The recent releases of MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls and Invincible VS have left me mostly satisfied, almost fulfilled even, when it comes to fighters based on comic book properties. I love the genre as a whole, even if it’s hard to master every game, but it’s hard to argue that occasionally the battlefield could use some new blood. This got me thinking about other properties and comics-based universes that could use their own brand-new versus game; what other worlds or strange multi-dimensional hubs would benefit from seeing their characters in a knuckle-duster?
I’m not so much interested in the mechanics on this go-around, but the characters, and what might have some staying power to break up the Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken rotations. Also, let’s not include a ton of licensed titles, outside of some sly cameos, as some of these properties have switched companies often over the years. Though they could make for some interesting speculation on potential DLC characters, it could also easily get out of hand.
WildStorm
This is a little bit of an odd one, because DC Comics has owned this imprint for a while and keeps going back and forth on whether these characters are in their own universe or simply integrated with the general population, but either way, they haven’t been properly represented in the Injustice games, so they deserve their own. Founded by industry legend Jim Lee, WildStorm was originally a part of Image Comics and has changed quite a bit over the years.
The world of WildStorm includes several superhero teams like the WildC.A.T.s and Stormwatch, the team names the imprint gets its portmanteau from, alongside The Authority, Wetworks, and the excellent teen group Gen13. There are plenty of characters to pick from there alone, but there are other creator-owned books like Danger Girl and Battle Chasers that could join the fight, and we could even bring in a character from Ex Machina to spice things up.
A game in the WildStorm universe would likely be focused on those first few teams, but if star power is the concern, a couple of DC Comics guests would go a long way as long, as they don’t overshadow the others too much.
Dark Horse
Now this is a comics brand that arguably lives up to its name: a little company that can, built from the profits of comic book shops similar to the ones it would serve in the future. Dark Horse has made its name known in the industry over the years and managed to stay a contender with titles such as Hellboy, Sin City, and Umbrella Academy, all of which have seen success in other media as well. They have a few other big-screen successes under their belt, like Tomb Raider, The Mask, 300, and — I can’t type this with a straight face — Barb Wire (it was still a movie, and I love Pamela Anderson).
We also have a few other more niche characters here, like Usagi Yojimbo, Grendel, and The Goon, as well as the Millarworld characters (possible Kick-Ass cameo). Although I’d be content with getting Marv from Sin City versus Hellboy and Usagi Yojimbo trying to figure out how to combat The Mask, Dark Horse was actually acquired by Embracer Group several years ago, which means we could see a few video game characters and Hobbits enter the fray if they wanted to expand.
Okay, for me personally though, this might be the only time we can ever get characters like Axe Cop and Duckman into a fighting game, facing off. Most people don’t even realize that cartoon from the USA Network was based on a one-shot comic, and I would love to hear Duckman’s unhinged mid-fight banter.
Image Comics
Imagine if a majority of the best artists from the two big comic companies just decided to all quit and start their own label, one that focused on the creator and the freedom to do what they wanted. These young and hungry artists – don’t ask too many questions about the stories – made quite the impact, and it’s hard to explain how big they were for a while there, even claiming the number two spot in the comics industry briefly.
With their history in mind, there are a lot of potential characters, but the visual presentation would have to be top-notch—no exceptions. Imagine, again, what they could do with alternate costumes and skins (just don’t charge too much). Pull in some of these former artists and watch the fans flock to this game.
The main character here would, of course, be Spawn, as well as several of his allies and villains, but I’d be incredibly eager to play as Savage Dragon and The Maxx. There are also some popular Top Cow characters, an imprint of Image, featuring Witchblade, The Darkness, and Magdalena. For a few obscure characters, we throw in Shadowhawk or Pitt, and we could pull a few side heroes from comics like Saga, or there is that whole Invincible universe. The best move, though? People, and more importantly, stages from The Walking Dead.
The Boys
Even though the first story arc was published by WildStorm, Garth Ennis’ epic comic The Boys eventually found its home with Dynamite Entertainment. I’m sure I don’t need to explain much about this franchise, with the popular show having just wrapped up, but the comics are a bit different, and there are other adjacent characters that could be given new life in this medium. If being able to control Butcher, Homelander, Mother’s Milk, and Queen Maeve — just picture them all crashing through Vought tower as you brawl — isn’t quite enough, the company does have more, and quite different properties, to offer as extras.
Dynamite has a ton of old pulp and public domain properties, from Dracula and Sherlock Holmes to Tarzan and John Carter of Mars. They’ve done an excellent job of revitalizing stories featuring Red Sonja, The Green Hornet, Zorro, and The Shadow. We could almost do a full Defenders of the Earth-style team with a couple of those characters joining Flash Gordon and Mandrake. I vote to team them up with Vampirella, but if we wanted to get really wild, they also have access to Xena: Warrior Princess, the Thundercats, and could use my girl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Them turtle boys aren’t cutting Shredder no slack, and they’re in need of a new fighting game too. Sure, there was Tournament Fighters back in the day, and they were DLC for Injustice 2 – which was pretty rad – but it feels criminal that our favorite heroes in a half shell haven’t been given another chance at fighting glory. I love some of the recent beat ‘em ups this franchise has produced, and those should be evidence enough of how strong the roster could be, but I truly believe a classic 2D one-on-one fighting game featuring this crew could make bank–money they are just leaving on the table.
Between the comics, cartoons, action figures, and movies, there are a slew of mutants willing to throw down, many of these characters lending themselves to unique abilities that fight fans will be familiar with. Whether we want flyers like Wingnut and Ace Duck, someone who can tunnel like Dirtbag, or rough-and-tumble command grab characters such as Groundchuck and Tattoo, we’ve got one (yes, I’ve been thinking about this for a while). Also, there’s a guy named Pizzaface who has a pizza box for a leg, so don’t tell me there’s not a ton of room to get creative with the art and attacks. Out of everything I’ve mentioned here, this is really the game I’ve been craving for years, and it’s a shame we haven’t seen something like it emerge. The TMNT deserve this, and so do the fans.
Also, we really don’t need anything extra, but since the mean green machine and their allies are currently under IDW, I wouldn’t say no to a Jem and the Holograms stage or Uncle Scrooge McDuck showing up!
What? He was originally from a comic, and he’s a mutant, right?
Please, just let me dream.
