Title: Street Fighter ISBN #:
Author: Len Strazewski, Don Hillsman (penciller)
Publisher: Malibu (Marvel bought them)
Release Date: August 1993
Price: $2.95 at that time Iwa says – A 3 issue SF comic that got canceled because Capcom didn’t like the adaptation. I got this series years ago.
Story starts with Ryu and CL breaking up, Ken getting into a nasty fight with Sagat, Vega/Bison’s Shadow clones plot and a girl named Nida seeking Ryu for revenge because she thinks Ryu killed her father (blame Shadow clones. Artwork wise I’m reminded of my GI JOES SFErs.
Need I say more that the sparring scene between Ryu and CL was my fave scene?
Issue 3 contains the plot that would had happened had it being allowed to continued
Iwa’s notes – To prevent confusion, the names Bison, Balrog and Vega is the US version. Whole chunk copied from the comic book. Can’t resist adding a few thoughts. Bad habit.
What could have been: A Street Fighter Epilogue
As many of you might have heard, due to complications with Capcom and their dislike of our adaptation of the most popular game in the world, concluding with this issue, Street Fighter the comic book has officially been cancelled. We formally apologize for the dissatisfaction and disappointment we know this news can and will generate. We are true fans of Street Fighter, so even though we will no longer be publishing it, we sincerely hope someone else does!
For the meantime however, we hope to ease of your Street Fighters withdrawals with a little epilogue to its readers, but we here at Malibu want you to know how committed we are to Street Fighter and to you! we will tell you just what kind of tales writer Len Strazewski would have spun. It’s a character breakdown, so you can look up exactly what would have happened to your favorite Street Fighter:
Balrog
Was roped into M Bison’s evil ring of Street Fighters. As featured throughout the first three issues, we have witnessed how Balrog helped prepare for the (unfair) defeat of Ken and how Bison keeps him on hold as his right hand man.
Blanka
Last time we saw this South American mutant in issue #3, he had just found out about Ken’s apparent tragedy: that he was presumed dead. To make matters worse, Ken’s body was missing and no one knows who is responsible, though everyone has an idea. Blanka is sworn to revenge Ken’s death because along with Ryu and Chun-Li, Ken was one of the few people kind enough to teach Blanca how to read. (Remember this was before Dan came along)
M. Bison
Bison has appeared as the ultimate evil man in Street Fighter community. He has put together a small army of corrupted Street Fighters including Sagat, Balrog and Vega to destroy the rest, beginning with Ken. But this all only an introduction to a much more sinister plot: M. Bison had made a deal with dark forces to create evil twins (this is an old game after all) of every Street Fighter, so the ultimate battle would have been every man and woman against his or herself literally. (Iwa ask why for?) which poses the question: are the three Street Fighters working for Bison evil twins? If so, Where are the real Sagat, Balrog and Vega?
Chun-Li
The strongest woman in the woman has several problems. First she must avenge the mysterious death of her father. She knows he was murdered by M.Bison but she cannot prove it. In order to prove Bison’s guilt, she has joined the investigative of the police chapter. One fan asked why the strongest woman in the world would need to be a cop. Answered Len Strazewski. “Because she needs legal clearance to investigate. Plus there is life outside the combat for all Street Fighters. Most don’t want to have to fight every day and would like to make a decent living. That is why Ken became an actor.”
Second, Chun-Li must know avenge Ken’s death (could this be main plot line?).
And third, she is beginning to fall in love with Ryu (heh) and is not quite sure what to do about it.
Dhalsim
The yoga Street Fighter was last seen set off balance by the presumed death of Ken. He was to become part of the Street Fighter alliance to bring down M. bison
Guile
We left the big bad American Marine with sonic boom in issue #3 after he blew up a bar upon his notification of Ken’s death. Guile was upset by the unfair fight and his chance to usurp Ken himself. (Iwa thinks the mighty quartet: Ryu, Ken, CL & Guile may have an unofficial hierarchy possibly with Ryu at the top. And all 3 sort of aim to kick R’s butt, friendly or otherwise) He suspects Bison to be behind the whole thing and swears vengeance as it was Bison who was responsible for the death of Guile’s close friend, Charlie. Now Guile has two reasons to go after Bison.
E. Honda
The sumo wrestler from Japan was scheduled to test new applicants to the Street Fighter program. After meeting on a plane trip Ferret of Protectors fame, decided to try out himself. As we saw in this issue he was definitely defeated by E.Honda.
Ken
All throughout issue #1 and #2, Ken was in a battle for his life against first Balrog, and then Sagat. Both were teamed up against Ken by M. Bison as part of his sinister plan. At the end of issue #2, a car burst into Ryu’s private garden with the scalp (ouch) and bloodied clothes of Ken inside. As several of you readers have pointed out, during the game Ryu and Ken were bitter enemies. But after the championship they were able to recultivate the old camaraderie they used to share during training.
Now Ryu believes that Ken is dead. However this is not case. Unbeknowance to all, Ken is alive, not well but recovering. He is bald (picture that…) and in bad shape, but living under care.
Unfortunately due to the cancellation of the series, we do not get to see his gallant return or the battle of the allied Street Fighters trying to take Bison down in the name of Ken. But this at least solves the mystery of Ken’s missing body (Iwa assume that Balrog and Sagat just scalped Ken and left, not check Ken really dead. And Ken crawl off somewhere. Loophole?)
Nida
Nida is the unknown character. We were going to introduce her as the newest member of the Street Fighter team, but we never got the chance. She is an adolescent young lady from the Philippines who, unlike the other Street Fighters , uses weapons (2 batons with spear-like tips or 2 short spears if you like. Kinda like Eagle of SF.)
Her involvement with the Street Fighters begins when her father, a law enforcement officer , is killed during a drug bust by the evil Ryu lookalike. (Not SnH Ryu. Wait. Does that means Bison already have the Sfers’ evil twins on the loose?) Now she is out for Ryu with a vengeance. For the time being, she is nursing Sheng Long back to health (because she wants to learn the secrets of the chi from him) after he was poisoned by M.Bison (why poison SL? Like Bison need a reason to do any evil deeds)
Ryu
Ryu is the central hero in the story so far. He was mediating peacefully in his private garden when a car came crashing through with Ken’s scalp and bloodied clothes left inside. However there is no body. (loophole? To just scalp Ken and crash car.) Ryu has become enrage and horribly saddened as he remembers all the times he shared in training with Ken and Chun-Li. The three of them have a lot of history together.
Had the series continued, we would have seen Ryu organized the Street Fighters into a temporary alliance to take out M. bison. But before that battle we would have seen the bitter battle between Ryu and Sagat, the man he scarred during the championships.
Unknown to Ryu. Ken’s death was only part of a master plot to play him into Bison’s hands (what? Maybe get SnH Ryu?). Things would have turned grim perhaps, except for the unexpected and not necessarily friendly ally Ryu come to find in guile. They become …. Partners if only for a little while.
Meanwhile there is always Chun-Li (heh) and Ryu knows he has fallen in love with for sure. “Their relationship would definitely been resolved.” Said Len S. So don’t worry all you romantic hopefuls; somewhere in the possible future Ryu and Chun Li finally got together.
Sagat
The first and the second issue shows us what a bitter enemy Sagat can be. He was certainly bitter enough to kill Ken, or at least assumed he killed Ken. But there is something still honorable in Sagat as we can see in these early issues where he is not happy to have declared victory after an unfair fight. In fact, Bison is well aware that Sagat might start having second thoughts and tells Balrog to keep Sagat fighting so that he doesn’t have to think about the guilt. I asked Mr Strazewski if Sagat was a victim of Bison’s evil and he replied “In the first issue of the book. Sagat would have no opopportunity to redeem himself, but if we could have continued the series further…”
Vega
The masked man with the knives on his hands was last seen in issue #1 preparing for battle in Bison’s hidden estate. What Bison is planning to use him for remains unclear, but it was nothing wholesome that is for sure. Handsome fighters never lose a battle!
Zangief
The Russian Street Fighter was last seen in issue #3 fighting bears to prepare for his revenge against Ken’s killers. Zangief was determined to beat Ken and claim the Street Fighter title. So now, like Guile, he is mad that his chance has been taken away from him.
And that readers, fans and readers, in a pinch is what would have happened if we were allowed to continue the series.
Above article found in issue 3 of SF the comic book done by editorial Kara Lamb. The only stuff added in would be some of my thoughts done mainly in brackets.