“Today’s” Comic> Street Fighter Vs Final Fight FCBD

Would have been awesome if any of these fights really happened.

Street Fighter Vs. Final Fight #1 (Free Comic Book Day edition)

Udon Studios (May, 2024)

WRITER: Chris Sarracini

ARTISTS: Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz, Edwin Huang, Joe Ng, & Joshua Perez Panzer

LETTERER: Marshall Dillon (somebody’s parents were Gunsmoke fans)

Apparently Cody, one of the heroes of the Final Fight game series couldn’t give up beating up Mad Gears members or continuing to fight other criminals in Metro City. This includes taking down an illegal street fight on the dockyards, which ruins what Mayor Haggar, the police, and the Coast Guard had been hoping to take down legally and find the actual boss of the operation. Then Interpol comes calling because Cody beat down one of their agents working undercover among the Mad Gears. With Jessica having broken up with him, Cody accepts prison, but keeps breaking out and letting himself be retaken for the challenge. One of the other prisoners gives him advice, don’t leave until you actually have a reason to leave instead of getting your sentence extended. Years later, Cody is now mayor of the city, he and Jessica reconcile but do not get back together, and he has to convince the next generation of vigilantes not to make the same mistake he did. (I’ve only played the first game a few times so I don’t recognize him and I’m not up on my Street Fighter characters, either.)

What they got right: While personally I think it’s a shame to see Cody fall like this, I did like seeing him get back up and reform. So on a story level it’s really good. And he doesn’t immediately get Jessica back, though the hatchet is buried, and we see Cody try to teach the lesson he learned to another young vigilante that was going down his path of fighting villains at the cost of anything else in his life.

What they got wrong: Notice how I didn’t mention any of the Street Fighter characters? That’s because they’re basically cameos in a story called Street Fighter VS Final Fight. Ryu is one of the fighters, but is already annoyed with the proceedings and uses Cody’s attack to ditch the whole thing. Guile and Chun-Li are the two Interpol agents sent to bring Cody in after he puts the undercover agent in the hospital. Balrog is the prisoner who gives Cody advice. Yes, Cody gets into fisticuffs with each character, Ryu basically just getting in a hit before walking off, Guile and Chun-Li do have to take him down to bring him in, and Balrog doing all the beating as part of Cody’s latest escape attempt, but that’s all the fighting you get. I was expecting a tournament between the two games’ protagonists or fighting each others’ villains or something. Instead it’s a Final Fight story with Street Fighter cameos.

What I think overall: It’s a good story and worth picking up the not or no-longer free version for, because this is Udon Studios. The lineart could be a bit darker but the art and story are up to their usual high standards. I just would have liked to have seen closer interaction. Yes, this is one time I wouldn’t mind seeing the heroes fight because they both come from fighting games.

By the way, this is the last of the Free Comic Book Day comics I’ll be taking a look at until next year. Next week: something different. Check Sunday’s Jake & Leon update.