UDON Entertainment 2017
Written by Ken Siu-Chong
Illustrated by Edwin Huang
Coloured by Espen Grundetjern
Lettered by Marshall Dillon
I have to say that the more I read of the Street Fighter franchise the more i’m loving it. I never played the video games, from arcade to home systems, and it’s only been in the last few years that UDON has really sucked me in. Whether it’s way the storytelling is able to weave all the fighting into stories that are interesting and compelling or just the fact that the interiors tend to be almost animated which makes me want cartoons of these stories it all works.
If you missed the zero issue it’s all good for while it sets up the story you can jump right into this first issue without any worries. Which opens up with Chun Li waking up alone in a forest hearing a voice. This quickly escalates to being besieged by creatures wishing to eat her. I say this in detail because I have to make a point about this, the fact that she’s such a martial arts expert and as powerful as she is her thighs actually look the part! Not only do they look huge but it’s referenced in the writing as well. It’s nice to see and hear that with how strong her legs are that they actually look anatomically right.
Edwin and Espen do some amazing work on the interiors here. The creatures that our heroes encounter look incredible! The creativity and imagination on display here really helps make this as fun as it is. The way page layouts are utilised through angles, perspective and the use of backgrounds really help the flow of the story and the action pop.
I have to say that the way that all the players are introduced here is nicely done. Aside from those that get the focus this issue we see that there are a lot of folks who find themself in this place. Of course our heroes think it’s another world and in some sense it is but not the way they think. So we get three different viewpoints as Ken keeps weaving the story so they all converge. I like it too because for now they really are all separate, only one has any idea of what’s going on and the other two are in for that huge shock of surprise when it all comes to light.
I’m not gonna lie either but that this also kind of continues what we’ve seen before in the Unlimited series makes me kind of happy. While I miss that series it’s still nice to see that things in the Street Fighter universe are still moving forward from what’s past. So that we see Gill again in these pages is great and add in Lilith and Dohma and well it’s no secret that the bad guys kind of steal the show. Including seeing this character whom I’ve never seen before but am totally entranced by!
There are all too few franchises out there that are just pure fun and entertainment. Where you can suspend disbelief and just enjoy the absurdity of what you’re seeing. So it should come as no surprise that for me this epitomises that ideal. It’s a great way to spend some time and escape reality.