Super Mario Adventures, A Must Read for Audiences Young and Old

Story by: Kentaro Takekuma

Art by: Charlie Nozawa

Release Date: Available now

Inspired by the popular video game franchise, Super Mario Adventures is a collection of the comics that originally ran in the Nintendo Power magazine from 1992-1993. The story was written by Kentaro Takekuma and the art was drawn by Charlie Nozawa. This is the second time the comics were collected into a graphic novel with the first time being in 1993. The current reprint was published by Viz Media and is available in stores now.

Super Mario Adventures tells the story of Mario and Luigi attempting to save Princess Peach, who is held hostage by Bowser (yet again). The strongest element of this graphic novel easily is the humor. Combined with the artwork, there was always something to laugh about on every page. I enjoyed learning why Bowser was always so persistent on capturing the Princess, why Boo covers his face when people stare at him, and why Yoshi was inside an egg. I would have never guessed that Bowser had a crush on Princess Peach, but it makes total sense now. With how well written the story is, it’s no surprise why fans were determined to find the original publication prior to the reprint.

Nozawa does an amazing job capturing the expressions of the characters and the world of Super Mario. Scenes like Bowser’s excitement discovering that Princess Peach loves him and Luigi’s expression to the amount of work he has to do are some of my favorite drawings. Many of the facial expressions are over-exaggerated to the point where it looks ridiculous, like human-looking Mario and Boo with anime eyes, but it works. What really made it memorable was how Nozawa made the most out of the simplest scenes. Some of the funniest moments in the comics were not from an over the top moments but from the simpler panels. For example, Luigi dressing as Princess Peach while keeping the mustache had me in tears. Nozawa didn’t need to take an entire page, or even half of one, to show Luigi in drag. Instead, all he needed was a few small panels and delivered it simply and directy.

Even after over 20 years since the original publication of Super Mario Adventures, the collection of comics is a delight to read. It is considered to be the best Mario comic every made and for good reason. It captures everything fans love about the Mario and was told brilliantly. Super Mario Adventures is available now at your local or online retailer.