NYCC: Lazarus, Rick and Morty, Creature Commandos and Batman Ninja Vs Yakuza Leauge
New York ComicCon is perhaps second only to San Diego ComicCon in the geek calendar. Every October, all the big names in entertainment descend on the Big Apple. Among the biggest names in animation in attendance is Adult Swim, who hold an annual panel at the con.
Adult Swim surprised attendees by screening the entire first episode of Lazarus, the new anime series from Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo). A first look at the series was also released, that you can see here:
Lazarus marks Watanabe's return to the sci-fi genre and follows secret agents on the hunt for a vaccine to save humanity after a seemingly miracle cure turns deadly. The Japanese voice cast was revealed and includes Cowboy Bebop stars Koichi Yamadera and Megumi Hayashibara, as well as Mamoru Miyano, Maaya Uchida, Yuma Uchida and Makoto Furukawa.
Produced by SOLA Entertainment and animated by Studio MAPPA, Lazarus will premiere on Toonami on Adult Swim in 2025.
Adult Swim released the official synopsis:
The year is 2052.
The world looked to be on the verge of an unprecedented era of peace and stability, and the painkiller drug “Hapna” developed by a lauded neuroscientist Dr. Skinner had a lot to do with it.
Hapna spread throughout the world as a "miracle drug" with no side effects, freeing humanity from pain.
Until, that is, Skinner suddenly disappears off the face of the earth.
When he reemerges after three years, it is as a devil who brings countless deaths and the end of civilization. Hapna turns out to be a drug that has a fatal, retroactive effect, one that appears three years after first taking it; it was a death-trap for anyone who took it, even once. Humanity will start dying off in 30 days. The only way to save the world is to get at the cure that only Skinner holds. For that we must first find him.
“Lazarus” is a team of five agents gathered from various corners of the world to do just that.
Can they save humanity? And what is Skinner's true purpose?
Meanwhile, at Adult Swim's dedicated Rick and Morty panel, it was announced that the series has been greenlit for a further two seasons. Dan Harmon's sci-fi comedy had previously been greenlit up to 10 seasons, but has now been renewed, ensuing it remains on air until at least its 12th season.
“From Season One, Rick and Morty set a new standard in adult animation and has shown no signs of stopping,” said Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim. “Dan, Scott and the rest of the immensely talented team behind Rick and Morty are constantly outdoing themselves and I’ll be joining the millions of fans around the world in looking forward to more adventures in the years to come.”
“Nobody wants a universe without Rick and Morty,” said Harmon. “Fortunately, the list of places to go remains infinite.”
The panel also debuted a sneak peek at an animatic from a Season 8 episode, due to air in 2025.
