UDON Entertainment is repackaging the first two issues of their Street Fighter II series in a stylish cover that directly references one of the biggest '90s comics of all - Jim Lee's X-Men #1.
The Street Fighter II #1+0 bundle is now exclusively available on UDON's online store. Both issues come with a connecting cover illustrated by Brett Booth (Gunslinger Spawn, The Flash), and when the covers are placed alongside each other, they show the whole array of Street Fighter II's roster, including Dhalsim, E. Honda, Ken, Guile, Chun-Li, Zangief, Blanka, Ryu and the villanous M. Bison. The characters are arranged in positions that mirror Lee's cover for X-Men #1-- for instance, Blanka is hunched forward like Wolverine, and M. Bison gleefully holds a burst of Psycho Power in a pose similar to Magneto.
The special rerelease coincides with Street Fighter II Day, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the classic fighting game. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior first hit arcades in February 1991, the same year as Lee and writer Chris Claremont's X-Men relaunch. Featuring a selection of international characters unlike any seen in prior martial arts-themed video games, the title went on to define the fighting genre with a colorful roster, special moves and multiple iterations in both the arcades and on home consoles, from Street Fighter II: Champion Edition to Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers.
UDON's Street Fighter comics, which first began publication in 2003, have roughly followed the plots of the various games in Capcom's long-running franchise. Street Fighter II #0 features Ryu reflecting on his fighting education with friendly rival Ken and the death of his master Gouki, murdered by the villainous Akuma. Issue #1 provides further context on Gouki's death and introduces other characters in the Street Fighter canon, including the British assassin Cammy, the psychic Rose and the heroic Chun-Li.
Street Fighter is not the only comic franchise to recently reference Jim Lee's X-Men art. Last August, Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley drew a swimsuit print celebrating 17 years of his fan-favorite series. The print features Scott Pilgrim characters relaxing at a pool, all in the same casual poses assumed by Marvel's famous mutants in a collectible poster included in X-Men #1.
The Street Fighter II #1+0 bundle is now available for purchase, and those who order both will receive a copy of UDON's Street Fighter Classic: Fighter's Destiny trade paperback for free.
Source: UDON Entertainment