Love superheroes, monster battles, and underdog stories? Go-Man: Champion of Earth is the first in a brand new graphic novel series from DeadEndia creator, Hamish Steele!
Tobi is a lonely, autstic kid living in a futuristic manga-inspired city that is constantly under monster attack. He’s self-concious of his autism, spending most of his time at home designing robots and dreaming of joining the Robug Squad to help protect the Earth when he grows up – just like his dad.
One day, Tobi’s dreams come true when he eats a magical plant gives him the ability to turn into Go-Man, a giant-sized masked superhero capable of kicking monster butt. Being Go-Man gets him noticed gives him confidence he’s never had before and a life filled with thrilling adventure and plenty of fanfare, but it quickly starts to drain him, forcing him to spend days at home to recover his energy. Being a superhero is amazing, but as Tobi feels more and more burnt out and not feeling like himself, he’s left wondering if he should leave his superhero persona behind and embrace the things that make him different, the friends who appreciate him for who he really is, and just enjoy being a kid.
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.
Go-Man: 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.
Go-Man: Champion of Earth
AUTHOR: Hamish Steele
PUBLISHER: Union Square Kids
DATE: August 26, 2025
Go-Man: Champion of Earth is an exciting, action-packed story filled with everything from monster battles, loveable sidekicks, hilarious evil-doers, and cool robots with SO much heart, humor, and lessons about friendship, believing in yourself, and shining exactly as you are. The colorful illustrations pop off the page and make every scene come to life in a cinematic way.
We’re honored to share that Go-Man creator Hamish Steele is helping you get to know the characters from this brand new series – keep reading below to get to know Tobi, Grace, Okidoki, and Spigera!
Meet the Characters from Go-Man: Champion of Earth:
TOBI TAKEUCHI
TOBI TAKEUCHI has a secret. A big secret. In fact, you could say a GIANT secret! Because although Tobi might seem a little shy and small for his age, he’s the secret identity of GO-MAN, a 10-storey superhero who defends Model City 3 from monster attacks! However, he worries nobody knows the real him. Go-Man is really just a mask – a mask that can be exhausting to have to wear just to be noticed.
✨AGE: 12
💭DREAM: Saving the world as Go-Man is cool and all, but Tobi always dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps and joining the Robug Squad – to defend the city properly, rather than in secret.
💜LOVES: All things robotics! Tobi’s mom was a great scientist and his house is filled with her robot creations! He also loves his daily routine: school, podcasts on the walk home, bottle of soda, microwave noodles then fixing robots until he falls asleep.
👎LOATHES: People. Not as a concept! But he struggles to understand the other kids in his class. Tobi is really wishing his childhood away. He believes that when he joins the Robug Academy, he’ll be surrounded by people who finally get him. Right?
✨OUT OF CONTEXT QUOTE: “I wish I was a toaster…”
GRACE LAMBERT-FUKUDA
GRACE LAMBERT-FUKUDA is Go-Man’s number one fan! She loves superheroes of all kinds but little does she know that she’s sat right beside one in class. Of course, Grace quickly finds out Tobi’s secret and the two become best friends. However, Grace dreams a little bigger than just being someone’s sidekick.
✨AGE: 12
💭DREAM: To become a comic book artist and make a series as good as her absolute favorite: Unsung Beauty Magical Dance Battler Seina.
💜LOVES: Seina (OBVIOUSLY), arts and crafts of any kind (she started making Go-Man merch the second he appeared) and karate (she’s a red belt!)!
👎LOATHES: Bedtime, bad wifi, bland food.
✨OUT OF CONTEXT QUOTE: “Being grounded seems so cool. I’d finally finish all my RPGs.”
OKIDOKI
OKIDOKI was a toy monkey built by Tobi’s mom to assist him around the house when she and his father were at work. But after being switched off for several years, she’s rebooted with a few screws loose. Far from being the helpful and logical A.I. she was built to be, Okidoki is sarcastic, sassy and independent! But her robotic heart is in the right place, and she’ll always take care of Tobi no matter what!
✨AGE: Body, 5 years. Mind? Who knows!
💭DREAM: Okidoki’s final assignment before being shut down was to research the mysterious Substance X also known as mana! But when this strange plant turns Tobi into Go-Man, Okidoki encourages his superhero antics so she can study the mana’s effects – how does it work? Where did it come from? Is there any more?
💜LOVES: Attention. Praise. Nap time.
👎LOATHES: Being treated like a pet! No head pats please! Okidoki might be cute but she is nobody’s fur baby!
✨OUT OF CONTEXT QUOTE: “Oh, wait… One of these is a tail? Neat! Never had a tail before! I guess I’ve never had a butt to put a tail on, either.”
SPIGERA
SPIGERA is a villainous green being from outer space who lurks in Earth’s atmosphere in her creepy, skull-shaped flying saucer. While her ultimate plans might still be a mystery, she appears to be responsible for the increase in monster attacks and has a particular fascination with Go-Man, who she labels “the Champion of Earth”. While obviously evil, she comes across as far more chatty and laid back than you might expect for someone invading a planet.
✨AGE: Old.
💭DREAM: To capture Go-Man and claim him as the property of the Zoy Empire! Pleasing the Zoy Empress is her number one mission!
💜LOVES: Her throne. Her Spider-Butler. Earth soap operas (they just don’t make them on Planet Zoy like they do here!)
👎LOATHES: Video calls. Time-wasters. Earthlings (unless they’re the cast of Hot and the Hopeless).
✨OUT OF CONTEXT QUOTE: “No, no, no. You are not worthy of my delicious monologues.”
Want to get to know the full cast of characters and experience life in CITY? Go-Man: Champion of Earth is out NOW, and there are even more Go-Man adventures on the way!
✨MEET MORE CHARACTERS: From a squad of girls helping spirits peacefully pass to the afterlife to a group of lifelong friends figuring out how to stay connected on their final vacation together, get to know the characters from all your favorite stories HERE!
