FANTASY FIGHTS: CAPCOM/MARVEL ROUND 5!
In the first round of Fantasy Fights from the Infinite Wars, Marvel proved their overall superiority in fifteen seperate battles that culminated with your vote deciding their fate. Now, with DC vanquished, the Marvel Heroes are back to tangle with some old enemies: The world warriors of Capcom's Street Fighter!

By popular demand the Fantasy Fights are sticking around for seven more rounds of non-stop non-canon action! When the characters met in the video games, they were united against common goals, but this time some of Marvel's greatest fighters will be initiated as they duke it out for supremacy over the SF classics!

GUILE versus CAPTAIN AMERICA
Strength: Captain America 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Captain America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Captain America 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Captain America 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Guile 3 (Explosives)


The Hook...
If you're an avid follower of the Fantasy Fights then you're already well aware that we're matching characters up not only by theme, but also by some comparable fighting level - something the now classic Capcom/Marvel games failed to. Well, that's not entirely true, and for the first time we're looking at a battle that actually might have occurred in one of your gaming sessions!

It doesn't take a genius to recognise that these characters are the two All-American soldiers of their respective universes. Each stands for truth, justice, and the American way, and does it with stern dedication, and a skilled fist.

On the surface, a guy who can do an offensive sommersault kick, and shoot sonic boom energy attacks is going to look like the favourite -- but then you put that into context. Typically fiction outside the arcade puts some limitation on the extent by which a ki/energy attack is used. In the reality of a story, the likelihood (and creative merit) of an endless stream of sonic booms designed to lure the opponent in for a flash kick, just doesn't ring true.

Captain America - recipient of the one and only super-soldier serum - is in peak human physical condition. He's a sharp thinker with a penchant for military strategy, an undying spirit when it comes to the fight, and he's a lot tougher than a guy in blue jim-jams looks!

He's man-plus, which sadly trumps Guile's impressive, but ultimately human status.

The Math: Captain America Ranking: Captain America (#6)

The Battle...
As has been the case through most of the week, I'm running late and running on empty, so we'll try to keep this brief. Actually, notice how every time I say that, my sentences go much longer and wordier than they need to? Go-figure!

Wordy sentences aren't going to be an issue when Guile and Cap face off.
There might be a little bit of a macho military exchange, but any exhibited friendly rivalry is going to come second to each soldier sizing the other one up.

Cap's shield is just for show, and I've got to think it's an indication of his likelihood to be one the defense early on. The shield, plus his own maneuverability and hand-to-hand defenses, are going to be at the ready to let the offensive Guile break the ice. And break the ice he will!

Guile might not be a super-soldier, but he's packing some hard earned muscle, and a ppi rating off the charts. He's going to lead with a lot of the moves we know from the games. Wide punches are the order of the day, with a gradual design to move inward with a lot of boxing style jabs with the big picture being a suplex, or maybe even the dreaded sommersault spectacular!

Cap's gonna be glad to take it, and slip his own contributions in wherever he can, but for the most part this is fact-finding. Captain America's a solid fighter, but he's probably going to look for some space to move in and out of the fight taking full advantage of his superhuman stamina and impressive speed.

Captain America's not going to be delicate.
The shield's going to come into the equation when, unable to find comfort in grappling, Guile will reach for the sonic boom. The attack will no doubt rattle Cap, but the shield'll absorb most of it, and allow him the perfect opportunity for retort when Guile has a momentary opening after the blast.

If he manages to dodge the shield the first time, and on the return, he gets put down by an old fashioned slamming, because all those who chose to oppose Cap's shield must yield!

The Hammer...
Well, how do you feel War Mongers? Did we get it right?
On the back of Elektra's fantasy win [v Chun-Li], Marvel take the lead over the Capcom fighters, reflecting the current standing in the poll! You've only got a few more days to make your voice heard, so if you're psycho for Street Fighter, get the word out and bring the vote to the menu [top right]!

Like we've mentioned for previous participants in the Fantasy Fights, there's big things coming for these two. I'm sure I don't need to tell you about Street Fighter IV, the eagerly anticipated sequel to the franchise that's spanned three decades!
Thus far there's no news on Guile, but as one of the icons of the franchise, many are putting the safe money on the American joining the SFII inspired cast.

Over on the Marvel side of the fence, Cap's looking at anything but a resurrection. At some point Alex Ross will unleash his Invaders time travel caper when the 1940's heroes of the Second World War find themselves displaced in a world where Captain America is dead, and the heroes' relationship with violence has changed dramatically post Civil War, and the deaths of several heroes.

Before that, a new star-spangled hero will be in town when Bucky Barnes, Cap's WWII sidekick, inherits the role he had grown to hate during his years as a secretive Russian controlled assasin. How the hero's former protege will react, should he encounter the vintage Cap, should be one of the most interesting interactions to be seen from the time displaced Captain, Namor, and Toro.

That about wraps it up!
Stay tuned tomorrow for the second-to-last of our Capcom/Marvel Fantasy Fights [gee, I wonder who'll win this one...], and then hold on tight for a special seventh bonus round on the 31st as we close out the first month of Season 2008 with our second bout of Fantasy Fights! Cheers!

WINNER: CAPTAIN AMERICA
2 versus 3

GUILE versus RYU
The King of the Air Force: An Explosion of Menacing Military Combat (Group TAC/Capcom/Manga)
Where: Street Fighter II V Ep. 2 When: April 1995
Why: Gisaburō Sugii How: Kōji Tsujitani/Skip Stellrecht & Tesshō Genda/Kirk Thornton

The story so far...
When billionaire heir Ken Masters contacts his martial arts training partner, Ryu, by letter, Ryu makes the long trek from Japan to San Francisco to reunite with his friend.

Brought together again, the two are impressed with the development of their martial arts skills, and challenge each other as they propel themselves into mischief with the help of their tour guide, Chun-Li.

To spark their quest to develop their martial arts, an encounter with US Air Force thugs in a bar called Mt. Fuji. Though the skillful Ken and Ryu are able to defeat the thugs with ease, their commanding officer Guile may prove more sport.

Previous Form:
Guile (#107): Defeated Shadaloo thug, Birdie, in an issue of the UDON comic.
Ryu (#118): Victory over Balrog, with ties with Ken Masters, and a loss to Sagat.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Guile 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Guile 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Ryu 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Guile 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Ryu 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: Draw 3 (Explosives)


- Guile is a US Air Force Major versed in various hand-to-hand combat skills not typically associated with any traditional martial arts. His skills and determination as a special forces trainer have earned him the attentions of Interpol.

- Along with his impressive special forces fighting techniques, Guile is also able to harness his ki for trademark energy attacks including the sonic boom, and the flash somersault kick. These give him an impressive scope which compliments his strong grappling/striking technique.

- The Japanese nomadic martial artist Ryu is on the path to mastering a dangerous and nameless ansatsuken karate style of fighting, previously mastered by the brothers Akuma, and Gouken. It has been erroneously identified as a shotokan karate style.

- Ryu's style promotes mastery over one's ki, focused in the form of his powerful hadou ken ki blast, and sho-ryu ken uppercut. When the killing techniques of this unnamed style are mastered, a fighter's hadou ki can become corrupted by an immensly powerful dark version of the hadou.

- Ryu's style incorporates many basic striking punches and kicks, all of which make him a well rounded conventional martial artist.

The Math: Guile The Pick: Ryu

What went down...
Having disposed of the military thugs that menaced them, Ryu and Ken find themselves face to face with their Sergeant - the brush-haired, Guile!

Guile taunts the much younger Ryu with talk of study, prompting Ryu to continue the assault against the senior soldier with a grab of his jacket. Ryu swings through, finding Guile has nimbly slipt out of his coat, leaving Ryu holding it.

Guile takes a ready stance, and provokes Ryu into an all-out attack.
Showing considerable speed for his frame, Guile ducks and weaves around a barrage of punches and kicks, leaving Ryu nothing but air and drywall.

Ryu looks for a flying kick, but again Guile proves too quick, slipping sideways to put a table of drinks in the young Japanese fighter's path.

As Ken, the bartender and the other Air Force punks watch-on, Ryu finds himself tiring after both the fight with Guile's fellow soldiers, and his recent attacks.
Guile taunts Ryu, prompting another wreckless charge that gives Guile the momentum to swiftly bury his fist into Ryu's stomach.

Time freezes at the moment of impact as the wind is sucked from Ryu's gut.
The Sergeant orders Ryu to leave the bar and never return, sending him flying through the air with a devestating backhanded fist.

Ryu comes to a crash landing on another drinks table, sending some female on-lookers fleeing. Guile, assuming the battle is won, attends to his beaten buddies, only to find Ryu again taking a ready stance in the middle of the bar.

Ryu, sweating and beaten, defiantly refuses to concede defeat.
The two fighters charge at each other, Guile proving to be the fresher of the two as he punches Ryu's fist aside, ducks a kick, and follows with a barrage of unforgiving military trained fists.

Taking decisive control of the fight over his tiring opponent, Guile grabs Ryu by the shirt and tosses him over the bar into the shelves of drinks.

The move does surprisingly little, with Ryu reemerging almost instantly from behind the bar to make use of the opened space. He leaps out, flying at Guile with another airborne kick.

Guile manages to block the impressive move, using Ryu's follow-up kick to take the battle close quarters with a grapple that turns Ryu onto his stomach. Maintaining control of the youngster's leg, he tosses him at the wall, but Ryu shows tremendous control, turning his fall into a rolling offensive.

Ryu again springs from the roll, launching once more into a wave of kicks that are blocked by the bulky American. Guile again calls upon his grappling skills, snatching a punch to wrap the arm behind Ryu's back.

With his grip tightening Guile warns Ryu to cease his attack, or he'll be forced to crush his shoulder. Ryu throws his feet up, pushing off the bar to defiantly throw himself backwards, putting Guile between his fall and the hard floor.

Ryu, bleeding from the head and mouth, is reduced to a charging tackle that pushes Guile's spine into the edge of the bar. Enraged enough not to remain shaken, the Sergeant unleashes his full fury with a throng of rips that hit hard at Ryu's already punished mid-section.

Guile beats at Ryu's face relentlessly, putting the exclamation point on the battle with a trademarked somersault kick that sends Ryu high into the air for a harsh descent.

With Ryu down for the count, Guile challenges Ken, who has remained at the bar throughout the fight. Ryu's American buddy fires his own moral code at Guile, who was not present to see his fellow Air Force buddies attempt to gang-fight the two younger tourists.

To the shock of all present, a swollen and bloodied Ryu again staggers to his feet, once again taking a ready stance. Guile acknowledges his determination, walking past the clearly beaten fighter, leading his men out of the Mt. Fuji bar.
The Japanese fighter collapses the moment they leave.

The hammer...
After a hard-fought and brutal bar room brawl, our winner and still undefeat street fighter: Guile!

Much like elements Masaomi Kanzaki's work [ie; Street Fighter II #1], SFIIV takes the familiar characters and motiffs, and recasts them in a different light. This series presents our shoto protagonists as righteous martial artists coming into their twenties, freely characterizing them as brash and occasionally even hot-headed, as is perhaps the case with the battle against Guile here.

On the basis of the first episode, Ken and Ryu were probably within their right, but even acting on the assumption that Guile would join his packrat buddies, they were given ample opportunities to reassess the situation through the fight.
Guile proves to be a harsh but fair taskmaster, challenging the fighters in a way that will continue to be referenced throughout the series, and in many ways is the crucial catalyst for their adventures across the globe.

The uninitiated would come into this episode assuming the brash attitudes of Ryu and Ken, that ultimately repositions them as the antagonists in their fight with Guile, probably assuming that this is just down to a choice in characterization. What's interesting to note, as the series progresses, is that this very fierce, and unruly nature for fighters, is ultimately brought into question by the yoga-master Dhalsim. They are forced to reflect on events just like this one, and reevaluate their methods, in ways that allude to the dangers of the dark hadou, without ever approaching that thematic material.

Street Fighter II V is one of those series regarded by many with some reservation, but for me it probably hit at the perfect time. Through the mid-to-late nineties I made a conceited acquaintance with the vaguely familiar realm of animé, and as a life-long Street Fighter fan, found a great accompaniment to other series that would foster that interest.

SFIIV deviates from the source material in a lot of interesting ways, which make such discrepencies quite forgivable. The violence takes on a new tone as the characters are thrust into a fictional world of organized crime that permeates beyond the cartoon villainy of Bison's Shadaloo, and branches into the corruption of modern society.

Ryu and Ken are forced to contend with knife-wielding gangsters, murderous underground fight clubbers, drug planting frame-ups, prison life, and organized corruption in sport and cinema. All things that build on the existing themes of the military and law enforcement from the games, with characters like Guile (US Air Force) and Chun-Li (Interpol), and the espionage and world crime of Shadaloo's agents.

As we continue our look at Street Fighter, this series will inevitably become a stalwart of the weekends, with many more feature characters still to come.

I had a bizarre online confrontation with a testy, over sensitive, would-be reviewer recently; so more than ever I just want to wrap-up with some of the positives of the comics industry, which can sometimes be overshadowed.
Lord knows, like German tourism, the confused and maladjusted are everywhere!

- Pedro Cruz has begun a new on-going web strip called Cosmopolis that will unfold on a regular basis. Pedro provided pencils, inks and letters for the first issue of The Kirby Martin Inquest, which is on sale online right now!

- A few days ago KJ shared her adventures through Wonder Woman land, and if you've been reading the on-going discussion of the justice scale on the Infinite Wars, you might even like to check out the comments where she's been engaging me in some lively discussion. Very interesting stuff!

- It happened last week when Bully stepped up to the Bahlactus FNF, and lord knows it happened again. In a post truly worthy of the Infinite Wars, see the Invisible Woman take on Crystal! If he keeps that up, I might have to send my chronies around to beat stuffing outta him fer showin' me up!

A couple of overdue thanks too to some of the bloggers out there who are helping spread warbonds for the Secret Earth. Big shout out to Comics Make No Sense, The Sock Drawer, and all the people showing up in the menu.

The Fight: 6 The Episode: 6

[Street Fighter II V is a series that I'm often told went under people's radar, and from what I've heard, it's now being re-run on the Sci-Fi channel for any Americans out there. It's also available on DVD in a twenty-nine episode set, that I am more than pleased to finally own, having never bought the VHS...]

GUILE versus BIRDIE
Stage 01 (UDON/Image)
Where: Street Fighter #1 When: September 2003
Why: Ken Siu-Chong How: Alvin Lee

The story so far...
His name is Bison, and he is the megalomaniacal leader of the world's most vile criminal organization -- Shadaloo.
Involved in every facet of criminality, Shadaloo funds Bison's desires for world conquest, and his interests in fostering the martial arts and his psycho power.

It was during an investigation into Shadaloo that Bison uncovered and brutally murdered Charlie, partner of Interpol agent, Guile. Ever since, Guile has had the burning desire to personally put an end to the Shadaloo empire, and the evil M. Bison.

Patiently working his way through the various branches of Shadaloo, Guile and agents like him pick apart the pieces of the puzzle, working their way closer to the source. Wannabe street toughs, like the English street fighter, Birdie, represent the lower rungs, all useful for tracking back to Bison.

Previous Form:
Guile, Birdie: Each making their Infintie Wars debuts.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Birdie 4 (Steroid Popper)
Intelligence: Guile 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Guile 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Guile 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Guile 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Guile 4 (Trained Fighter)
Energy Powers: Guile 3 (Explosives)


Hmmm, well, that was a particularly clunky introduction.
Yes, it's the weekend again, which means it's time for some Street Fighter action, and we're heading straight back to the very first (or second, depending on your opinion of #0) issue of UDON's Capcom licensing agreement.

We've got a couple of new inductees into the Street Fighting ranks of the Infinite Wars. Guile was acknowledged, but uninvolved in a previous battle between Ryu and Balrog [Street Fighter II #1], emerging mysteriously to save Ryu from sniper fire after he defeated the Shadaloo boxer.

When I think back to the days of Street Fighter II in the arcades, and even beyond, I can't help but remember the popularity of Guile. In certain circles he has been regarded as the main character, superceding even the poster boys from the series, Ken and Ryu. His story of vengeance for the death of a law enforcement partner, classic in design, certainly makes him one of the most specifically involved fighters in the Street Fighter tournaments.

Birdie's a popular cat, and actually a fighter who predates Guile, having made his first appearance in the original Street Fighter game. He was able to find a new lease on life as part of the Street Fighter Alpha (or Zero) reinvigoration of the property, featuring as one of many new and reinvented characters.

Birdie, interestingly enough, has gone on to bigger and better things, having a starring role in the second-half of the Street Fighter Alpha "movie," and also a feature spot in the recent translated manga, also available through UDON.

Okay, before this turns into The Hammer, let's roll on to the tape, because the sooner we get this part over, the sooner we can get to solid street fighting!

It's a pretty straight forward scenario of two fighters.
Guile is a powerful customer, but Birdie represents the epitomy of the street fighter of impressive size and strength. He's the kind of fighter who plays to overpower, and will do it by any means necessary, even resorting to less than honorable tactics that include a massive chain -- yeah, not just for bling!

Guile's been around the block plenty of times. He's a mature and strong fighter. Much like the character in the games - who could propose a devestating combination of sonic booms that lure the opponent into avoid their way into a flash kick - Guile is well prepared to out-think and strategise his way through characters.

Birdie's at the bottom rung of the Shadaloo outfit because he isn't the smartest tool in the box. He'll give any fighter a run for his money, but at the end of the tournament, Guile's going to be standing far ahead of the British brawler.

The Math: Guile (Meta Class)
The Pick: Guile

What went down...
Having apparently taken out rival gangs in the area, Birdie and his crew strut into a restaurant to demand protection money. The owner, tired of handing his profits over to thugs, refuses, and suffers the consequences!

Ryu, dining with Ken, steps up to stop Birdie, grabbing his fist as he pulls back for another swing at the helpless owner. Before Ryu has the opportunity to take the fight, an authorative voices calls from the entrance, ordering all to freeze.

Ken calls his friend off, leaving Guile to arrest the Shadaloo thugs, but Birdie has no intentions to accept arrest. The mighty Brit leaps into action, throwing his massive weight into a chain attack, but Guile dodges it with ease.

He slides around the clumsy attack with ease, and throws a hard backhanded fist at the thugster. Though less than elegant, Birdie is competent enough to lift his impressive fist, blocking the impact of the blow, with chains and all.

He leaps into the air again, looking to use his impressive height and strength advantage to crash down on Guile with an axe handle smash.

Guile proves agile enough to leap out of the path of the move that reduces the furniture to pulp.

Guile stops to casually pull a comb through his hair, taunting the burly brawler whose attempts continue to be unsuccessful. He laughs at the prospect of Bison even knowing a wannabe's name, sending Birdie into a further rage.

Birdie rises in a dishevled state and leaps into the air, throwing himself at the cool and composed Guile. Guile can't help but smile, a steady contrast to Birdie, roaring like a ferocious animal.

The tactic proves to be all part of Guile's cunning plan, luring the undisciplined fighter into the range of his devestating sommersault kick. The blow snaps Birdie's jaw back and sprays blood in the air.

Birdie comes to lands on his head and neck, out for the count. Guile brings his foot to rest on the defeated Birdie, relishing the victory to the delight of onlookers, and store owner alike.

Unfortunately the defeat does little to intimidate the other Shadaloo thugs. One of the gangsters elbows his way out of custody, and makes a break for the kitchen! Guile orders pursuit, but the thug is too quick -- or so he thinks!

He makes for the back door, only to walk into a blur of yellow and blue -- a flurry of super-fast kicks! On his back, the Shadaloo runt can only stare up at the refined fighting machine that is - Chun-Li!

The hammer...
Guile wins! Perfect!

Actually, I cheated a little bit, and we'll condense a quick fix into this one by also counting Chun-Li for the assist. I didn't plan to, but heck, I'm feeling generous, and I want to give the Street Fighter's a well deserved shot at making top five before the end of the year.

If you missed us last week, you won't know that the challenge has been issued to the Street Fighter alumnists to use the weekends to earn a top five spot before the end of the year. Considering not only that there's only three months left to do that, and that they're up against eight months of competition, that's a big, and exciting ask!

As much fun as it would be to run through the UDON comics from start to finish, there are a lot of gaps in my collection. Aside from a couple of quick fixes held within the pages of this issue, it might be a while before we see any of the Image published Street Fighter action. Still, that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of Street Fighting to come, from both comic and film.

Y'know, say what you will about any of UDON's faults, you couldn't come up with a better group to tackle the Street Fighter license in American comics. Already tied to a kinetic, manga-inspired style, the artists of UDON slide fluidly into reproducing the Capcom style of games like Alpha, adding that extra layer of familiarity that makes the difference between a good adaptation, and a great piece of licensing.

Over the course of production from the first series, to the self-published Street Fighter II, you can see a really exciting process of evolution and learning in the UDON production team. In these early issues, there's a sense of experimentation in the pages, featuring a lot of familiar frames, and digital effects.

While I think this approach is probably a little heavy-handed, I'm actually really glad that they did it. I wouldn't want to read it in every issue, but it's just a nice quality to have seen tried. It's all too rare to see experimenting and evolution in the process of a comic in such a finite space of time.

Pictured above, you see Guile's famous match-winning taunt of the hair comb.
It's scenes like, and moves utilized by the fighters taken directly from the games, that probably made this such an easily acceptable read. As I said, I think it's maybe a little heavy-handed to literally recreate frames of animation from the gaming sprites, but without it I wonder if the series could've enjoyed the instant acceptance that can be so hard to garner from hardcore fans.

This first volume of Street Fighter represents a lot of fantastic things, and while UDON themselves acknowledge it got a little distracted at times, they did well to bring it all back to the tournament with Street Fighter II, and this remains a fantastic inclusion for any fan's collection.

That's probably about all for this week, but be back here next weekend as we continue to test the strength of the Street Fighting fraternity. We saw them go head-to-head with the Marvel heroes in the games, but this is the true test!

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 6
[Street Fighter has the unlikely honor of being the first issue published by Image Comics to be featured in the Infinite Wars. Granted, that's a true oddity on a site dedicated to superhero fisticuffs, but also a testament to the Street Fighter brand. We'll find our way to something else Image one of these days...]

RYU versus BALROG
"Super Action Series"
Where: Street Fighter II #1 When: July 1994
Writer: Masaomi Kanzaki Artist: Masaomi Kanzaki

The story so far...
Super cool wandering warrior, Ryu, has found his way to the man-made manhattan of the island, Shad.
While looking for a decent meal, he runs afoul gangsters who have been plaguing a small family owned restaurant for insurance money.

Ever the hero, Ryu comes to the aid of the sexy store manager, but not before incurring the wrath of the gang boss -- former boxing champion, Balrog!

Ryu offers Po-Lin and her little brother Wong-Mei a chance to free themselves of debt if they bet money on him to win the fight. But does Ryu have what it takes to win?

Tale of the tape...
Okay, this isn't a typical super hero clash, but using the Haseloff system of categorizing powers and abilities, hopefully these relatively human characters can be accurately shown to measure up.

Fans of the video games will recognize Balrog as a pretty big deal, especially considering this is Ryu's first fight in this particular incarnation of the manga. Although not the easiest or most versatile of playable characters in the Street Fighter games, Balrog has to be acknowledged as a big deal.

Strength: 4 (Steroid popper)
Speed: 3 (Trained athlete)
Fighting ability: 4 (Trained fighter)

Like any real prize fighter, Balrog's keys to victory are in his technique and ability to execute. While regarded as a supremely skilled fighter, Balrog is also known for his ferocity, a fact that saw him thrown out of the boxing circuit.
In a street fight, that viciousness could be his greatest weapon, combined with his incredible strength and relative speed.

Stamina: 4 (Athlete)
Fighting ability: 5 (Martial artist)
Energy: 3 (Explosives)

As a Shotokan karate fighter, you can enter into the debate of martial artist versus boxer very easily. Rather than try to split hairs, let us just assume that each have been measured by a universal standard, and that standard has ranked Ryu a more skilled fighter.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of Ryu's technique, particularly against one of the few Street Fighters unable to harness their ki, is his hadou-ken and shoryuken attacks. Balrog's strength would likely allow him to out fight Ryu through sheer power, but he has to be in close to do that.

Kicks, and energy attacks are Ryu's most likely chance, and you'd have to think it's a good one. Apart from being one of Street Fighter's most revered hero characters, he's also extremely skilled.

What went down...
Little Las Vegas! The grudge bout of the century!
"You're mine..." "Let's do it."

As the fight kicks off, Balrog takes the aggressive offensive, moving in with a barrage of punches and fancy footwork.
Ryu manages to block them all, and moves in for a roundhouse kick, but gets nothing but air.

Balrog's speed is on display as he dodges the kick, and find's Ryu dazed and confused. He unloads with a dashing uppercut, ripping the ribs of the Japanese fighter.

The pummelling continues as Balrog gives Ryu everything he's got. A flurry of high speed punches seem to be too much for Ryu, who really never got out of the gates, as he hits the mat.

Balrog's team greet the champ as all hope seems lost for Po-Lin and Wong-Mei's, who were betting the shop on this one. However, to the shock and amazement of everyone, Ryu gets up!

"When you were in the ring, nobody ever survived your combinations.
But now, you don't even have a third of your old strength."

Balrog goes berzerk! He tosses his towel aside and charges into battle with Ryu, as the Japanese fighter berates him, lamenting on his fall from grace.

The taunting is too much for the former champion, who puts everything into his last punch - but it never connects.

Ryu unleashes his hadou-ken attack, putting the finishing move on Balrog, but the threat isn't over. An over zealous goon lines Ryu up in the scope of his rifle and fires at the victor.

Fortunately for Ryu, a mysteriouso stoic Guile emerges just in time to deflect the shot and destroy the gun. Balrog shows signs of turning a new leaf, denouncing the sniper attempt. He is gracious in defeat.

The hammer...
By his own opponent's omission, Ryu emerges as the obvious victor.

It's probably not surprising that I'm a huge fan of beat 'em up video games, and the characters therein. Street Fighter is certainly among my favourites, and this was a long time coming.
I'm pretty sure something from the UDON efforts will turn up on Secret Earths soon enough.

This particular issue serves as this month's attempt at fulfilling the 'obscure' slot. I really know very little about the origins of the book, or what became of it.
Like other beat 'em up comics, I never saw anything beyond the first issue, but I'm not certain whether it failed to make print, or just wasn't distributed.

I actualy bought this issue at the time in a supermarket magazine section.
Generally in Australia, at the time, comics were sold in newsagencys (as well as comic shops, of course), so this was quite an unusual find.

As far as I know the book itself was a Japanese reprint, that may or may not have been printed by Marvel comics. The brand printed on the cover, as you may or may not be able to see in my scan, is Tokuma Comics.
Hopefully by the time of the March punch-up, I might be able to tell you more about this little gem. It's not terribly faithful to the Street Fighter story, but it's still a favourite.

NOTE (Nov. 29, 2007): The Tokuma Shoten series has been translated and reprinted in it's original black and white unedited form, by UDON comics. If you're picking it up via Amazon, consider yourself informed!

The Fight: 3
The Issue: 4

NEXT WEEK: Green Arrow bashes his head against a brick wall!