Darkstalkers, Vol. 1: Rise of the Dark Ones
The Night Brings More Than Just Darkness
Darkstalkers, Vol. 1
March 12th, 2008 - If you’re one of the many nostalgic fans from the 1990’s quarter arcade era, then you’re probably familiar with the hit arcade game Darkstalkers. Darkstalkers shared strong similarities to its predecessor Street Fighter which was also produced by Capcom. What notably separated Darkstalkers from most fighting games was its eccentrically unique array of characters which were all based off of popular American monsters, such as Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf-Man, and so on. Like many of Capcom’s games it wasn’t long before a barrage of anime’s, fan arts, cameos, and manga books were produced. Not to mention Darkstalker toys with kung fu grip. Darkstalkers has endured a long and cult induced fan base and it isn’t hard to find them anywhere whether you’re in the land of the rising sun itself or any conveniently located store in the West, Darkstalkers are here to stay.
The Darkstalkers manga is obviously inspired by the hit Capcom game of the same name but, like most similar fighting genres such as Street Fighter, King of Fighters, and SNK, none are known for their stories at all. In fact I doubt if anyone can recall how M. Bison of Street Fighter got his “PSYHCO POWERS,” or why the infamous character merely known as “Dan” was created. If you do know then surely you have achieved the zen level of gaming and for that I, as a fellow nerd, salute you. Regardless of your super sayian nerd status, Darkstalkers has released an inevitable manga series and to my surprise it is worth checking out for a variety of reasons.
I initially picked up the book only to gaze through it briefly, as I was searching for the next issue of Death Note, but as if bitten by the attractive lust vampire Morgan herself, I was completely struck by the amazing art work. The penciling and inking are superb by my manga standards and few have the bright glossy effect that Darkstalkers pages give off. The elegance of the pages is especially shown during the many moon lit panels that the series takes place in with lighting effects that are brilliantly done, matched symmetrically with dark colors that combine to make even the darkest pages leap at your perspective senses. Yet, the coloring itself is majestic, with light and shadowing effects that can only be done by an established company like Capcom that every independent comic creator only dreams of. From the moon lit nights, to the early dawn, and the powerful energy attacks, the colorist constantly delivers what can only be described by the Fredrick Nietzsche’s coined word “uber.” The line art is also equally amazing with sharp details that give the pages a fresh look that makes you think you’re looking at digitally re-mastered animation cells. Even now, after thoroughly reading through the first volume I frequently go back through the book simply to appreciate its exceptional artwork.
Yet, after gawking at the pages I was surprised to find there is actually a decent story behind the seductive artwork. As I said before, fighting games are not known for their stories, and probably shouldn’t be, but when adapting into a different media source I imagine it can be difficult. Thankfully the writers of Darkstakers found a way to make all of the eccentric characters co-exist in an efficient, plot driven manner. The story begins with Pyron on an alien planet that has evolved to a seemingly god-like transcendence to the point that he requires the consumption of planets in order to survive. Naturally he eventually sets his sights on the robust planet of Earth but has to wait for it to evolve to a level fitting for his nutritional requirements, which was probably approved by a health episode of Oprah Winfrey. As time progress’ Pyron anxiously waits and is surprised to see that not only has the planet filled with abundant, life giving, humans but strange abnormal beings that we, the readers, will come to know as Darkstalkers. The Darkstalkers are similar to mutants from other series like Marvels X-Men. Not only are they outcast for a variety of reasons, but some are certainly more dangerous than others. Creatures like Morgan and Demitri for instance, who happen to be proud vampires with a strong and shameless lust for blood. While other characters like Felicia, who is a cat-person, only wants to be treated like any other civil human. Yet with so many mysterious Darkstalker related killings, it doesn’t look like peace amongst Darkstalkers and humans can be negotiated anytime soon. The mysterious uprising of Darkstalkers and killings sets the story and serves as the catalyst for how all the characters eventually cross paths with each other as the story unfolds. As a Darkstalker fan myself, it was great seeing my favorite characters come to life and interact with each other as the story went forward.
As a manga reader and Darkstalker fan, I confidently suggest picking up a copy of Darkstalkers: Rise of the dark ones, it’s a good read with great art work. There’s even a nice amount of additional cover art pages at the front and back of the book, I’m constantly tempted to take them out of the book and frame them. So run, don’t walk, to your nearest comic shop and pick up a copy of Darkstalkers today.
For more information check out: www.capcom.com.