Today’s Comic> Street Fighter Forever [FCBD]

Ryu isn’t very good at Mega Man games.

Street Fighter Forever [FCBD]

UDON Entertainment (May, 2026

WRITER: David Lumsdon

COLORIST: Espen Grundetjern

LETTERER: Marshall Dillon

Ryu: “Lost In Thought”

PENCILER: Mike Bowden

Juri & Viper: “Double Cross”

ARTIST: Tovio Rogers

If I follow the main story correctly, Ryu is meditating on what strength means and what role his chose of martial art styles, ansatsuken. He looks older than I’ve ever seen him in my limited exploration of the Street Fighter franchise. Some are visions of the past, like Ryu sparring with Ken through three phases of his life: fighting for fun, for his family, and not being sure what he’s fighting for after losing his family…somehow. I didn’t even know he had a wife and child at any point. He also spends time with his master and with a version of Akuma going on about the darker spiritual side of ansatsuken and the Dark Hado. FInally he sees what might be the future as he trains with one of Ken’s former students who uses a ball in his fighting style and a woman who might be another of Ken’s former students who uses robots to aid in her style.

I’m not versed enough to know who Sean and Sakura are, and while I could look it up, this highlight’s the problem for people not as well versed in the lore. None of the shows and movies, live-action or animated, I’ve seen use these two characters, and the two in the next story I only know of one from one of the previous Free Comic Book Day offerings. I haven’t played a lot of the games, either, mostly because I suck at compared to games like Virtua Fighter and Souledge (I haven’t even played the Soulcalibur games) so if they’re from recent games I’m still in the dark. I’ve never even seen Ryu with facial hair until this comic, so while I can keep up with enough of the story to know what’s going on I’m having trouble connecting even with characters I know because the situations are still unfamiliar to me. The art is still nice but the focus is less on the fighting than Ryu’s internal spiritual journey and I’m kind of lost here. A bigger fan might not have that trouble.

The back-up story is at least more straightforward and fun, even if I know little about Jury and nothing about Viper. The two are hired by two separate mobsters trying to betray each other, except they’re actually betraying the mobsters, and this might be the start of a new partnership for the two ladies. I may not know the characters but it still works as a fun story about two double-crossing mercs out to take down their bosses.

Overall I still enjoyed the comic, even the main story despite my confusion because I know enough about Ryu to be interested. The back-up was fun, and they’re self-contained stories, which is what I ask of my Free Comic Book Day reads.