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Comix Zone
Developer(s)Sega Technical Institute
Publisher(s)Sega
Designer(s)Peter Morawiec
Programmer(s)Adrian Stephens
Writer(s)Peter Morawiec
Composer(s)Howard Drossin
Platform(s)Sega Genesis, Windows, Game Boy Advance
ReleaseSega Genesis
  • NA: August 2, 1995
  • JP: September 1, 1995
  • EU: October 27, 1995
Windows
  • NA: November 1995
  • EU: March 1996
Game Boy Advance
  • EU: September 11, 2002
Genre(s)Beat 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player

Comix Zone is a 1995 beat 'em up game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. The side-scrolling game is set within the panels of a comic book, with dialogue rendered in speech balloons and backgrounds with the art style of superhero comics. Comix Zone follows Sketch Turner, an artist and musician who is sucked into his own comic book. The player battles through comic book pages in each level to escape and prevent Sketch's villain, a powerful mutant, from taking form in the real world.

STI's Peter Morawiec conceived Comix Zone after joining his co-workers on a trip to a comic book shop. His concept was approved by STI head Roger Hector and Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske when he presented it in December 1992, but development did not begin until after the release of Sonic Spinball (1993). Comix Zone was developed by a team of 12, which included comic book artists Tony DeZuniga and Alex Niño and sought to faithfully replicate a comic book in design and animation. It became STI's top project with the full support of Sega's marketing department and was one of only two games, the other being The Ooze (1995), to bear the STI logo.

Comix Zone was released for the Genesis and Windows in late 1995 to positive reviews. Critics felt its concept was unique, successfully blending the video game and comic book mediums, and praised the visuals and music. However, they criticized the gameplay as simplistic, repetitive, and lacking innovation. Comix Zone underperformed commercially because it was released late in the Genesis' lifecycle, after the launch of next-generation hardware such as the Sega Saturn and Sony's PlayStation. Proposed sequels were never developed, and after the cancellation of Sonic X-treme and STI's closure in 1996, Morawiec and Stephens left Sega to form Luxoflux.

Comix Zone has developed a cult following and has been rereleased for various platforms, including for the Game Boy Advance in 2002 and through compilations such as Sonic Mega Collection (2002) and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009). These rereleases brought Comix Zone wider recognition and retrospective reviewers have reappraised it as one of the best Genesis games. A film adaptation entered development in 2022.

Gameplay

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Comix Zone is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game with platform and puzzle elements.[1] It is set within the panels of a comic book; dialogue is rendered in speech balloons and backgrounds with the art style of American superhero comics. The story begins when Sketch Turner, a comic book artist and rock musician, is working on his newest comic book, Comix Zone. Lightning strikes one of the panels and unleashes Sketch's antagonist, the powerful mutant Mortus. Mortus desires to take form in the real world and sends Sketch into the post-apocalyptic world of the comic in an attempt to kill him. The player is guided by General Alissa Cyan, who believes Sketch is destined to save the world from Mortus.

Levels comprise two comic book pages and span environments such as sewers, shipwrecks, mountains, East Asian temples, and caves.[1] Sketch, the player character of the single-player game, must travel through the pages by jumping between panels and avoiding obstacles. He can punch, kick, jump, pull levels, and discover secrets by ripping the pages' paper. To progress, the player must defeat all enemies or solve a puzzle within a panel. They are then directed to the next panel; some areas offer multiple routes. Sketch's health is diminished when he is damaged by enemies or obstacles, punches breakable objects, or rips paper. If Sketch loses all his health or falls down a bottomless pit, the game ends and Mortus takes form.

The player can store up to three items in Sketch's inventory to help overcome obstacles. Items include weapons, such as bombs and knives, a fist that transforms Sketch into a superhero who deals damage to all on-screen enemies, and iced tea that restores Sketch's health. With the six-button Sega Genesis controller, the three top buttons correspond to Sketch's three inventory slots. If played with the three-button controller, players cycle through their inventory using the rightmost button.

Development

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Conception

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Comix Zone was conceived by the Sega Technical Institute (STI) programmer Peter Morawiec.[2] Many of Morawiec's fellow STI developers were comic book fans and made monthly trips to local comic shops.[3] He devised the Comix Zone concept after joining his co-workers on one of their trips to a shop in Palo Alto, California.[4] Morawiec "felt that comics and games could be very complementary" and began working on a demo video for his Commodore Amiga.[2] His inspiration for the story came from the 1985 music video for "Take On Me" by A-ha, which depicts a race car driver in a comic book connecting with a woman in the real world. Morawiec added a dystopian setting based on his passion for science fiction films.[5]

Morawiec presented the video, "Joe Pencil Trapped in the Comix Zone", to STI head Roger Hector in December 1992.[2][6] Hector was enthralled by the concept, saying: "The minute I saw it, I knew it was going to be great."[7] He encouraged Morawiec to pitch it directly to Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske, who approved it.[6] Although Kalinske wanted development to begin immediately, Comix Zone was placed on hold so STI could work on Sonic Spinball (1993), as Sega wanted to have a Sonic the Hedgehog game available for the 1993 holiday shopping season.[6] Following Spinball's release, STI pitched several concepts, including Comix Zone, to Sega management. Kalinske remembered Comix Zone and asked STI to begin development.[2]

Morawiec approached programmer Adrian Stephens, who had joined STI as a programmer as Spinball was nearing completion, about working on Comix Zone. Development began with a three-man team of Morawiec, Stephens, and executive producer Dean Lester.[6] According to Hector, "It took a few months to put together a team capable of delivering the game".[7] The team grew as large as a dozen people and was given high priority at STI and the full support of the studio. Additional staff included Jonah Hex co-creator Tony DeZuniga, comic book artist Alex Niño, lead animator Bob Steele, artist Chris Senn, programmer Stieg Hedlund, and associate producer Mike Wallis.[8][9] Hector, who served as the manager, credited Morawiec as the project lead.[7]

Production

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The initial protagonist was Joe Pencil, a "geeky-looking" character who Morawiec based on "the classic comic book angle of a scrawny kid getting transformed into a powerful superhero."[2] However, Sega's marketing department objected to the character's name and design, so he was renamed Sketch Turner and Morawiec, a fan of the Smashing Pumpkins, redesigned him to resemble a grunge rocker.[2][3] Marketing also demanded, against Morawiec's wishes, that Sketch have a sidekick, a popular trend in games at the time. Morawiec did not want Sketch to be followed by a human or a large animal, so he conceived Roadkill since a rat "didn't take up a lot of screen space, and we could do quite a bit with it in terms of puzzles and such."[2] Marketing felt that a pet rat was an awkward choice,[10] but Lester and the other developers supported it.[2]

Jonah Hex co-creator Tony DeZuniga (pictured in 2011) designed Comix Zone's beginning and ending sequences.

STI sought to design Comix Zone faithfully to its comic book theme, including in its animation style.[6] DeZuniga designed the beginning and ending sequences; he drew the art with ink and pencils before scanning it into a computer and processing it for the Genesis.[10] Senn contributed character animations as well as some background art and bosses.[11] As development progressed, Stephens found it challenging to program the game so it would fit within two megabytes while being able to decompress large pages of graphics during play. He noted that the Genesis was not designed with this process in mind, but was pleased that he managed to make it happen.[12] When STI sent Comix Zone to Sega of Japan for review, it received a note claiming the game "embodied everything that was wrong with American culture". Hedlund said the team took this as "high praise".[8]

The development was relatively smooth and Comix Zone became STI's top project with the full support of Sega's marketing department,[11] although it was repeatedly delayed so the team could add more features.[13] It was one of the only two games, the other being The Ooze, to bear the STI logo.[3] It was the first game that Wallis worked on during his time at Sega,[14] and the last Genesis game Senn worked on.[15] The soundtrack was composed by Howard Drossin, who used the GEMS sound driver[1] and chose a rock music style. Drossin sought to demonstrate the sound capabilities of the Genesis and that it could produce more than just chiptune. He provided most of the male audio clips, while various administrative assistants provided female audio clips. Morawiec contributed the voice of the villain Gravis.[16]

Late in development, Sega's testing department recommended that the difficulty level be increased. Average players found it difficult to complete the game as a result, and Morawiec expressed regret that he followed the test department's recommendation.[17] As development concluded, pressure was mounting as the American STI team had not released a game since Spinball. Further complicating matters was the forthcoming release of Sega's new consoles, the 32X and Sega Saturn, and Stephens expecting a child. Resultingly, Comix Zone's scope was reduced for a sooner-than-planned release and two levels had to be removed.[16] In retrospect, Morawiec felt the development would have greatly benefited from the contributions of STI's more experienced Japanese staff, who had split from the main team following the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992).[2]

Release

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Comix Zone was released for the Genesis in North America on August 2, 1995, in Japan on September 1, 1995, and in Europe on October 27, 1995.[18] The game received a small print run in Japan and became an expensive collector's item in the years following its release.[1] A port for Windows was released in North America in November 1995 and in Europe in March 1996.[19][20] The port, released when Microsoft was promoting Windows 95 as a legitimate game platform, is largely identical to the Genesis version, though it features a MIDI rendition of the soundtrack.[1] Sales of Comix Zone were hampered by its late release in the Genesis' lifecycle, after the worldwide launch of next-generation hardware like the Saturn and Sony's PlayStation. According to Stephens, Hector said that Comix Zone failed to break even;[21] Morawiec attributed its underperformance to the popularity of the PlayStation.[2]

To promote Comix Zone as "edgy and cool", Sega bundled Comix Zone with a CD featuring rock songs by popular bands such as Love and Rockets, Danzig, and the Jesus and Mary Chain.[16] STI originally planned for the bundled CD to contain several Comix Zone tracks performed by a grunge band that Drossin had formed in Los Angeles, but Sega chose a different approach. Morawiec said that the team, particularly Drossin, were upset by the change, though their planned CD was still manufactured and distributed via a magazine, European and Windows copies, and Sega's short-lived Sega Tunes label.[2][1] Hardcore Gaming 101 described the rock CD as "a stunt that further drives the nineties-ness of [Comix Zone] as a time capsule for an era when game companies often released a lot of crazy promotional crap to sell their products".[1]

Reception

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Genesis:

  • https://retrocdn.net/images/0/0a/EGM_US_073.pdf (p. 35)
    • Ed Semrad: 8.5/10. One of the better action games for the Genesis, sounds unique and graphics are very colorful. The comic book theme and branching paths are cool. "The fighting interface is a bit too loose" and it's really easy to die, but the game's originality makes it worth checking out.
    • Danyon Carpenter: 8.0/10. The "look, feel and style" are really unique. It's the first time he's seen a game attempt to replicate a comic and it's impressive. Controls are "pretty good", sounds are unique for a Sega game, and the persistent dialogue "thrusts you into the dark and seedy world of a comic book". Worth checking out for its originality.
    • Al Manuel: 7.0/10. Thought the concept sounded bad at first, but the game's actually decent. The persistent dialogue, comic-esque art, graphical effects, and collectible items are enjoyable. The controls aren't the best but are still passable.
    • Sushi-X: 8.0/10. The game's very original, its concept works well. Graphics are very colorful for the Genesis, while the gameplay isn't amazing the graphics carry it. Only real issue is how often you'll die, the game's originality makes it worth playing.
  • https://retrocdn.net/images/f/f2/Fusion_US_0101.pdf (p. 72) (should be a good source for plot/gameplay)
    • It's rare for a game to simultaneously be innovative and have attitude, and Comix Zone's presentation is so different that it makes relatively standard gameplay "seem completely new". It's the closest thing Sega's got to a DKC substitute
    • Sketch hopping from panel to panel is "one of those 'oh, wow' moments" that more games should have.
    • The numerous comic book touches are great, with the speech balloons, enemies bursting into shreds of paper when they die, and a hand drawing in enemies.
    • Other great elements include Sketch's animations, "the funny, irreverent writing", and the year's most original video game soundtrack.
    • Verdict: A. A certain contender for Game of the Year.
  • https://retrocdn.net/images/8/8d/GamePlayers_US_0808.pdf (p. 60)
    • Comics and video games aren't a very natural combination, and while we've seen superhero video games, there's been nothing like Comix Zone
    • The visuals, soundtrack, and unique concept are great and make the game look interesting, but it's a case of style over substance
    • The gameplay's basically identical to Final Fight and its clones; picking up objects, using switches, and the alternate pathways add a little variety but not enough.
    • It's a cool idea that isn't executed properly. It's still "one of the few decent 16-bit games still coming out", but the controls are bad and the approach, while unique, just doesn't pan out. (extends onto p. 61)
    • Verdict: 72%.
  • https://retrocdn.net/images/2/24/GamePro_US_073.pdf (p. 64)
    • Tries to do something unprecedented, authentically recreating a comic book and bringing it to life in a game. Visually impressive and conceptually cool, but bad controls and repetitive gameplay hold it back
    • Sketch has a good assortment of moves at his disposal, but the controls are imprecise and unresponsive. Your movement is limited and it's impossible to predict what mashing the buttons will do.
    • You'll die a lot, often from hidden things (like mines) you won't see coming.
    • There are a good number of enemy varieties, but they become repetitive quickly. And puzzles are limited to simple things like "turn the switch"
    • Soundtrack is cool but the graphics are something else. Genuinely innovative, backgrounds are gorgeous, enemies and obstacles look slick and authentically comic booky.
    • Verdict: it's easy to love the game for its originality, but it's severely lacking in the gameplay department. Thumbs up for the ingenuity but fixing the gameplay requires going back to the drawing board.
    • 5.0 for graphics, 4.0 for sound, 2.5 for control, 3.5 for fun factor
  • https://retrocdn.net/images/c/cb/SegaMagazine_UK_21.pdf (84-85)
    • Sam Hickman: wasn't impressed when the game was revealed, thought it looked like a Streets of Rage clone disguised by nice graphics. After playing it has changed mind, gameplay is "slick" and the panel shifts mean you won't get annoyed by the repetitive gameplay. Only annoyance is that you're booted back to the start when you die. Aside from that, the best Genesis game in months
    • Tom Guise: "brilliant piece of software", graphics and audio are excellent and the concept works really well. Despite only having six levels, it's the best beat 'em up since Streets of Rage 3.
    • Proves the Genesis is still getting innovative games, with the Saturn it's easy to forget that.
    • Graphically not groundbreaking, but "slick" and there's a lot of variety. Fast-paced and divided into small chunks perfectly.
    • Verdict: 90/100
  • https://retrocdn.net/images/d/d0/MeanMachinesSega36UK.pdf (74-76)

PC:

Post-release

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Stephens said that Comix Zone's late release delayed STI's movement to developing Saturn software, and that "neither STI nor the Saturn ever recovered from that."[22] Following Comix Zone and The Ooze, STI shifted resources to the Saturn game Sonic X-treme, which evolved from a concept Morawiec had pitched before starting work on Comix Zone. Comix Zone's associate producer, Mike Wallis, was placed in charge of X-treme.[23][24] X-treme faced numerous problems during development, including company politics and obstacles with the game engines planned for use. After two lead developers became ill, Wallis canceled X-treme,[24] and STI was disbanded in 1996 as a result of changes in management.[25] Morawiec and Stephens left Sega to form Luxoflux,[25] which developed games such as Vigilante 8 (1998), Star Wars: Demolition (2000), and True Crime: Streets of LA (2003).[26] They also formed Isopod Labs together in January 2007.[27] Hector kept a copy of "Joe Pencil Trapped in the Comix Zone" to use as an example for how to make a strong pitch.[7]

A sequel was proposed but never developed.[7] Due to Comix Zone's failure to meet sales expectations and Sega shifting focus to the Saturn, Morawiec, Stephens, and Drossin resolved to form an independent studio in Los Angeles. However, Hector and Sega of America vice president Shinobu Toyoda persuaded them to stay and set up an office to begin work on a Saturn Sonic game.[2] During this time, Morawiec conceived a Comix Zone sequel in which the player would jump out of comic book panels into a 3D world.[2][22] He recalled that Marvel Comics and Japanese companies expressed interest in licensed Comix Zone games, but nothing came of it.[22] In 2007, Morawiec said the Activision game Ultimate Spider-Man (2005) was similar to how he envisioned a 3D Comix Zone sequel. He felt comic books' decline in popularity made the concept of playing inside one unappealing: "It's a cool hook and provides for nice visual pizzazz, but I think that most people would much rather pretend being a real comic book hero, as opposed being one just on paper."[2]

Rereleases

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The Japanese version of Sonic Mega Collection (2002), a GameCube compilation of the Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog games, includes Comix Zone as an unlockable game.[28] Yojiro Ogawa, Sonic Team's head designer, was a "huge fan" of Comix Zone and pushed for its inclusion.[22] Internationally, it was included in the expanded PlayStation 2 (PS2) and Xbox version, Sonic Mega Collection Plus.[29] Other compilations featuring Comix Zone include Sega Genesis Collection (2005) for the PS2 and PlayStation Portable;[30] Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009) for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360;[31] and Sega Genesis Classics (2018) for Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.[32] It was also included in the Sega Genesis Mini, a Genesis-themed dedicated console, in 2019.

A Game Boy Advance (GBA) port of Comix Zone was released in limited quantities in Europe on September 11, 2002. GamesTM wrote that its reduced screen size "lessened the illusion of being inside a comic and made the game feel more like your traditional beat-'em-up."[17] Sega has released downloadable emulations of the Genesis version for the Wii via the Virtual Console (2007),[33] the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade (2009),[34] Windows via Steam (2010), the PS3 via PlayStation Store (2011), Android and iOS as part of the Sega Forever series (2017), and the Nintendo Switch for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers (2022). The Xbox 360 and PS3 releases were branded as part of the Sega Vintage Collection line.[34]

Legacy

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In the years following its release, Comix Zone developed a cult following. Original Genesis cartridges are cheap and easy to find. STI developers are pleased it's more popular today. Morawiec says he meets people who love the game all the time and considers it one of his better games.[22]

Unbound Saga comparisons[1][2][3][4]

Stieg Hedlund, lead Diablo designer, worked on it[5]

Best Genesis games[6][7]

Retrospective assessments

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Film adaptation

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In August 2022, Sega announced it was collaborating with Picturestart to produce a Comix Zone film adaptation.[35] Picturestart's Royce Reeves-Darby, Erik Feig, and Samie Kim Falvey were set to produce the film alongside Sega's Toru Nakahara and Kagasei Shimomura, while Young Justice writer Mae Catt was writing the script. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Catt's story featured a disgruntled comic book creator and a queer writer of color who become stuck in a comic book and work together to stop a supervillain.[36]

Notes

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Plasket, Michael (August 23, 2017). "Comix Zone". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Horowitz, Ken (April 20, 2007). "Interview: Peter Morawiec (STI Programmer)". Sega-16. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Horowitz, Ken (June 11, 2007). "Developer's Den: Sega Technical Institute". Sega-16. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  4. ^ GamesTM staff 2010, p. 150.
  5. ^ Horowitz 2016, p. 92.
  6. ^ a b c d e Horowitz 2016, p. 93.
  7. ^ a b c d e Horowitz, Ken (February 15, 2005). "Interview: Roger Hector". Sega-16. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Horowitz, Ken (December 15, 2006). "Interview: Stieg Hedlund (STI Programmer)". Sega-16. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  9. ^ Horowitz 2016, p. 93-94.
  10. ^ a b Stuart 2014, p. 287.
  11. ^ a b Horowitz 2016, p. 94.
  12. ^ GamesTM staff 2010, p. 151.
  13. ^ Day 2006, p. 31.
  14. ^ Horowitz, Ken (June 19, 2007). "Interview: Mike Wallis (SOA Producer)". Sega-16.
  15. ^ Horowitz, Ken (April 3, 2007). "Interview: Chris Senn (STI Artist)". Sega-16. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  16. ^ a b c Horowitz 2016, p. 94-95.
  17. ^ a b GamesTM staff 2010, p. 152.
  18. ^ "Comix Zone (MD / Mega Drive) Game Profile I News, Reviews, Videos & Screenshots". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  19. ^ Sega of America (September 18, 1995). "Sega enters PC gaming market with hit titles, key partnerships". Business Wire. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2021 – via The Free Dictionary.
  20. ^ Guise 1996, p. 58.
  21. ^ GamesTM staff 2010, p. 148–153.
  22. ^ a b c d e GamesTM staff 2010, p. 153.
  23. ^ Horowitz 2016, p. 98–100.
  24. ^ a b Fahs, Travis (May 29, 2008). "Sonic X-Treme Revisited". IGN. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  25. ^ a b Day 2006, p. 33.
  26. ^ Cavert, Justin (October 11, 2002). "Activision acquires Luxoflux". GameSpot. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  27. ^ Dobson, J (November 7, 2008). "Joystiq interview: Hitting the open road with Vigilante 8 dev Isopod Labs". Engadget. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  28. ^ "『コミックス ゾーン』" [Comix Zone]. Sonic Mega Collection (in Japanese). Sonic Team. Archived from the original on August 3, 2003. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  29. ^ Perry, Douglass C. (October 14, 2004). "Sonic Mega Collection Plus Impressions". IGN. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  30. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (November 15, 2005). "Sega Genesis Collection Review". IGN. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  31. ^ Orry, Tom (February 19, 2009). "SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection Review". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  32. ^ Hatfield, Daemon (May 29, 2018). "SEGA Genesis Classics Review". IGN. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  33. ^ Bramwell, Tom (February 2, 2007). "Gradius and Comix Zone on VC". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  34. ^ a b Goldstein, Hilary (June 10, 2019). "Comix Zone Review". IGN. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  35. ^ Blake, Vikki (August 21, 2022). "Sega is now turning Space Channel 5 and Comix Zone into movies". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  36. ^ Kit, Borys (August 19, 2022). "Sega, Picturestart team for video game adaptations 'Space Channel 5,' 'Comix Zone' (exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 24, 2022.

Works cited

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