ERIK KO & KEN SIU-CHONG ON THE RETURN OF STREET FIGHTER

**MattBrady** · 08-19-2005, 11:17 AM

After a few months of being completely off the radar, UDON is returning in October with a relaunch of Street Fighter (part of the larger “Street Fighter Month”) as well as Exalted, a comic adaptation of the White Wolf RPG. Also, with the return, UDON is taking on a new challenge as well – self-publishing.

We caught up with UDON’s Chief of Operations Erik Ko and Street Fighter II writer Ken Siu-Chong to talk about the company, the Capcom relationship, and the upcoming return to Street Fighter.

Newsarama: First off, what the hell happened? Street Fighter - admittedly, it wasn’t a monthly, but at least it was coming out, and Darkstalkers seemed to be finding an audience, and then…nothing.

Erik Ko: First of all, I’d like to say sorry to all the fans who thought UDON fell off the face of the Earth! We’re still here! Though the lengthy hiatus was a little longer than even we expected. There were a number of factors that contributed to it. You’re right - sales were still going strong for Street Fighter, and Darkstalkers was picking up steam, but there were some other outside factors.

First and foremost, there was some restructuring of UDON’s ownership that - to make a long story short - led to the decision for us to dive into self-publishing. As you can see in this month’s Previews catalog, UDON is setting out on its own as a full-fledged publisher in October as a part of Street Fighter Month. It was just something that we felt we needed to do to allow UDON to grow as a company.

NRAMA: So you’re completely separate from Devil’s Due now? There’s no relationship anymore?

EK: Correct. Devil’s Due has been great to us and Josh Blaylock and the gang are some of the best people in the business, but UDON as a company needed to stretch its wings and with a number of exciting projects in the works, going out on our own was the only choice. With that move came some growing pains as the “behind-the-scenes” stuff that comes with starting a new business took up most of our attention. Legal paperwork, setting up UDON with the printers and organizing things - such as Street Fighter Month - with Diamond all took a lot longer than we expected.

Another reason for the delay was that we wanted to recharge our batteries creatively and to try to get back on schedule. Last year UDON was honored to work with Capcom on the artwork of their new game Capcom Fighting Evolution, but that turned out taking up much more of our time than anticipated. Work on the comics basically had to come to a halt while we finished off the video game work. By the time we came back, while we were incredibly pumped about seeing our work appear in a videogame, we discovered that we were months behind schedule. From then on, each month we were struggling to keep our heads above water, schedule-wise, and it was decided that at the end of the second Street Fighter arc and the first Darkstalkers arc, we’d need to take a break to get back on track. During that break is when it was decided to go into self-publishing which was the reason for the unexpected delay.

But in October, we will finally be returning and hopefully fans will think it was worth the wait. The creative team’s really busting their tails to make sure when readers pick up the new Street Fighter book, they’re going to be blown away!

NRAMA: As you mentioned, you’re a little more than just a licensee to Capcom – can you explain your relationship with them in a little more detail?

EK: UDON has really been lucky to forge such a great relationship with a licensor like Capcom. While we still are a licensee, our working relationship with Capcom has grown very close over recent years. There’s a certain level of trust there that is really rare, I think. Obviously they wouldn’t have hired us for the Evolution game if there wasn’t. We are now more like close partners in promoting the Street Fighter brand.

NRAMA: How much of the design work does UDON do for Capcom these days? They have their own acclaimed in-house artists and design staff, but your art seems to be showing up on a lot of products as well…

EK: As I have said before, our relationship with Capcom has morphed into more than just a licensing relationship. Throughout the last 2 years, we visited Capcom Japan, and the Japanese artists of Capcom have also visited San Diego Con. We got to meet with those artists like Kinu Nishimura, Shoei, Ikeno, Shinkiro, and Edayan, who we worshipped as fans ourselves, and they are very helpful in giving us guidance in our creative development. They now become our mentor, which we feel honored that they would treat us like friends. And they have been kind enough to try us out on projects like Capcom Fighting Jam/Evolution, and Darkstalkers PSP. Right now, we are constantly talking to them on other possible projects, including cover art and maybe some design works.

NRAMA: Does your “licensee plus” relationship with Capcom translate into more autonomy when it comes to what goes into the Street Fighter storyline?

Ken Siu-Chong: The story is basically an amalgamation of the storylines from the Street Fighter Alpha and Street Fighter II storylines, so while there are many elements from the official SF canon, it differs in many respects. This was a conscious decision right from the get-go since we knew that taken as-is, the official storyline wouldn’t work as a comic without changes. Reiterating what Erik was saying, we really are lucky to have built up such a level of trust between a huge company like CAPCOM and a tiny one like us. Of course there was an initial feeling out period when we first started off, but CAPCOM really liked what we were doing and where we were taking the story. They basically told us that they trusted us and as long as the story was true to the characters, we could do what we wanted in the story since it was outside of the videogame series continuity—we could essentially create our own continuity. With that said, we knew since the beginning that we wouldn’t be straying too far from the official storyline since we know that is what the fans wanted to see. So no, we’re not going to behead Ken or have Ryu and Chun-Li…how should I put it?

NRAMA: Delicately.

KS-C: Making babies!

NRAMA: Ken, while you’re here, tell us about Street Fighter II #0 in October – does this follow from the last series, or is it the start of new stories?

KS-C: Street Fighter II #0, and #1 a month later, are really both. While we’re continuing the main overriding story that we had outlined since the beginning, we knew that with such a long hiatus, we needed to make SFII #0 and #1 jumping on points that would let both new and old readers get on board. Really we’re just starting the third arc in the series, but we’re aiming to make it as accessible as possible, which is part of the reasoning behind renaming the series Street Fighter II and starting over at #1. It made perfect sense story-wise as well since those familiar with the continuity know that we’re approaching the story elements that were most prevalent in the Street Fighter II game, which is the game that created the whole Street Fighter craze in the first place. In a way, you could think of the current arc starting in October as the “main” story that we’ve been working up to, while the previous two arcs were the prequels.

NRAMA: That said, how is the series laid out? That is, are there overarching arcs with smaller stories, or are these just small, unconnected stories?

KS-C: Each arc we’ve done so far has been a part of a bigger storyline that we’ve had mapped out. The big event is pretty obvious—the Street Fighter II Tournament where all hell’s going to break loose and all the major conflicts will come to a head. Ryu will have to take what he’s learned throughout the entire story and face Akuma, while everyone who has a bone to pick with Bison is finally going to get their chance. After the big climax, we’re then aiming to move into the Street Fighter III territory which we’re all really looking forward to since so little of that story has been told. We’d really be breaking new ground.

NRAMA: So, generally speaking, as with eth game, the larger story her is still Ryu’s, correct? What makes him the ideal protagonist for the story?

KS-C: Correct – and while every Street Fighter player has their favorite and might like to argue otherwise, yes, Ryu is definitely the lead character. He’s Capcom’s archetype for the heroic wandering warrior. As for what makes him a great protagonist for readers, I think it might have to do with how Ryu, while possessing apparently superhuman powers, is more grounded than your everyday comic superheroes. That might sound ridiculous considering he can throw fireballs from his hands, but unlike traditional superheroes, Ryu has become the world’s greatest fighter through his own determination. He wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider or born on another planet—he just wanted to better himself through martial arts and was willing to put in the time and effort to do it.

NRAMA: Bringing those who don’t know it up to speed – Ryu’s best friend is Ken…and Akuma killed Gouken, who was Ryu's trainer, right?

KS-C: Pretty much. Ryu and Ken were childhood pals that shared an intense but friendly rivalry when they were training under Master Gouken. Ryu was always focused on his training, and much more reserved and serious—much more “Japanese”—while Ken was his cocky American counterpart who sometimes focused too much on looking good and having fun. They were opposites that complemented each other.

Akuma was Gouken’s brother and murderer. They had always been at odds since Akuma believed that becoming the most powerful fighter and winning were goals that must be attained at any cost—even if it meant killing. This was something Gouken was completely against. After disappearing for many years, Akuma one day returned to Gouken’s dojo and killed him in a duel using the Dark Hadou - the power that his murderous intent unlocked in him. Obviously Gouken’s murder is something Ryu doesn’t take too kindly to, so he sets out to become strong enough to beat Akuma in the Street Fighter tournament using the teachings of Gouken. Basically, Ryu wants to defeat Akuma by showing him that Gouken’s teachings were the true essence of martial arts. But as Ryu goes through his training, he realizes that the dark powers Akuma tapped into are much more tempting than he anticipated…

NRAMA: But Ryu, Ken and Gouken are hardly the only characters. Broad strokes – how do the other characters fit in? Are they all related to Ken and Ryu?

KS-C: No - all the characters have their own separate stories with their own reasons for fighting. Some of those stories intersect, and there are some common enemies that are shared amongst the characters, but they’re not all related to Ken and Ryu. Those familiar with the Street Fighter universe know what a crazy web it is, with many characters having the most unexpected connections to other characters. In the Street Fighter Eternal Challenge reference book, there is actually a relationship chart that maps all the connections between the characters and it’s really quite insane. It looks like a tangled ball of yarn! One of the biggest challenges has been trying to make sure all the characters’ stories are shown effectively while not making things too convoluted.

NRAMA: Where does the series go from the start?

KS-C: For the launch of the new series, I wanted to sort of bring the story back to basics. One of the criticisms of the first arc was that there was too much focus on Ryu and that not enough screen time was given to the other characters in the Street Fighter universe. I might have been a little overzealous in fixing that in the second arc as now, looking back, it might have focused more on Cammy and Chun-Li’s stories than Ryu’s. Cammy and Chun-Li’s stories are integral to the SF universe, but I probably should have balanced it out better. For the new series, there is a deliberate refocusing on Ryu’s travels which really are the backbone of Street Fighter. The new arc will be looking deeper into Ryu’s internal struggles as he tries to become a stronger fighter without falling into the same dark temptations that Akuma did. One of the first challenges he’ll face is having a rematch with Sagat. We teased readers with that rematch before, but this time around, we’re not pulling any punches.

NRAMA: Moving away from the story, Erik - what will the frequency of this series be? Do you have your scheduling issues worked out so you won't be seeing a slip?

EK: Now that we’re back on track we hope to be on a monthly schedule. To us, we are always more caring about the quality. We feel that we owe it to everyone, from the fans, to the trusting Capcom, and ourselves, that we have to put out the best art we can. However, we do acknowledge that there is a schedule to keep. This is a periodical publication after all. We promise will do our best to put out a monthly series with stunning quality story and art.

NRAMA: How did UDON get involved in Street Fighter Month? Was it your idea, or were things already rolling when you joined in?

EK: We knew that when we relaunched, we wanted to do it with a bang. Over the months of the hiatus, a lot of time was spent coordinating with the other Street Fighter licensees to make the most of things. I have the honor to be involved in coordinating some cross promotion events for all licensees at San Diego, and thus formed a closer relationship with all Capcom licensees. And I found out that we were all going to be launching new products roughly around the same time period, so why not take advantage of that? Launching new products together as part of Street Fighter Month could only help all of us. And it is amazing how the Street Fighter licensing family has such tight relationship with each other. A lot has to do with Marc Mostman, Taki Enomoto, and Shu Tanaka – the licensing trio that makes all Street Fighter deals happen. We, as Street Fighter fans have everything to thank them for bringing Street Fighter to the spotlight again!

NRAMA: Looking toward the future, are you planning on Street Fighter being the anchor for a larger Capcom line of comics again?

EK: Street Fighter will be our flagship title, and we’ll be launching the long-awaited Rival School series in early 2006, and will follow that up with the relaunch of Darkstalkers hopefully around late spring 2006. We’re taking it slow and want to make sure that we don’t try to expand too quickly, especially since this will be our first experience at self-publishing. Also, as Newsarama readers know, we’re also expanding our horizons with a comic based on the popular White Wolf property, Exalted. Later in 2006, we’re also looking at possibly pursuing some other Capcom licenses but we’re still in negotiations and can’t really comment on it yet. We’ll keep you posted!

Reliant · 08-19-2005, 11:36 AM

I simply cannot wait for this!

Electric Glove · 08-19-2005, 11:37 AM

Street Fighter was fun, pretty to look at book. Glad to see its back, and I can't wait for the tournament to start.

AForceOfOne · 08-19-2005, 11:40 AM

Erik is one of those guys in the business that I know that puts 500% into everything he does. Complete blood sweat and tears. I wish him and the company all the best of luck and praise because they damn well deserve it.

NightRiver · 08-19-2005, 11:42 AM

Im looking forward to the Rival Schools book. That should be awesome.

csGuy · 08-19-2005, 11:43 AM

full sized street fighter trade paperback?? PLEASE?!?!

Electric Glove · 08-19-2005, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by csGuy
full sized street fighter trade paperback?? PLEASE?!?!

I can see why the smaller, cheaper would have its advantages, but in my man-sized hands digests feel so insignifigant. A full sized trade would be nice one day, because I don't buy the digests.

tralfaz · 08-19-2005, 11:47 AM

was this book any good? i always wanted to get it but always hated licensed comics. they tend to be bad

Electric Glove · 08-19-2005, 11:49 AM

It was good in the same way blockbuster action movies can be. I was never grabbed character or storywise, but there's a lot of action and I was never bored.

al_capone · 08-19-2005, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tralfaz
was this book any good? i always wanted to get it but always hated licensed comics. they tend to be bad

It may be a licensed comic, but as I'm sure you are already aware, UDON are huge Street Fighter fans who now have a very close relationship with Capcom. This isn't your typical licensed comic, one that's purely made to squeeze money out of a successful franchise, UDON are practically a part of Capcom now. I personally enjoyed it and bought all the issues (including #0 and the 'Capcom Convention Speacial', both of which I had a hard time hunting down), but it wasn't at all one of my favourite comics. It was enjoyable and entertaining enough, but seemed a bit too "mindless action" for me to rank it too highly. Saying that, I don't think I'll be picking up series two, as there are more important comics I need to be getting.

JusticeLeaguer · 08-19-2005, 12:32 PM

Erik and all of the UDON crew are truly the nicest comic professionals I've encountered in my many experiences at conventions over the years. They not only go out of their way for the fans but also the retailers, trying to make their product as accesible as possible to new readers. They are some of the hardest working guys I've seen at these shows, signing, sketching and chatting with the fans for hours on end and long after the "big name" pros have come and gone. Erik, I'm looking forward to seeing you guys again next week at the Canadian National Comic Book Expo in Toronto. I wish them continued success, and their books will always have a place on my store shelves...guaranteed!

Rob Zedic
Myths, Legends & Heroes
Ottawa, Canada

www.mythslegendsandheroes.com

Black Beetle · 08-19-2005, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tralfaz
was this book any good? i always wanted to get it but always hated licensed comics. they tend to be bad

This is the exact same thing I was thinking. I think I'll pick up the trades and then pick this up if I like those.

PoisonElf · 08-19-2005, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tralfaz
was this book any good? i always wanted to get it but always hated licensed comics. they tend to be bad

If you're a fan of the games you'll be very happy with it. They're HUGE fans themselves and take this book very seriously.

Definately worth a read.

I wish more companies who license books would take some notes because UDON, so far, has done it right.

vicvondoom · 08-19-2005, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tralfaz
was this book any good? i always wanted to get it but always hated licensed comics. they tend to be bad

Well, tried it for a while. Lotsa high octane action as you'd expect. It all looks very nice. Story and character wise it wasn't very good, so I stopped getting it. Just my opinion.

--- the drunken despot ---

Ectocooler · 08-19-2005, 01:09 PM

Licensed books are not always bad.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (archie), Transformers (marvel), GI Joe (marvel), ROM (marvel), Micronauts (I really liked old marvel comics), etc...

I think it depends more on what company is doing the licensed books. Nowadays we have companies like Devils Due, Dreamwave, Top Cow, etc... doing them, and while they may do a good job, they don't have the innocence that Marvel and DC had when doing licensed books in the 80's. It was just a do whatever you want and tell a good story, and don't worry if it contradicts the cartoon or past canon.

I won't be picking up this book because they're too afraid to change things up. I heard the last 2 volumes were basically just recaps of the cartoon or something. The story was new to me so I carried it for a while, but then I realized that nothing ground breaking was going to come out of it because they're strictly following other storylines.

Sorry Udon, you lost me and I'm staying lost.

rogue_tomato · 08-19-2005, 02:02 PM

So, just to re-cap for all the SF & DS fans out there, can someone please post how many issues each title ran (including #0, special issues, etc., possibley even the "powerfoil" variants)?

(IE: Street Fighter #0-14, Darkstalkers #0-6)

Rod122 · 08-19-2005, 03:08 PM

I, for one, am ready for this. Huge Street Fighter fan, and its just cool. But I can understand where certain people wont pick up this series again. Its not for everyone, but it is one helluva ride.

Also, cant wait for those SF3 stories to come out. That has some awsome story telling potential.

Make Mine UDON!

JusticeLeaguer · 08-19-2005, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rogue_tomato
So, just to re-cap for all the SF & DS fans out there, can someone please post how many issues each title ran (including #0, special issues, etc., possibley even the "powerfoil" variants)?

(IE: Street Fighter #0-14, Darkstalkers #0-6)

Go here:

www.comicspriceguide.com

Run a search for any title you want, they even have scans of most of the book's covers online as well. Good luck!

Rob Zedic
Myths, Legends & Heroes
Ottawa,Canada

www.mythslegendsandheroes.com

atomik86 · 08-19-2005, 03:21 PM

that image makes a sweet sweet background.

ObjectionTango · 08-19-2005, 03:47 PM

OMG! RIVAL SCHOOLS IS COMING! omg! I cannot wait...i look foward to the re-launch of Street Fighter and DarkStalkers. Love Capcom games and love UDON. Nuff said.

Sano · 08-19-2005, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ectocooler

I won't be picking up this book because they're too afraid to change things up. I heard the last 2 volumes were basically just recaps of the cartoon or something. The story was new to me so I carried it for a while, but then I realized that nothing ground breaking was going to come out of it because they're strictly following other storylines.

You don't know what you are talking about and have an incredibly bad source of information.

SF2 Animated Movie - Only dealt with SF2
SF2V - Only dealt with SF2
American SF2 Cartoon - Dealt mostly with SF2, vaguely touched upon SF Zero(Alpha in the US)
SF Zero(Alpha Anime) - Dealt only with, take a guess. And did not feature nowhere near the cast of characters of the Udon comic

Udon is not only combining aspects of SFZ and SF2, they are doing something that has NEVER been done by any of the the Animes or cartoons. They are taking the best of the Animes, Mangas and Game endings, putting them all in a blender and giving us the best of all possible worlds while giving us their own spin on it. They are even going to do things that have never been done by anyone as they already have in the past. They flat out stated how Cammy was a clone and showed Decapre's face something us fans have wanted to see for a long time. They are going to show M.Bison's origin and finally settle the rematch between Ryu and Sagat, something the games have never done.

Do yourself a favor. Next time you post on a subject about a comic if your comicshop allows it read some of the comic first or take yourself to Blockbuster, Virgin, your Library or wherever they let you read comics for free and read some of it. You've just proven why it's bad to go with word of mouth statements. If you don't want to even read the book that's fine but posting solely based on a word of mouth statement by someone who doesn't know jack about Street Fighter is not going to make you sound like a rocket scientist.

I feel that Erik Ko is the best, he and Udon have seeked out us hardcore Street Fighter fans and have even asked us our opinion on lots of things and has acted upon our wishes, you really can't ask for more than that.

Anyway, I can't wait until the book returns again.

nme00 · 08-19-2005, 07:00 PM

SICK SICK cover!!!

innocentboy · 08-19-2005, 07:19 PM

absolutlly beautiful.

you can ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS count on UDON to deliever the goods and this whole thing ... from being thier own publishers to Street Fighter makes me so ____ing happy you don't even know

i'd even go as far as saying UDON could possibly come close to being like the birth of "Image Comics" in this new era of comics

PoisonElf · 08-19-2005, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ectocooler

I won't be picking up this book because they're too afraid to change things up. I heard the last 2 volumes were basically just recaps of the cartoon or something. The story was new to me so I carried it for a while, but then I realized that nothing ground breaking was going to come out of it because they're strictly following other storylines.

Sorry Udon, you lost me and I'm staying lost.

There's only 2 volumes, so how did they "lose you" if they never "had you"?

Read Sano's post. Lots of different stuff is happening, they're just staying true to the plot, not vomiting all over the story and fans like Malibu did. *shudder*

Now go read the book and decide for yourself.

Ectocooler · 08-19-2005, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sano
You don't know what you are talking about and have an incredibly bad source of information.

SF2 Animated Movie - Only dealt with SF2
SF2V - Only dealt with SF2
American SF2 Cartoon - Dealt mostly with SF2, vaguely touched upon SF Zero(Alpha in the US)
SF Zero(Alpha Anime) - Dealt only with, take a guess. And did not feature nowhere near the cast of characters of the Udon comic

Udon is not only combining aspects of SFZ and SF2, they are doing something that has NEVER been done by any of the the Animes or cartoons. They are taking the best of the Animes, Mangas and Game endings, putting them all in a blender and giving us the best of all possible worlds while giving us their own spin on it. They are even going to do things that have never been done by anyone as they already have in the past. They flat out stated how Cammy was a clone and showed Decapre's face something us fans have wanted to see for a long time. They are going to show M.Bison's origin and finally settle the rematch between Ryu and Sagat, something the games have never done.

Do yourself a favor. Next time you post on a subject about a comic if your comicshop allows it read some of the comic first or take yourself to Blockbuster, Virgin, your Library or wherever they let you read comics for free and read some of it. You've just proven why it's bad to go with word of mouth statements. If you don't want to even read the book that's fine but posting solely based on a word of mouth statement by someone who doesn't know jack about Street Fighter is not going to make you sound like a rocket scientist.

I feel that Erik Ko is the best, he and Udon have seeked out us hardcore Street Fighter fans and have even asked us our opinion on lots of things and has acted upon our wishes, you really can't ask for more than that.

Anyway, I can't wait until the book returns again.

Isn't that what I said? They're taking things from other plots and just merging them together. So they throw something in the mix there, who cares? They never made me care about the characters in the book or gave me background info. You know so much about them because you watched the anime and played the games, me I played some of the old arcade games (that didn't have much of a story/plot, just fight'em kinda games) and tried reading the comic and could NOT get into it. Personally I hope this book does well and then they can afford to get better. Until then I don't give a rats ass.

PoisonElf: There were already 10+ issues of Street Fighter and it was TERRIBLE. The writing was atrocious and the back ups were basically supposed to happen in the issue but they made them back ups instead

The story needed to be plot out better, it shows that they don't have a very experienced writer.

Street Fighter was just a bunch of pretty pictures, and after trying to read about 8 issues I dropped it.

Overall if you ask me they should put the writer in a blender. (don't get the joke? read Sano the street fighter fan..atic's post).