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Comic books and video games have a long history of crossover appeal. From the early days of the medium in the 1980s, video games have often featured artwork and stories very similar to their graphic fiction counterparts, and the audiences of both have always been closely associated. It is no surprise then, that there have been hundreds of video games based on comic book properties.
Due to the constraints of video games of the time, however, they were often lacking when it came to their ability to tell satisfactory stories, and it was only natural that this would be rectified by an industry with a built-in audience who already enjoyed both forms of entertainment. While the ability for video games to tell stories in recent years has vastly improved, this tradition of the comic book adaptation to detail and expand upon the digital universe still runs strong to this day.
10 Assassin’s Creed Introduces New Protagonists & Settings
The problem with a video game property with a premise as tantalizing and full of endless possibilities as the Assassin’s Creed series is that it is impossible to delve into every nook and cranny proposed by its concept—even with annual entries. What the comic book adaptation promised was a peek into some of the settings that fans were dying to see, but might otherwise never get to experience.
First published by Titan Comics, before moving to Dark Horse, and running for multiple titles and series, the Assassin’s Creed comic books not only give fans of the video game franchise expanded stories featuring some of their favorite characters from the games, but also introduce new protagonists and settings; the Salem witch trials, early 20th-century Russia, the Vietnam war, and more.
9 Dark Horse’s Tomb Raider Reinvents An Iconic Hero
Based on the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot series of video games, and written by superstar writers Gail Simone, Mariko Tamaki, and Rhianna Pratchett, the Dark Horse series focuses on the reimagined origins of the iconic Lara Croft, both pre, and post, Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
Attempting to redefine an already well-established character is no easy task, but this series of comic books took the universally loved Lara Croft and gave readers an insight into a more vulnerable, human side to her that had never been seen before. While fans remain divided on which version of the character they prefer—pre-reboot or post—what most can agree on is that this was a refreshing, original take on one of the most beloved icons in video game history.
8 Archie’s Sonic The Hedgehog Helped Create A Whole Universe
The longest-running comic book based on a video game of all time (and, indeed, the longest-running licensed comic book in history), Archie’s whopping 24-year-long, 290-issue run with Sega’s everlasting mascot is certainly one for the record books and a real favorite among fans of the franchise.
Starting in 1992, the comic encompasses not only the entire history of the games but also the various animated series’s/tie-ins that cropped up during the various periods of its lifespan. Truly monumental in building what fans know today as the Sonic universe, it’s difficult to picture Sonic and his supporting cast without thinking of their depictions in this series.
7 Street Fighter Gives Substance To A Historic Franchise
Published since 2006, Udon’s Street Fighter comic books series mix brilliant art with superb storytelling that have come to help make sense of a historically convoluted and hard-to-follow continuity plagued with inconsistencies and retcons. A true passion project, more so than perhaps any other video game-based comic book, Street Fighter feels like it was made by the fans, for the fans.
Crossing over with various other Capcom fighting game properties such as Final Fight and Rival Schools—as the games themselves often do—this comic book series has a genuine sense of belonging, and is a must-read for all fans of the property, and indeed, fighting games in general.
6 Metal Gear Solid Retells A Classic Story In A Beautiful Way
Most comic book adaptations of video game properties seek to expand upon aspects of a game’s story that were impossible to flesh out fully. IDW’s Metal Gear Solid lent itself perfectly to serving as a retelling of the grand story told in Hideo Kojima’s masterpiece in an, oftentimes, much easier to digest, more manageable fashion.
With phenomenal artwork by Ashley Wood that evokes the in-game concept and box art that fans have come to love, this is one of the most unique titles in video game/comic book adaptations, and truly stands apart as a jaw-dropping, sensational piece of art that can comfortably sit side-by-side with its video game counterpart.
5 Batman: Arkham Adds To An Already Well Fleshed-Out Universe
In somewhat of a unique situation, DC’s tie-in comic books for the Batman: Arkham series of video games are comic books based on a video game property, which in turn are based on comic books themselves. Sticking to the video game continuity as set up in Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, Arkham Origins, and Arkham Knight, this comic book series goes into much more detail around the separate universe in which they inhabit.
Serving as both prequels, sequels, and retellings of the video game stories; the titles in this long-running series feature the usual high-quality storytelling and artwork that has come to be expected from DC, with talents such as Paul Dini and Peter J. Tomasi brought in to expand on the games’ story.
4 Fleetway’s Sonic The Comic Introduced A Generation To Comic Books
Published from 1992 to 2002, Fleetway’s Sonic the Comic was a British-style comic book anthology that not only created its own, separate continuity and universe from Archie’s titles, but also to the games themselves. It even featured strips focused on other Sega properties of the time, such as Streets of Rage and Golden Axe; and was majorly influential in expanding their backstories and universes as well.
A constant of newsagent shelves across the UK throughout the 1990s; Sonic the Comic will forever be remembered by kids of the time as being an easily accessible, uniquely British entry-point to the world of comic books, as well as Sonic the Hedgehog himself.
3 Darkstalkers Helps Keep An Underrated Franchise Alive
While Street Fighter may be Capcom’s premier fighting game franchise; Darkstalkers is the criminally underrated, and often forgotten horror-themed sister title. Udon, on the other hand, has not forgotten this incredible series of games, and their series of Darkstalkers comic books (as well as the Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers crossover) are well worth checking out.
Filled with exciting fight scenes, spooky and macabre goings-on, incredible art, and razor-sharp writing; Darkstalkers, much like its video game counterpart, is a criminally underrated series that demands a second look.
2 Injustice Transcends Its Source Material
Fighting games are awesome, but on the surface level, they don’t often lend themselves well to telling a great story—Injustice, on the other hand, is different. Set in an alternate continuity featuring a villainous Superman and all-out-war between the characters of the DC Universe, the premise was too tantalizing not to expand upon.
Featuring the writing of Tom Taylor, this title has taken on a life of its own, and become one of the most celebrated comic book titles in recent years, and may even be more popular than the game that spawned it.
1 Top Cow’s Tomb Raider Defined What We Know About Lara Croft
The original and best depiction of Lara Croft in comic books, and possibly any medium, Top Cow’s Tomb Raider would be instrumental in fleshing out the character into the person we all know and love today; shining a light on the mysterious and enigmatic heroine and delving into her character like never before.
Running from 1999-2005, and even incorporating itself into the Top Cow Universe in crossovers with Witchblade and The Darkness; Tomb Raider was one of the biggest comic book titles of the 1990s—it is a crying shame that there are no collected editions of the title still currently in print.
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