DARKSTALKERS

Story: Ken Siu-Chong
Line Art: Alvin Lee, Arnold Tsang, Kevin Lau, Joe Vriens, Scott Hepburn, Eric Vedder
Colors: Gary Yeung, Espen Grundetjern, Susan Luo,
Christine Choi, Shane Law, Omar Dogan, Kevin Yan, Arnold Tsang
Inks: Crystal Reid | Lettering: Simon Yeung, Marshall Dillon
Bonus Stories: Mark Brooks, Danimation, Alan Wang, Lesean Thomas,
C.P. & Patara, Joe Ng, Skottie Young
Managing Editor: Matt Moylan | Project Manager: Jim Zubkavich
Chief of Operations: Erik Ko

And then there's DARKSTALKERS. Another Capcom property whose rights are held by UDON, and to my knowledge, the only other such property to receive a serialized comic from the publisher, this series is set on a modern-but-gothic Earth, where demons and monsters are making a comeback after millennia in hiding. DARKSTALKERS received two mini-series from UDON, one circa 2005 and another from 2010, but both told one continuous story.

Unfortunately, that story is a bit muddled. We have, more or less, two protagonists: Morrigan, a succubus and princess of the demon realm called Makai, and Donovan, a warrior monk from Earth. Both are "Darkstalkers", beings of supernatural, and apparently evil, origins, though Donovan has harnessed his power for good as a "Night Warrior", one of the people who hunt and kill Darkstalkers. Morrigan spends the majority of the story searching for Demitri Maximoff, a Makai exiled to Earth with plans to return to the demon realm and depose her father, while Donovan travels the world in search of a suit of demonic samurai armor called Bishamon, which killed the family of his young ward, Anita.

STREET FIGHTER II #0 - #6

Story: Ken Siu-Chong | Artwork: Alvin Lee | Inks: Crystal Reid
Colors: Espen Grundetjern | Lettering: Simon Yeung
Guest Artists: Arnold Tsang, Skottie Young, Chris Stevens, Kevin Yan, Mark Lee, Sven
Project Manager: Jim Zubkavich | Managing Editor: Marshall Dillon | UDON Chief: Erik Ko

After a break of a year or so, UDON's ongoing STREET FIGHTER comics returned with a six-issue STREET FIGHTER II series. Though named for the classic video game, STREET FIGHTER II does not, in fact, feature the tournament which comprised that game's storyline. Instead, the series is more of a direct continuation of the previous volume, laying additional groundwork toward the tournament. If anything, both this series and the last seem to be more like the STREET FIGHTER ALPHA videogames, which served as prequels to the original installments.

Right off the bat we get an issue 0 which provides possibly the best look inside Ryu's head that we've seen thus far. Through first person narration, he clarifies the purpose of his trek around the world. He's seeking strong fighters to test his abilities, but more than that, he's looking to master the darkness within him -- the "Dark Hadou" -- so that when he fights Akuma he will be able to keep that darkness in check and win their battle on his own terms. Given that, until this point, Ryu's motivations (other than simply avenging his master Gouken) were a bit unclear, this explanation makes a lot of sense and is greatly appreciated.

STREET FIGHTER #7 - #14

Writer: Ken Siu-Chong | Art & Color: UDON Studios*
Assistant Script Editor: Marina Siu-Chong | Project Manager: Jim Zubkavich
Managing Editor: Marshall Dillon | UDON Chief: Erik Ko

STREET FIGHTER's second story arc delves a little deeper into the series' mythology and characterizations, presenting what I would consider to be a much more enjoyable whole than the previous set of issues. Interestingly, the main thrust of this arc focuses on the two distaff members of the STREET FIGHTER II cast, Chun-Li and Cammy, to nice effect. Where previously Chun-Li's role in the story was as a liaison and partner to Guile, here she strikes out on her own, investigating Shadaloo activity in Hong Kong. She works alongside action movie star Fei Long and her former teacher, an assassin named Gen who was close with her father, to thwart a Shadaloo plot to control the Triad gangs. This puts her onto a new lead which sends her to Brazil to investigate Shadaloo activity there.

But Chun-Li isn't the only fighter bound for South America. Cammy, the girl known previously as Shadaloo's Killer Bee, has joined a British special forces organization called Delta Red. Delta Red also crosses paths with Shadaloo and captures one of their "doll" agents, the same female warriors previously led by Killer Bee. The amnesiac Cammy unexpectedly gains the girl's trust and learns that Shadaloo is developing a new weapon in Brazil. In short order, Delta Red arrives in South America to pool their resources with Interpol. There they encounter Chun-Li, who recognizes Cammy as her father's assassin and the two get into a fight.

STREET FIGHTER #0 - #6

Writer: Ken Siu-Chong | Art & Color: UDON Studios*
Assistant Script Editor: Marina Siu-Chong | Project Manager: Jim Zubkavich
Managing Editor: Marshall Dillon | UDON Chief: Erik Ko

UDON's inaugural STREET FIGHTER story arc sees young martial artist Ryu returning to the Japanese dojo where he lives with his master Gouken, only to find Gouken murdered. Ryu travels to the United States to enlist the aid of Gouken's other pupil, Ken Masters, to find their master's killer. Meanwhile, U.S. Special Forces officer Guile is investigating the disappearance of his old partner, Charlie Nash, who vanished while on the trail of a sinister organization called Shadaloo. Guile teams up with Charlie's Interpol contact, Chun-Li, to look into Shadaloo's apparent interest in Ryu.

From that starting point the two duos travel independently to Japan and eventually cross paths. Along the way, Shadaloo's top assassin, Vega, duels with Ken while Guile and Chun-Li find Charlie, now brainwashed to serve Shadaloo commander M. Bison. When Bison himself appears, Charlie regains his senses and sacrifices himself to apparently kill the despot. Elsewhere, Bison's agent codenamed "Killer Bee" is spirited away by a mysterious gypsy named Rose and given a new life, free of her memories of Shadaloo.