The first Double Dragon arcade game came out in 1987 and launched an era of phenomenal success for scrolling action games, with countless successors expanding on the elements and innovations that Double Dragon brought.
Though a masterpiece at the time, somehow the sequels never reached the same level as the original. Still, the game was hugely influential and was ported to almost every console and computer platform, allowing players to battle bad guys at home as twin brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee, regardless of their hardware. Oddly enough, it was also ported to the Atari 2600. It wasn’t very good, but considering the limitations of the console, it joins many of the other arcade conversions for the 2600, such as Donkey Kong, as a great piece of work that deserves praise.
Either way, this popularity has seen Double Dragon grow beyond the confines of video games: Few people remember that the 1994 film featured Robert Patrick, aka the T-1000, as the final boss, boasting a very unique appearance.
Even fewer remember the animated series, which came out a year before the live-action film and lasted just one season. Like the film, the series took the video game’s simple tale of revenge and violence and added a bunch of its own embellishments, including, for some reason, adding superhero-style transformations to its two heroes.
But perhaps the least known video game adaptation is the 1991 Marvel Comics series. Running for just six issues, the series was published at a time when comics were beginning to embrace ultra-violence, but rather than aping the gritty, street-level, contemporary style of the video games, Marvel opted for something entirely different.
The city of Oligopolis has fallen under the control of a mysterious supervillain named Knightfall, who has a host of powerful minions, each with their own special powers. Standing in the way of these evil baddies are bickering martial arts brothers William and James (yes, Billy and Jimmy!) Lee, aka Double Dragon, who each have their own superpowers.
In this first issue, the Lee siblings’ associate, undercover police officer Marian Steele, is kidnapped by the Knightfall gang and placed inside a giant hourglass, in danger of suffocating in sand if not rescued in time. The Lee siblings set out to find her and save her life, battling various members of the gang in a variety of environments.
Given the first issue’s completely outlandish premise, and the sci-fi and superhero elements that feel tacked on and unnecessary (considering how much personality is injected into the video game’s memorable stage bosses – Abobo, for example?), this is a bit of an odd comic.
The dialogue is exaggerated and melodramatic for no reason (even the villain’s name is incredibly pretentious) and the setting, which appears to be set in a cyberpunk-esque sci-fi metropolis, feels completely unnecessary.
But the game is cleverly structured like a video game, with the Lee brothers defeating henchmen, then the level’s boss, progressing to the next level with a different environment, and finally reaching a final point where Marian’s life is in danger.
The end of the first video game sees players one and two battling each other for ultimate victory, something writer Dwayne McDuffie makes sure to feature here, though it doesn’t feel particularly logical, despite the bickering that plays out throughout the issue. Marian does have a bit more agency though, and it’s good to see her as more than just a “prize” for the boys to fight over.
It’s very much a product of the times. Considering that UDON Entertainment recently released a Final Fight comic that was faithful to the source material, funniest dialogue and all, it’s not unreasonable to expect a more faithful Double Dragon comic could easily be made today. That would have been the case back then too, if publishers hadn’t been so averse to simply adapting the games. After all, this was a time when The Punisher was a big hit in the comic world, and his gritty style would have been a perfect fit for Double Dragon.
Either way, it’s certainly an interesting read at the very least, and with only six issues it won’t be difficult or expensive to acquire and read the whole thing, so watch this space for an upcoming review of that strange early ’90s Marvel Double Dragon comic.
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