Episode 543: Nintendo Power Comics
Added 2023-06-26 11:18:58 +0000 UTCNadia: What's the only thing in the universe that's capable of destroying your mind faster than comic books? (At least according to fussy old people with no sense of fun?) Video games! And what's the only thing in the universe that's capable of liquefying your brain even further than comic books or video games? Comic books based on video games, of course. Whew! Now just throw in a comic book series about video games written for a magazine that only existed to pitch video games to youngsters, and you've got yourself a Rider of the Apocalypse.
But as we all know by now, "apocalyptic" is just a term grown-ups use to warn about things that are cool, awesome, and fun. Those are three words that fit Nintendo Power's comics to a tee. This week on Retronauts, Nadia Oxford, Anthony John Agnelllo, and Peter Malamud Smith leaf back in their old issues of Nintendo Power and dredge up the Star Fox and Super Metroid comics by Benimaru Itoh, the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past comic by Japanese media legend Shotaro Ishinomori, and the Super Mario Adventures comic by Charlie Nozawa. We talk about the good! The bad! The incredible! And the slightly rushed! You know this'll be a good discussion because none of the participants clear 12-years-old on an emotional and mental scale!
Edits by Greg Leahy, art by Amanda Pruitt Neipris.
- 09:15 - Orchestral Game Concert #1: Theme of The Legend of Zelda
- 18:16 - Tom Petty: "Mary Jane's Last Dance"
- 25:39 - Orchestral Game Concert #4: Super Metroid ("Nurtured Life")
- 31:50 - Star Fox: Boss Slot Machine | Star Fox: Out of This Dimension
- 41:26 - Star Fox: Game Clear Demonstration
- 53:09 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES): The Prince of Darkness
- 1:03:49 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES): Staff Roll
- 1:09:22 - Super Mario RPG (SNES): Fight Against a Somewhat Stronger Monster
- Closing - Orchestral Game Concert #3: Theme of Star Fox
Comments
This episode was great because it reveals just how little the artists and writers had to reference when making the comics. It's like even these official comics are effectively fan fiction because there was so much room for interpretation and so little of the lore and canon had been established for these series.
Tall Rob
2023-07-11 14:47:14 +0000 UTCMy impression was that they willed Super Mario Wonder into existence. Though I’m not sure whether it’s the type of weird and original they were looking for, or if it still has too much of the “Walmart Tag Sale” feel they described in the New series.
Julian
2023-06-30 02:09:44 +0000 UTCLove that they willed a Super Mario RPG remake into existence. Quick! Do an episode on Thousand Year Door! 😂
G
2023-06-28 06:54:54 +0000 UTC
