Another Castle - A Comic

[mcgriffin]

This is my first post of what I'm sure will be many more. Thought you guys might dig this little comic I made a few months back. Kind of my own vision of what a live-action Mario thing could be. Enjoy.









Follow ups to come sooner than later.

[1upmushroom]

This was...very well done actually. I always knew Bowser and Peach had something. Hence why he kepts taking her to his castle. I also liked the drawing style. It was pretty edgy.

[Redstar]

Brilliant comic, McGriffin. You see these "realistic" or "gritty" takes on the Super Mario Bros. mythos often, but this was the first time I felt it was respectful to what the source material was really about. The idea of there being another world, one with different "rules" and that can be forgotten (like the worlds of childhood imagination or Neverland) overrides any mature take on those characters. There's a certain faithfulness in capturing those ideas and using them as subtle themes as subtext for the realism.

I think these ideas would have worked very well in the context of the film. While it doesn't seem to have influenced your concept too much, I find it amusing that in this rendition Peach accepts Koopa's tongue whereas in the film she (as Daisy) denied it.

[mcgriffin]

Brilliant comic, McGriffin. You see these "realistic" or "gritty" takes on the Super Mario Bros. mythos often, but this was the first time I felt it was respectful to what the source material was really about. The idea of there being another world, one with different "rules" and that can be forgotten (like the worlds of childhood imagination or Neverland) overrides any mature take on those characters. There's a certain faithfulness in capturing those ideas and using them as subtle themes as subtext for the realism.

Hey, thanks man! Yeah, I'm always bummed when people try to do the noir thing while pushing too hard on being dark and messed up, and less on simply being adult and stylish. I want it to feel like it coexists with the game, as oppose to being an adaptation or re-imagining. Like, I'm probably never going to do a "shrooms" gag, or have Mario join the mafia or anything like that.

I can say for sure that though it's not directly related to the movie now, the seed of the idea came from an urge to do Super Mario Bros The Movie fan fiction when I was younger. Ironically, just about everything about it was switched, with Mario being stranded in the other dimension and forgetting where he came from. The idea just sort of grew into something different from there. Sort of a compromise, with the logic from the movie, but the characters and history from the games.

[KoopaBro64]

Very well done indeed! Your style in this comic kinda reminds me of, "Maus" another dark graphic novel

Great artwork & writing!

[Phlibbit]

Ah, thanks for posting these, mcgriffin.

I really enjoyed your interpretation here. It's "adult" without being too terribly blatant about it. Any influences from the film for this? One of the earlier drafts of the script has Mario owing money to the mob (Scapelli) and it's pretty funny.

Anyway, I really loved that sense that Luigi slowly forgot what the Mushroom Kingdom was a cool concept. Reminded me of how in HOOK the kids forgot what their "real" lives were after being in Neverland for so long. And having Luigi "remember" was kind of like how Peter remembered to fly, etc.


^Looks like Redstar thought some of the same things--didn't read that before writing this, ha.


Another cool thing to check out that I got to thinking about after reading your influences, mcgrifin--Grant Morrison's Batman, R.I.P. Some of the same concepts in there, at one point, Bruce Wayne "forgets" who he is, leaving only the "Batman" personality.

[Redstar]

Hey, thanks man! Yeah, I'm always bummed when people try to do the noir thing while pushing too hard on being dark and messed up, and less on simply being adult and stylish. I want it to feel like it coexists with the game, as oppose to being an adaptation or re-imagining. Like, I'm probably never going to do a "shrooms" gag, or have Mario join the mafia or anything like that.

I find the pervasive "drug trip" take on the Mushroom Kingdom to be an incredibly weak re-imagining of the entire concept of the video game. Has no one really heard of Alice in Wonderland? It's just a concept that requires a much more creative touch. You certainly have that touch, as evidenced by this comic.

[mcgriffin]

Any influences from the film for this? One of the earlier drafts of the script has Mario owing money to the mob (Scapelli) and it's pretty funny.

I actually just learned of that today! I was actually going to name the loan-shark in the story Scapelli in honor of the similarity to the film without even knowing about the earlier iteration where Mario owed him money. Also, the Bob-Ombs in my story will be exactly as they are from the movie, and I want to maybe eventually have a game-movie compromise version of the Devo Chamber, and if I go down that road, it'd be a very clear reference to the movie.

Here's hoping I ever get that far. These Mario comics sadly have to stay at a low priority, but I should get some time to do another 6 or 7 pages soon.

[Redstar]

Also, the Bob-Ombs in my story will be exactly as they are from the movie, and I want to maybe eventually have a game-movie compromise version of the Devo Chamber, and if I go down that road, it'd be a very clear reference to the movie.

There's no real difference between the portrayal of Bob-Ombs in the film compared to the games. As evidenced by the script, the film's Bob-Ombs are sentient, so it's really just the size.

It should also be somewhat easy to integrate the de-evolution concept into your re-imagining with a more game-oriented theme as it's essentially an homage to Super Mario Bros. 3.

[mcgriffin]

There's no real difference between the portrayal of Bob-Ombs in the film compared to the games. As evidenced by the script, the film's Bob-Ombs are sentient, so it's really just the size.

It should also be somewhat easy to integrate the de-evolution concept into your re-imagining with a more game-oriented theme as it's essentially an homage to Super Mario Bros. 3.

Oh wow. I never looked at it that way. That might be the key to connecting the two concepts for sure.

The element of the Bob-Ombs that I specifically want to borrow from the movie is how extremely small they are vs the huge explosion. I may make them a touch bigger, just so they can interact with the characters more, but still something you could fit in a bag or backpack. Bob-Ombs have always exploded in the games, but only in the movie can they level buildings and cause mass panic. By the way, by far my favorite part of the movie.