Just look at that glorious variant cover! As soon as I saw it, I knew the Ken doll homage cover was the one I absolutely had to have.

I almost always enjoy the Street Fighter Masters comics; they do a great job of zeroing in on a single character from Capcom’s fighting game series, and they usually have great art too.

Street Fighter Masters: Ken #1 is no exception, and features Ken on a mission to clear his name by taking on the villainous JP, unaware that his enemy is on a quest of his own. JP is seeking a legendary artifact that’ll give him serious power, and Ken might just be in the right place at the right time to stop him. Though he may need a little assistance…

A Darkstalkers character makes a surprise appearance in this comic, and plays a surprisingly big part in the story, which leads up to Ken appearing in video game sequel, Street Fighter 6. It’s great to see Ken’s history in the Street Fighter comics directly acknowledged here, making the Darkstalkers crossover even more relevant.

I could have done without the incredibly on-the-nose Iron Giant elements though, which felt far too derivative towards the end. Even though the parallels were clear from the beginning, it seems silly to reference it as closely as it does.

The art, while impressive at times, felt a little off in places, and definitely varied in quality throughout. That said, when it’s good, it’s definitely very good indeed, and it’s always a blast to see famous moves from the video games recreated in comic book form.

Overall, it’s a fun, one-and-done story, even if there were a few details that were a bit distracting. Still, how could I have resisted that glorious cover?

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