Marvel handed three writers one comic and gave each of them a different corner of the MARVEL Tōkon universe. MARVEL Tōkon: First Strike #1 is an anthology special from Marvel Comics, tied to MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, the tag team fighter from PlayStation, Arc System Works and Marvel Games that released on August 6. Steve Orlando, Tom Waltz and Josh Trujillo each wrote a story for it.
Art comes from Bruno Büll, Áthila Fabbio and Ryusei Yamada. The special stars the game’s two breakout teams, the Fighting Avengers and the Unbreakable X-Men, and fills in the backstories of its antagonists, the Promoter and the Champion.
What stories are in MARVEL Tōkon: First Strike #1?
Orlando retells the Champion’s origin, with the Silver Surfer as his antagonist. He told D23 it’ll be tragic. The Champion, the Promoter and the Surfer all come from people who survived catastrophe, and all three came out of it changed. “The Champion takes his pain out on the universe, the Promoter internalizes it, and the Surfer takes the burden of the whole universe upon himself,” Orlando said. He also teases a glimmer of hope for the Promoter, and a real question about whether she’s strong enough to take it.
Trujillo’s story is called “The Battles Ahead,” and it follows the Unbreakable X-Men through their leader, Storm. He describes it as a prequel with long-reaching consequences for the launch game and beyond, built on big action beats and quieter ones.
Waltz wrote a direct prequel to the Fighting Avengers portion of MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, the part players meet in manga-style animated cut scenes. Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and Hulk have had a falling out before the game starts. His story explains what caused the rift. Waltz, a former Marine, made Cap his point-of-view character. “I’m a die-hard Captain America fan from way back,” he said. Javier Tartaglia colored those pages, Joe Sabino lettered them, and Lauren Amaro edited.
Do you need to know the comics first?
No, at least by Trujillo’s account. “These stories in MARVEL Tōkon: First Strike are completely original, so new players don’t have to worry about catching up on a lot of continuity,” he said. He added that there’s a grand plan for MARVEL Tōkon’s story, and this comic is where it starts.
Waltz’s team worked the other way. The game developers had already laid the groundwork, so his group saw early versions of the in-game cut scenes and got a bulleted scenario of beats to hit. After that, he says they had free rein.
Orlando’s hope for readers is shorter. “Sympathy for the devil!”
Source: D23
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