The 'Super Mario Bros.' Movie Gets A Comic Book Sequel
Super Mario Bros. is one of the most iconic video games of all time, one that's remembered fondly by just about anyone who grew up in or around the 1980s. Super Mario Bros. the movie, on the other hand, is widely regarded an epic failure, and the start of Hollywood's long, uninspiring history with video game-to-film adaptations.
Even so, there are those who have a soft spot for the picture, including writers Steven Applebaum and Ryan Hoss. The pair recalled that the 1993 film ended with the promise of a sequel that never came, and have now taken it upon themselves to deliver one at long last.
Teaming with original movie writer Parker Bennett, they've now delivered Super Mario Bros. 2, a online comic book detailing what, exactly, happened after Princess Daisy came charging back into the brothers' lives. Hit the jump to get the details and check out the art.
Parker has admitted that the sequel hook was an homage to the ending of the original Back To The Future, and, in the same way, was not a serious indication of a potential sequel. If the film was successful enough to merit one, they would have gone from there.
As we all know, Super Mario Bros. did not do well enough to earn a sequel. But the pair wanted to give the movie one anyway. They reached out to Bennett, who was "one of at least 10 writers" on the film, to get some help in making it happen.
We did heavily discuss the world of the film, from its backstory to the character's motivations. Parker also provided a general direction for what he would have wanted to happen to these characters and what consequences from the first film would become major themes of the sequel. At that point he sort of 'passed the torch' to us, although he does occasionally provide additional direction.
The pair will reveal one or more pages per week, ultimately building ten chapters consisting of ten pages each. From there, they plan to lead into another sequel which will complete a trilogy. Meanwhile, they also hope to explore "what we'd like to think of as an 'expanded universe,' which will be open to other writers and artists," Applebaum explains.
Although the movie was critically reviled upon its release, Applebaum believes it has been "unfairly regarded," and is eager to delve back into Dinohattan.
Super Mario Bros. provided a look into a world too rich and too original to not explore again. We knew that the original had its fans and felt that if we brought the Mario Bros. back to Dinohattan there would be an audience for that story. As this year is the film's 20th anniversary there was no better time.
The cover for the first issue can be seen below. Check out more art and details on the official website.
