Spike Spiegel is in a tight spot in Cowboy Bebop - The Comic Series #1 preview

(Image credit: Titan Comics)

The hit anime series Cowboy Bebop is coming to comic books, thanks in a unique way to Netflix's upcoming live-action adaptation.

Scheduled to debut on January 19, Titan Comics' Cowboy Bebop: The Comic Series will feature the bounty hunter crew as they chase down an ex-gang member who possesses a vest that gives them "unlimited luck." The four-issue series will be written by Dan Watters, and drawn by Lamar Mathurin.

Set roughly one hundred years in the future, Cowboy Bebop follows three bounty hunters (called 'cowboys') who travel across the universe hunting down criminals and fulfilling tasks for hire. The original anime series became a quick hit when it debuted in the late '90s, for its stylish and spunky take on space adventure.

Netflix's Cowboy Bebop series stars John Cho as Spike Spiegel, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black, and Danielle Pineda as Faye Valentine.

According to the Cowboy Bebop comic announcement, this deal is between Titan and Netflix - so expect the comic books to be based on the live-action version of Cowboy Bebop (as opposed to the original anime).

Here’s a gallery of hot, fresh interior pages from Cowboy Bebop #1:

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Although this will be Cowboy Bebop's formal debut in comic books, it was adapted previously in manga on two occasions - a two-volume adaptation by Cain Kuga called Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star, and then followed by a three-volume original Cowboy Bebop series by Yutaka Nanten. English editions of these manga were published in the early '00s, but they are long out of print.

Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau has drawn the primary cover to Titan Comics' Cowboy Bebop #1, as well as a B&W variant cover. Additional variant overs have been drawn by Claudia Ianniciello, Afu Chan, and Yishan Li. A still from the Netflix series rounds out the Cowboy Bebop #1 variants. Check them out here:

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Cowboy Bebop #1 covers

In addition to the comic book series, Titan plans on publishing a Cowboy Bebop prose novel set before the TV series called Cowboy Bebop: A Syndicate Story: Red Planet Requiem, and a coffee table artbook titled Cowboy Bebop: Making the Netflix Series.

The live-action Cowboy Bebop show debuts November 19 on Netflix, and the comic book series is scheduled to begin on December 8, with a four-issue collection already penciled in for May 2022.

Look for Cowboy Bebop: The Comic Series to debut simultaneously in print as well as on major digital platforms. Check out our recommended best digital comics readers.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)