As video games continue to rise and dominate the entertainment market. Cinema has capitalized upon this with a slew of video game adaptations that vary in quality and depth. Gamers enjoy a continuing increase in quality of product that only proves to show that passive ways of being entertained have a competitor.
Truly, video games now have A-list talent behind them as developers are beginning to enjoy celebrity status, being treated like rock-stars within the community. Hollywood stars have been attracted to voice a multitude of heroes and villains across the many genres of gaming. Successful screenwriters are now sought out to script the kind of adventure that has resulted in award nominations and numerous plaudits.
Now where do comics find their place as the video games continue to raise the stakes in the world of popular entertainment?
There have always been tie-in comic books since the very arrival of gaming systems and the characters they brought with them. Super Mario Adventures and The Legend of Zelda courted the genre and enjoyed relative success. Sonic and Mega Man still have a huge following (myself included) over at Archie Comics – as part of their all-ages line up – even heading up a crossover event last year in the form of the epic Worlds Collide Saga.
As a rule, comic books based on video games have featured mainstream characters and have been a way of generating cash quickly. As such, the quality of their production had been mediocre at best or they were thought to be just for kids.
It quickly proved not to be the case. With games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter attracting a mature audience (coupled with the former games rating and infamy for brutality), comic books mirrored this trend. Udon produces an incredibly successful line of Street Fighter books that served to add back story and much more complexity to what were originally conceived to be (quite literally) two-dimensional characters.
Top Cow took the Tomb Rider license and really went to town with it. For a while, the titular adventurer and heroine, Lara Croft, became synonymous with many of the publisher’s more characters such as Sara Pezzini, bearer of the Witchblade, and Jackie Estacado, the wielder of The Darkness. She became hugely popular amongst fans and even integral to some of the extended Top Cow universe. The mythos and background that surrounded Lady Croft was a perfect fit during her tenure in comic books.
For a time, these books slid back into the background but as games like Halo, Uncharted and World of Warcraft began to rapidly gather one of the largest video game fan bases to date and comic book publishers knew they would have been foolish not to capitalize upon this.
The three above-mentioned games are examples of how the video game market has blossomed into something that is much more than the sum of its parts. Halo alone has become a stellar franchise that has a multitude of extended literature that has added and sent the storyline spiraling into the stratosphere and regarded fondly by many science fiction fans that have never even picked up a controller to play the first-person shooter. Halo 3 financially eclipsed the Harry Potter franchise in the year it was released by merchandising revenue alone.
Marvel Comics recognized the success of Halo and brought Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev to bridge the gap between Halo 2 and Halo 3 with Halo: Uprising after Halo: The Graphic Novel tested the demand for a comic book spin-off. This series had multiple runs and culminated into an adaptation of the novel The Fall of Reach which chronicled the early years of Master Chief.
Tomb Raider has recently enjoyed a renewed following as Crystal Dynamics re-booted the franchise with a game of the same name that was brutal, adult and revealed the events that shaped the mindset of the fledging archaeologist. As well as being a riveting adventure, Tomb Raider also showed that it’s heroine could be much more than a collection of pretty polygons (although the game is beautiful) and it’s intense plot placed a strong, female character with modern values back on her pedestal as one of the most important video game characters in decades.
Dark Horse comics (who, incidentally have taken over the Halo license) picked up Tomb Raider and set Lara’s adventures in the wake of the 2013 re-launch. This book could prove key in further increasing the profile of video game comics by placing Gail Simone in the driving seat. Renowned for crafting and developing female characters who stand toe-to-toe with their male counterparts and she has helped raise the profile of women throughout the industry. Her Lara Croft could be the greatest yet and it’s definitely a title to keep an eye on.
Recent video game franchises have also taken their lead from comic books, notably, Rocksteady and Warner Bros. Arkham series. Arkham Asylum wowed critics on its release. The game spawned two sequels (Arkham City and this year’s Arkham Knight) as well as a prequel (Arkham Origins). A comic book was inevitable and was at the forefront of DC Comics digital releases with Arkham Unhinged.
This further goes to prove that video games and comic books have a relationship that goes hand-in-hand and continues to compliment the other. While some feared that passive forms of entertainment may be eclipsed by video games, comics, as always, have found a way to grow and develop to make sure they keep a relevant position in the market.
For more comic views and reviews follow Rob on Twitter at @robbrichardson
Posted on March 30th, 2014
Category: NEWS & VIEWS, PIXELATED PANELS
Tags: Batman Arkham Knights, Comic Reviews, Comic Video Games, Mega Man, Rob Richardson, Sonic The Hedgehog, Street Fighter, Video Games reviews