The legacy of "NINJA BASEBALL BAT MAN" lives on!

 Ninja Baseball Spirits is a comic book adaptation of Ninja Baseball Bat Man, a classic side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade game released in October, 1993 by Japanese developer Irem, which created such hit games as R-Type, Undercover Cops and Kung-Fu Master. 

The game was overlooked at launch, selling only 1042 arcade boards worldwide. But like an underdog rising up the ranks of baseball, it became a cult classic over the years thanks to the arcade emulation scene and is now a popular game among side-scrolling beat 'em up enthusiasts and newcomers alike. 

Check out the Angry Video Game Nerd's video review of the game to see it in action

 The arcade game was created by Irem's Drew Maniscalco and follows four baseball ninjas who must tour across America to reclaim some stolen golden relics that keep the sport of baseball alive. It's a hard-hitting, bizarre and hilarious brawler that plays a lot like Streets of Rage and the Ninja Turtles arcade game.  

 With Drew Maniscalco's blessing, UK comic duo Team Beats has been given permission to reboot the original Ninja Baseball Bat Man story in a five-part comic series called Ninja Baseball Spirits - and it's ALL written already 

 Team Beats is the award-winning comic writer Dave Cook (Killtopia, BPM: Beatdowns Per Minute) and Steve Gregson (BPM: Beatdowns Per Minute, B*stard Galaxia), along with colourist Lou Ashworth and letterer Rob Jones. Dave is also the author of Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat 'Em Ups from publisher Bitmap Books, which features a detailed look at Ninja Baseball Bat Man. 

 The plot follows the arcade game's four original heroes - Jose, Beanball, Ryno and Straw - as they fight to save the spirit of baseball. Six golden relics have been stolen from an ancient vault under Champions Field, the home stadium of the Baseball All-Stars. The thieves are none other than the Hockey Barbarians from Canada, working on  behalf of their mysterious and powerful leader... 

Without the golden relics, the spirit of baseball weakens. People start losing interest in the game, the stadiums are empty and teams across America are close to going bankrupt and fading away forever.

In a last desperate attempt to save the sport, the Commissioner of Baseball summons baseball's four greatest players and gives them special championship rings, which transform them into highly-skilled ninja warriors. With their new found butt-kicking power, the ninjas can fight to reclaim the relics from the bad dudes who stole them.

Together with the Atomic Cheer Squad, the ninjas jump into their high-tech tour bus, The Alabaster, and blast off across America to retrieve the stolen relics.

Unknown to our heroes, the relics have been stolen by the All-Stars of other popular sports - American Football, Pro Wrestling, Ice Hockey, Basketball and more - who all want to see baseball destroyed for their own mysterious, evil goals.

Each issue sees our heroes battling a different All-Star team, getting into tricky situations, using high-flying special moves, unleashing super-charged powers and learning how to use teamwork to become the ultimate fighting sports team.

But what is the other teams’ master plan? Who are they working for? Why do they want to see baseball destroyed? Can our ninjas form a solid team and fight back to batter up another day?