so maybe he should stop trying, but Grace helps open him up to the possibility of friendship. Grace learns of Tobi’s ability to turn into Go-Man, and she becomes his “man in the chair”, helping him come up with a theme song, catchphrase, and poses to strike during battle. These things help the model citizens see Go-Man as a hero rather than another monster like the G.O.s.
.
One thing I really loved about this book is the fact that the two main characters are autistic, and they have a conversation about it. Grace jokes about their teacher pairing up the “two autistic nerds,” and Tobi looks taken aback. Grace apologizes for assuming, but Tobi is quick to step in and say he just isn't sure, since he never got a “formal” diagnosis due to his father being so absent. Grace reassures him that it’s ok not to have an "official" diagnosis and that he’s pretty rad just as he is. I really loved this inclusion because there is such an unnecessary stigma against autistic people who self-diagnose as opposed to a diagnosis from a doctor. There are many reasons someone can’t get an "official" diagnosis, and it doesn’t make them any less valid! 🫶 As someone who is a self-diagnosed autistic person myself, I just loved to see this representation and seeing it just being talked about, especially in a book catered to a younger audience! 🥹💕
.
I loved the art style, coloring, set design, and character design in Go-Man! 😍 It really helps bring the fantastical, action-packed story to life! I especially love how all the G.O.s and the Robug Squad’s mech suits are designed. At the end of the book, there is a whole catalog with amazing illustrations of all of the G.O.s, members of the Robug Squad (in their mech suits and their regular clothing), and all the other characters. I love this section as it's amazing to just get to sit and look at the amazing character designs and read over all the info about each.
.
Champion of Earth left on a bit of a cliffhanger, and there are so many mysteries still left to be solved! I can't wait to see how the story continues in future installments! ☺️
.
I LOVE Hamish Steele’s previous graphic novel series, DeadEndia, so I was so excited when this new series was announced! It definitely lived up to the hype in my head, if not surpassed it! 😊 The world of Go-Man is set in the future, where G.O.s or Giant Organisms attack the model cities of Earth. These model cities are built by robots and contain bunkers and easily repairable infrastructure in response to the monster attacks, which began 50 years ago. Model City 3, where our protagonist Tobi lives, isn't defenseless as they have the Robug Squad protecting them; Tobi’s absentee father being the leader - Robug Red. Tobi wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a hero himself because if he were on the Robug Squad, then that means his father would have to talk to Tobi.
.
During a G.O. attack, Tobi gets his wish and gains the ability to turn into Go-Man, and helps to defeat the monster. Throughout the story, Tobi gains the friendship of his late mother’s computer AI, who inhabits a robot monkey his mom made, named Okiedokie, and classmate (and Go-Man superfan) Grace. I loved seeing the relationship between Tobi and Grace! At the beginning, Tobi thinks being lonely is the best; he isn't good at making friends, so maybe he should stop trying, but Grace helps open him up to the possibility of friendship. Grace learns of Tobi’s ability to turn into Go-Man, and she becomes his “man in the chair”, helping him come up with a theme song, catchphrase, and poses to strike during battle. These things help the model citizens see Go-Man as a hero rather than another monster like the G.O.s.
.
One thing I really loved about this book is the fact that the two main characters are autistic, and they have a conversation about it. Grace jokes about their teacher pairing up the “two autistic nerds,” and Tobi looks taken aback. Grace apologizes for assuming, but Tobi is quick to step in and say he just isn't sure, since he never got a “formal” diagnosis due to his father being so absent. Grace reassures him that it’s ok not to have an "official" diagnosis and that he’s pretty rad just as he is. I really loved this inclusion because there is such an unnecessary stigma against autistic people who self-diagnose as opposed to a diagnosis from a doctor. There are many reasons someone can’t get an "official" diagnosis, and it doesn’t make them any less valid! 🫶 As someone who is a self-diagnosed autistic person myself, I just loved to see this representation and seeing it just being talked about, especially in a book catered to a younger audience! 🥹💕
.
I loved the art style, coloring, set design, and character design in Go-Man! 😍 It really helps bring the fantastical, action-packed story to life! I especially love how all the G.O.s and the Robug Squad’s mech suits are designed. At the end of the book, there is a whole catalog with amazing illustrations of all of the G.O.s, members of the Robug Squad (in their mech suits and their regular clothing), and all the other characters. I love this section as it's amazing to just get to sit and look at the amazing character designs and read over all the info about each.
.
Champion of Earth left on a bit of a cliffhanger, and there are so many mysteries still left to be solved! I can't wait to see how the story continues in future installments! ☺️
October 3, 2025
What comes across as actually a pretty good comic for the early reader audience. It's the usual story of Earth under threat from mahoosive monsters, so we've created giant mecha bugs to combat them. Tobi is a fan of them, his father even pilots one of them – but that hasn't helped Tobi's coolness factor, as he's pretty much friendless and solitary at school, and home. But when a link to his deceased mother suddenly ends up proving Tobi is due a very different destiny, he's thrust right into the battleground, whether he likes it or not. Surprisingly, too, a girl in his class likes it very much…
Yes, in the same way Spiderman, the X-Men et al have been about characters having to fight a real substantial emotional state or life event as well as big bad monsters and other characters, this is about the mecha/kaiju drama, of course, but it's also about Tobi's battles. Currently being parented by smart gadgets in the home, he's very much isolated, and perhaps not for the best. So the sudden arrival of his combat skills and an admirer means he's in at the deep end on two fronts.
The pages of this really decently balance the two, as well – allowing his quandary over having a friend to be just as pleasantly prominent as the sci-fi. This isn't really a subtle piece, all told, but it would be very handy to show to a child left feeling as an outlier, whether that be through the autism this seems to diagnose for Tobi's character or not. It's certainly a broad read, but that only makes it engaging, and it's a quickly-read graphic novel, with a low word count and lots of suitable drama. It's certainly not something an adult would want to be seen reading in public, but the target readership is definitely well-served, by something with more than enough entertainment quality to ever feel like a lesson in how certain kids feel. For its representation of awkwardness as well as bold comics nous, it is probably four and a half stars.
Yes, in the same way Spiderman, the X-Men et al have been about characters having to fight a real substantial emotional state or life event as well as big bad monsters and other characters, this is about the mecha/kaiju drama, of course, but it's also about Tobi's battles. Currently being parented by smart gadgets in the home, he's very much isolated, and perhaps not for the best. So the sudden arrival of his combat skills and an admirer means he's in at the deep end on two fronts.
The pages of this really decently balance the two, as well – allowing his quandary over having a friend to be just as pleasantly prominent as the sci-fi. This isn't really a subtle piece, all told, but it would be very handy to show to a child left feeling as an outlier, whether that be through the autism this seems to diagnose for Tobi's character or not. It's certainly a broad read, but that only makes it engaging, and it's a quickly-read graphic novel, with a low word count and lots of suitable drama. It's certainly not something an adult would want to be seen reading in public, but the target readership is definitely well-served, by something with more than enough entertainment quality to ever feel like a lesson in how certain kids feel. For its representation of awkwardness as well as bold comics nous, it is probably four and a half stars.
October 17, 2025
The Eisner-award winning creator of Deadendia turns his prescient eye, zippy style, and effortless worldbuilding to the kaiju genre. Go-Man! is Tobi, a boy who’s story is stepping in a few different genres that seem a dime a dozen with graphic books: superhero, kaiju, and coming-of-age. Steele’s fresh take comes from attention to Tobi’s autism and the smooth, bold illustrations that echo one of the most famous mangas ever: Astro Boy.
Before the story opens, Tobi’s supergenius mother has died under mysterious circumstances, possibly triggered by her in-home science experiments. His dad is mysteriously absent, so his only friend is OkiDoki, a super friendly AI robo-pet who helps at home. At school, it’s another story. The cheery, rigidly standardized Model City 3 seems to breed contempt for anyone different, but is also a place where monsters appear on a semi-weekly basis. While the school children and population flee to underground shelters, the kaiju are beaten back by Robugs– massive robots piloted by color-coded operators that fly off from their moon base to save the planet, time and time again. This tired heroism has settled in, the Robug pilots gloat and fight for recognition, and see themselves as saving an ungrateful population. Tobi, bored with school, longs to help the Robugs– even ignoring evacuation protocols, risking his life to get rooftop views of the titanic battles. When something changes, he gets more than he bargained for. Because the kaiji battles are so commonplace in the story’s universe, Steele adds deft, fun references, like Crocs, computer therapists, and the trappings and obsessions of fandom. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
Before the story opens, Tobi’s supergenius mother has died under mysterious circumstances, possibly triggered by her in-home science experiments. His dad is mysteriously absent, so his only friend is OkiDoki, a super friendly AI robo-pet who helps at home. At school, it’s another story. The cheery, rigidly standardized Model City 3 seems to breed contempt for anyone different, but is also a place where monsters appear on a semi-weekly basis. While the school children and population flee to underground shelters, the kaiju are beaten back by Robugs– massive robots piloted by color-coded operators that fly off from their moon base to save the planet, time and time again. This tired heroism has settled in, the Robug pilots gloat and fight for recognition, and see themselves as saving an ungrateful population. Tobi, bored with school, longs to help the Robugs– even ignoring evacuation protocols, risking his life to get rooftop views of the titanic battles. When something changes, he gets more than he bargained for. Because the kaiji battles are so commonplace in the story’s universe, Steele adds deft, fun references, like Crocs, computer therapists, and the trappings and obsessions of fandom. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
September 8, 2025
just kind of a kids’ comics masterpiece. Effortlessly combines so many references, but in a really accessible way that feels totally like its own cool new thing, along with perfectly executed character storylines and laugh out loud jokes. The main characters are SO loveable with so much heart and depth - and the different robugs and monsters (and pics at the back) lend themselves really well to kids (also me) having fun choosing favourites or thinking up their own. Not a surprise from this author, but the whole thing reads like a movie, but also better written and with more character depth than the vast majority of movies. Really looking forward to more.
July 8, 2025
Received an advance copy from Union Square and Co at the ALA conference.
Fun, fast-paced, action-adventure that kids will enjoy. I think the main character will resonate with kids too. He has a lot of heart and is trying to find his way in a world where he feels very different.
Dynamic illustrations that really pop in the superhero moments and are also able to convey the emotional moments as well.
Fun, fast-paced, action-adventure that kids will enjoy. I think the main character will resonate with kids too. He has a lot of heart and is trying to find his way in a world where he feels very different.
Dynamic illustrations that really pop in the superhero moments and are also able to convey the emotional moments as well.
November 8, 2025
I feel like I've read a lot of things lately that feel like homages to kaiju, Ultraman, and other heroes of the 90s/00s crowd. What sets this book above them is the art; Steele's clean lines and vivid colors are nearly as much of a treat to look at as their monster character design. An OK story with winning characters and a good sense of humor.
September 5, 2025
A fun and engaging love letter to kaiju monsters and tokusatsu shows, featuring the double trouble of being a giant hero who fights monsters from space, and navigating life as a lonely autistic kid with an absent yet strict father. Hamish Steele doesn't miss as usual.
September 22, 2025
loved this a lot!! i always love hamish's artwork, and his characters are so cute and lively. fun plot that leaves room for (hopefully) multiple sequels!! truly a love letter to kaiju movies and magical girl anime. loved the masking metaphor too, such a clever idea. def looking forward to more!!
September 1, 2025
Solid graphic novel with a manga/ anime feel. I loved the diversity and the neurodiversity rep. I look forward to the next adventure.
September 15, 2025
!!!!!!!!!!
January 2, 2026
The kind of charming superhero story the world needs right now!
January 17, 2026
Absolutely delightful and creative. I can’t wait for more. Every character is a delight. We need more of this sort of thing
January 30, 2026
read for tween graphic novel club. very cute, good for tweens who are into My Hero Academia. I loved the exploration of autism, it felt very informed and well-handled, speaking as an autistic person.
August 8, 2025
This is an enjoyable story set in a futuristic world full of giant monsters. I loved the talking robot monkey sidekick and the autistic main characters. Go-Man is definitely aimed at a younger audience than Deadendia but it was still a fun read.
[Free ARC from NetGalley]
[Free ARC from NetGalley]
August 3, 2025
A cute middle grade graphic novel. Tobi's world is plagued by giant Godzilla-like monsters. Luckily there are heroes like his father, the Red Robug, to save the day. Tobi dreams of becoming a hero one day. And that day may come sooner than he expects.
This was a quick little adventure story. It follows Tobi, a lonely autistic kid, as he makes his first friend and gets some shocking abilities. It's a very sweet intro into this world, with more to come in the future, I'm sure.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This was a quick little adventure story. It follows Tobi, a lonely autistic kid, as he makes his first friend and gets some shocking abilities. It's a very sweet intro into this world, with more to come in the future, I'm sure.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews