Comix Zone is a 1995 beat 'em up game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. Set within the panels of a comic book, it follows the comic writer/artist Sketch Turner who, after being transported into the comic by one of his creations, attempts to escape while contending with various threats. The game sees the player traversing six levels, where they interact with the comic world and must defeat enemies, or occasionally solve puzzles, to progress.

Conceived by STI programmer Peter Morawiec, the concept for the game was originally shown off in 1992 via a demonstration video, entitled Joe Pencil Trapped In The Comix Zone. The concept was greenlit by Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske and development began on the game in late 1993. After repeated delays in order to implement more features, the game was released in July of 1995 in North America, in Japan on September, and Europe in October of the same year.

The game was generally well received by critics, who often praised its visual presentation and soundtrack but also criticized its perceived high difficulty level and short length. Despite mainly positive reception, the game was not financially successful, in part due to its late release for the Genesis and the advent of more sophisticated fifth-generation game consoles. Since then, the game has gone on to acquire a cult following and be re-released on multiple occasions for digital storefronts and video game compilations.

Gameplay

thumb|Sketch Turner kicking an enemy through a set of [[Comic panel|comic panels. The interface at the top right shows Sketch’s current health and items.]]

Comix Zone is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game with minor platform and puzzle elements. While working on Comix Zone during a thunderstorm, Sketch's comic is hit by a lightning bolt, causing the book’s antagonist, a mutant named Mortus, to escape its pages. Desiring a physical form in the real world, Mortus sends Sketch into the comic in the hopes of killing him and receiving a body in the process. Upon being transported, Sketch is met by Alissa Cyan, a defense force general fighting against Mortus who believes that Sketch came to save her world. Sketch disputes this fact, but regardless decides to go on Alissa's mission.

The duo traverse through the comic world for a while, defeating many of Mortus’s henchmen along the way, until eventually reaching a weapons factory containing a nuclear weapon hidden on a derelict ship. As Alissa attempts to defuse the weapon, Mortus comes back into the comic and throws her into a chamber of rising liquid. Sketch manages to successfully defeat Mortus, frees Alissa from the chamber, and escapes the comic with her just as the weapon self-detonates. Now in the real world, Alissa enlists in the army and, after months, is promoted to Chief of Security for the United States. Comix Zone becomes the best-selling comic book ever, selling out on the first day and making him a celebrity overnight. Alissa moves in with Sketch and they live happily together.

Development

Conception

The game was conceived by the Sega Technical Institute (STI) programmer Peter Morawiec. He encouraged Morawiec to pitch it directly to Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske, who approved it. 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 Christmas shopping season. Following Spinball release, STI pitched several concepts, including Comix Zone, to Sega management. Kalinske remembered Comix Zone and asked STI to begin development. The marketing department 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."

Comix Zone became STI's top project with the full support of Sega's marketing department. The development was relatively smooth, though the game was repeatedly delayed so the team could add more features, leading to a release late in the Genesis' lifecycle. Comix Zone was one of the only two games, the other being The Ooze, to bear the STI logo. and the last Genesis game Senn worked on. The soundtrack was composed by Howard Drossin, who used the GEMS sound driver 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.

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. 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 scope was reduced for a sooner-than-planned release and two levels had to be removed. 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).

Release

thumb|Comix Zone was released late into the [[Sega Genesis|Genesis lifecycle which, coupled with the advent of fifth-generation consoles, caused its sales to suffer.]]

Comix Zone was released for the Genesis in North America on July 1995, in Japan on September 1, 1995, and in Europe on October 6, 1995. The game received a small print run in Japan and became an expensive collector's item in the years following its release.

| MC = 71/100

| Allgame = 4.5/5

| EGM = 8.5/10, 8/10, 7/10, 8/10

| Fam = 7/10, 7/10, 7/10, 9/10

| NGen = 3/5 The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly acknowledged the problems with the controls, but also remarked that the graphics are exceptionally colorful for a Genesis game, and argued that the originality of its comic book look makes it a must-have despite its flaws. In 2017, GamesRadar ranked Comix Zone 43rd on their "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time." They lauded the animation and sound effects as "magnificent" and beyond the supposed limitation of the console.

Ports and re-releases

thumb|417x417px|The [[Game Boy Advance port of the game (right) alters the game’s graphical assets to accommodate for the system's smaller screen size.]]

A port of the game for Windows 3.1, making use of the WinG graphics API, was released by Sega PC in North America in November 1995 and in Europe in March 1996. 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. Yojiro Ogawa, Sonic Team's head designer, was a "huge fan" of Comix Zone and pushed for its inclusion. Internationally, it was included in the expanded PlayStation 2 (PS2) and Xbox version, Sonic Mega Collection Plus. Other compilations featuring Comix Zone include Sega Smash Pack 2 (2000) for Windows, Sega Genesis Collection (2005) for the PS2 and PlayStation Portable; Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009) for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360; and Sega Genesis Classics (2018) for Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Additionally, the game has been emulated for download for the Wii via the Virtual Console (2007), the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade (2009), Windows via Steam (2010), the PS3 via PlayStation Store (2011), Android and iOS as part of the Sega Forever service (2017), and the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Classics service (2022). The Xbox 360 and PS3 releases were branded as part of the Sega Vintage Collection line.

Legacy

In the years following its release, the game has received a cult following.

Film adaptation

In August 2022, Sega announced that they partnered with Picturestart, to develop a film adaptation of the game. 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.

References

Notes

Citations

Works cited

  • Comix Zone demo for Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 hosted at Sega of America's official website