Mad Cave Studios is adding another licensed property to its lineup: Speed Racer, the classic manga and anime franchise that first aired in the U.S. in 1967.  The publisher announced that it is partnering with rights holder Tatsunoko Production to create new stories based on the original, which features the race driver Speed Racer, his girlfriend Trixie, the mysterious Racer X, and of course, his Mach 5 race car.

First published in Japan as a manga titled MachGoGoGo, Speed Racer found greater success when it was adapted into an anime that was a hit in both Japan and the U.S.  It has been adapted into comics several times in the past (see “Speed Racer Returns to Comics” and “Speed Racer Times Three”), as well as a live-action film written and directed by the Wachowskis (see “‘Iron Man’ Squashes Sputtering ‘Speed Racer’”), and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot is working on a live-action series for Apple (see “‘Speed Racer’ Live Action”).

This is Mad Cave’s second partnership with Tatsunoko Production, following their Gatchaman deal (see “Mad Cave to Publish ‘Gatchaman’ Comics”).