I’m not the biggest fan of video games, which means I’m probably not the best person to review this book.
Don’t get me wrong, I like video games and I’ll play when I have the opportunity, but thanks to a combination of lack of funds and a deep rooted fear of getting absolutely wrecked by children half my age in online multiplayer games I tend to avoid this particular subsection of geek fandom.
With that being said, let’s take a look at a comic book written and drawn by someone who is very clearly a fan of video games called “Arcade Kings”.
Written and illustrated by by Dylan BurnettCover by: Dylan Burnett
Colored by Walter Baiamonte and Sara Antonellini
Lettered by Andworld Design
MINISERIES PREMIEREROUND ONE: FIGHT!
Writer and artist DYLAN BURNETT (Ant-Man, Cosmic Ghost Rider) unveils a new prestige comics series sensation, perfect for fans of INVINCIBLE and MURDER FALCON.
Joe, a mysterious new face in Infinity City, has suddenly become the hottest new player at the Round House Arcade. Anyone can challenge him, but no one can win.
But Joe’s secret past is about to catch up to him when his most formidable challenge yet rolls into town, forcing Joe to combo his powers with a joystick, his fists…and his fighting family legacy!
“Arcade Kings” #1 is set in a sort of urban fantasy setting that is a fascinating combination of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Power Rangers, and every shonen fighting manga ever written. It’s a place filled with fighting tournaments, robots, and school children who practically live in arcades. As for the story itself, the comic follows a young kid who stumbles across a mysterious stranger with a dragon fruit helmet (that looks more like a tomato for some people) named Joe with a hidden past and a strange connection to Infinity City’s greatest champion: Victor McMax.
“Arcade Kings” #1 is written by artist Dylan Burnett, who has spent the last couple of years doing amazing work with Marvel and is now striking out on his own with Skybound Entertainment. It’s very clear that Burnett is a massive fan of fighting video games and his passion is very prevalent on the page. Burnett writes the story with over the top emotion that feels like it would be more at home in a Japanese anime that made its way to the United States as a Saturday morning cartoon in the late 90’s. It’s a definite niche that will scratch the nostalgia itch of a very particular type of comic book/video game fan and Burnett leverages it for all it’s worth. On top of that, the comic does a pretty good job of setting up an interesting mystery that involves some intense family drama and provides enough backstory to give the readers enough of a hint to let them figure out what’s going on while providing enough intrigue to make them want to keep reading.
While the writing in “Arcade Kings” #1 does a great job of setting up the world and introducing the readers to the broader story taking place, it does lose some steam in the details. While it’s very clear that Burnett’s passions and interests are on full display, sometimes they overpower the book at the expense of the plot. The book uses a lot of space and time to focus on scenes that take place in an arcade that feel like they could have been cut down for time and pacing. Also, there’s a kid in the story that becomes a friend to the dragon fruit/tomato helmeted warrior who feels like he should be more involved with the plot, but the story just sort of forgets about him in order to cram in more fight scenes and video game moments.
While the writing in “Arcade Kings” #1 runs the risk of getting lost in the details, the artwork shows what happens when a very good artist is given the greenlight to draw everything they enjoy the most. The pencils and inks are provided by Dylan Burnett with colors by Walter Baiamonte and Sara Antonellini. Burnett’s artistic style shifts from his usual enhanced realism to a very clear manga inspiration, with simple lines on the faces, big eyes, and even bigger mouths. While the backgrounds of the comic have enough realism to let the readers know where they are and what’s going on, it’s clear that the main focus of the comic is to deliver as much energy and action as humanly possible, and it succeeds. Everything about the characters from their faces to their proportions is over the top and screams high octane energy, something that really comes into its own in the book’s many fight scenes where Burnett takes great pain to show each highly exaggerated impact and action through the use of sound effects and tons of action lines.
Continued belowBut the real highlight of “Arcade Kings” #1 is the color palette. The whole book is soaked in gorgeous neon colors that leap off the page and make the book feel alive. Even the dark and dirty parts of the town are bursting with action and color, whether it’s the character’s clothing or the dim lighting of the arcade being lit up by the glow of hundreds of arcade screens. It’s a gorgeous looking book that is drawn and colored by very talented people who clearly wanted to create the best looking book they could create, and it pays off.
“Arcade Kings” #1 is a passion project written and drawn by someone with a very clear love for fighting games and shonen manga, and while there are moments where that does prevent the book from being the best it could be, it’s still a very creative and colorful homage that wears its heart on its sleeve and isn’t afraid to unironically love itself.
Final Verdict: 7.4- While there are times where the book loses itself in tiny details, it is saved by gorgeous artwork and a creative team that clearly put a lot of love and passion into its creation.
