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Thursday 10 December 2015

Super Street Fighter, Volume 1: New Generation Review (Ken Siu-Chong, Jim Zub)


Besides death and taxes, the only other certainty in life is that comics based on computer games are always shit. Unless… is Super Street Fighter 2, Volume 1: New Generation – could it be? Is it… good? No. Not at all. Like death and taxes, it’s shit. Round 1 - FIGHT!

Bison’s dead, Shadaloo is no more except a new evil organisation called The Secret Society has risen and Bison’s returned to life; so, nothing’s changed basically. Also, everyone knows about the “Secret” Society so the name is all wrong, unless they’re being ironic? Goddamn hipster sonsabitches… 

Guile’s looking for Ryu whom he believes is being headhunted by The Secret Society whose plans inevitably revolve around world domination. I guess with Ryu on their side they’re unstoppable? Maybe his PJs are magic. On his travels, Guile will encounter famous faces like E. Honda and Ken, and some not-so-famous faces if, like me, you stopped playing the games after SF2 Turbo: Hyper Fighting… Sakura?! A coupla douchebag twins who run a restaurant? Boo! Where’s the Hulk/Wolverine knockoff?! EE-YOW! (That was my Blanka impression.)

I’ve actually read a SF2 comic before which came with a special edition PS game controller (so you know it’s quality) and that too had a similar plot to this where Guile was tasked with hunting down Shadaloo or something. My word, the imaginative range on these comics! At least in that one though he did the kick – here he doesn’t even do one sonic boom! 

In between the threadbare “plot” chapters are throwaway stories where a couple of fighters battle pointlessly – just like the game! - except the action sucks. It’s drawn so that there’s usually one definitive move in one panel/page so it’s over quickly and the rest of it is banal talking. There are no sequences with numerous panels to give you the impression of fighting – the one thing this comic should’ve gotten right!

Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks. Damn you nostalgia for making me request this crap book on Netgalley! Hadoken this comic instead because if you read it? You lose! Continue? 10, 9, 8, Insert More Coins, 7, 6, (mashes buttons) 54321 – Game Over!

Super Street Fighter, Volume 1: New Generation

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