What if there were Pokemon comics made in America?

[techadon]

Much like Sonic the Hedgehog, what if Pokemon had a series of comic books produced here in the US alongside Japanese manga? What would they be like? Which publisher would make them? And do you think they are plausible?

 

[prog rocker]

Much like Sonic the Hedgehog, what if Pokemon had a series of comic books produced here in the US alongside Japanese manga? What would they be like? Which publisher would make them? And do you think they are plausible?

Whatever they do, don't do the same thing as Diesel!

Context: Diesel is a Jojo's Bizarre Adventure rip-off tribute that not only stealed from mimicked the Part 3 OVA, but it was also done without permission and everyone looked like they came from the dark age of comics (you know, when things were dark and gloomy just because?). When people called him out on that, he said it was his plan all along, and that he only did it to get Jojo in America (this were the early 2000's).

Back on track: I think it could work in the right hands, thanks to the "you can do anything with this" feeling that the franchise has, but it can also backfire if not done well (or if it falls in the same problems as the American comics).

 

[BackSet]

I would be making them.

Okay, no, I wouldn't. I'd love to if I could but I definitely wouldn't be making them. I've never read the Archie Comics sonic the hedgehog stuff but I've heard it's pretty good so letting Archie Comics do a Pokemon thing wouldn't be the worst idea. Alternatively, Dark Horse Comics will publish basically anything so there's that.

Of course, publishing doesn't exactly matter if it's of poor quality. Poor writing and/or poor art would ruin it, just like any other comic book. And Pokemon is a liscenced property so they'd be playing with fire already meaning that they're more screwed than other comic writers and artists if this sucks.

Regardless, I think American made Pokemon comics would probably be extremely controversial in the first place if they ever got announced and made, regardless of quality.

But, hey, they gave Detective Pikachu to an American studio so who knows what could happen.

 

[MizuTaipu]

Here's an actual newspaper comic from like 1999. It's...something.

 

[prog rocker]

Here's an actual newspaper comic from like 1999. It's...something.

So Misty was a proto-Iris and Brock was the prince of Saiyans? And that's not getting into the artstyle...

 

[BackSet]

I mean... all things considered it's not the worst comic strip in the world. I actually chuckled at a few of the jokes.

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

So Misty was a proto-Iris and Brock was the prince of Saiyans? And that's not getting into the artstyle...

Why is there a Slovakia in the Pokémon world
Or a wall street for that matter

Anyway it could be nice if the comic strips had went over to Johto and beyond

 

[BackSet]

Why is there a Slovakia in the Pokémon world
Or a wall street for that matter

According to the dub of the original series of the Pokemon anime, there's a france, hollywood, and minesotta too. Two out of the three of those have been retconned to Kalos and Pokestar Studios respectively.

 

[prog rocker]

Why is there a Slovakia in the Pokémon world
Or a wall street for that matter

Anyway it could be nice if the comic strips had went over to Johto and beyond

According to the dub of the original series of the Pokemon anime, there's a france, hollywood, and minesotta too. Two out of the three of those have been retconned to Kalos and Pokestar Studios respectively.

Early installment weirdness, considering they dropped the real life countries with Gen II (or was it Gen III).

 

[BackSet]

Early installment weirdness, considering they dropped the real life countries with Gen II (or was it Gen III).

I think it was gen III.

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

I think it was gen III.

In the Gen I japanese games, the idea was that it was our world but in the future (Saffron and our Tokyo one and the same) and that Pokémon are semi-technological and just popped out of nowhere. Hence why most stuff that supposedly works with Pokémon magic looks to be technological in nature. Otherwise the aestethic would look like this or this, common in Nintendo games even ones not made by Nintendo. Every dub pretended Kanto was actually suppose to be in their country. So american-made stuff saw Kanto as an US state from the future.

Then Gen II happened. It was originally suppose to be real world Japan (renamed to Johto) with each Japanese region (including Kanto) being shown as a town. Then they retooled Johto to be the one we know. Though to me, even HGSS sometimes imply the same thing as Gen I, that this is future Kansai and Pokémon are a recent invention made to battle. For example when Whitney says "Everyone was getting into Pokémon so I did too". Which makes it sound like Pokémon are a recent addition to the world. And the ruins of alph may seem more like a tourist trap for new trainers than a thing from a long past civilization.

Gen III is the first one to truly claim the Pokéworld as a different world set in our times and shaped by Legendary Pokémon themselves. But well it could just be that planet, maybe the planet is artificial but not the other ones.

Gen IV then decides that not only the planet was created by Pokémon, but the universe too. So by then it's another universe with parallels, more sci-fantasy than straight up sci-fi.

Gen V then decides that instead of the regions being literally modeled after a specific place, they should only resemble them vaguely as a motif. Which also implies that this world only has the 12 regions, (plus sevii and sinjoh), one for each chinese zodiac animal.

And as more regions appear, each region expands on the past history of the Pokémon World, which is'nt always the same as the real world.

For example, a new region could have a legendary trio that represents languages, and the idea is that each of those legendary created a language and spread it to each third of the world, so there's a language used in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, a language used in Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar, and a language used in the other four regions to come.

Also, the holliwood in pokemon is suppose to be a diff holliwood pronounced in a diff way.

There's actually a Trope for it, it's actually kinda common.

Is just kinda funny in hindsight that they mentioned a place that does'nt have a Poképlanet equivalent, if they do central europe, slovakia will be reduced to a late-game mountain route, a city where Bratislava would be, and a town where Koshice would be. And they most likely won't do Central Europe, they're more likely to do a Charizard-shaped island or something like that.

 

[BackSet]

In the Gen I japanese games, the idea was that it was our world but in the future (Saffron and our Tokyo one and the same) and that Pokémon are semi-technological and just popped out of nowhere. Hence why most stuff that supposedly works with Pokémon magic looks to be technological in nature. Otherwise the aestethic would look like this or this, common in Nintendo games even ones not made by Nintendo. Every dub pretended Kanto was actually suppose to be in their country. So american-made stuff saw Kanto as an US state from the future.

Then Gen II happened. It was originally suppose to be real world Japan (renamed to Johto) with each Japanese region (including Kanto) being shown as a town. Then they retooled Johto to be the one we know. Though to me, even HGSS sometimes imply the same thing as Gen I, that this is future Kansai and Pokémon are a recent invention made to battle. For example when Whitney says "Everyone was getting into Pokémon so I did too". Which makes it sound like Pokémon are a recent addition to the world. And the ruins of alph may seem more like a tourist trap for new trainers than a thing from a long past civilization.

Gen III is the first one to truly claim the Pokéworld as a different world set in our times and shaped by Legendary Pokémon themselves. But well it could just be that planet, maybe the planet is artificial but not the other ones.

Gen IV then decides that not only the planet was created by Pokémon, but the universe too. So by then it's another universe with parallels, more sci-fantasy than straight up sci-fi.

Gen V then decides that instead of the regions being literally modeled after a specific place, they should only resemble them vaguely as a motif. Which also implies that this world only has the 12 regions, (plus sevii and sinjoh), one for each chinese zodiac animal.

And as more regions appear, each region expands on the past history of the Pokémon World, which is'nt always the same as the real world.

For example, a new region could have a legendary trio that represents languages, and the idea is that each of those legendary created a language and spread it to each third of the world, so there's a language used in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, a language used in Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar, and a language used in the other four regions to come.

Also, the holliwood in pokemon is suppose to be a diff holliwood pronounced in a diff way.

There's actually a Trope for it, it's actually kinda common.

Is just kinda funny in hindsight that they mentioned a place that does'nt have a Poképlanet equivalent, if they do central europe, slovakia will be reduced to a late-game mountain route, a city where Bratislava would be, and a town where Koshice would be. And they most likely won't do Central Europe, they're more likely to do a Charizard-shaped island or something like that.

I... uh... kind of knew that already.

Though I'm still not entirely sure where people get half the stuff. I mean, it takes place on earth in the first gen (mentions of african elephants, south asia, the Apollo Space Shuttle, etc) but this whole "future earth" thing is always brought up and I keep thinking "where is this coming from? Was there an interview? Are we basing this off of some other material that I don't know about?"

 

[prog rocker]

So american-made stuff saw Kanto as an US state from the future.

Maybe it's because I watched the Latin American version of the anime, but I don't remember this.

 

[BackSet]

I dunno about that. I mean, I'm, like, nintey percent sure that people in Japan know what Minnesota is.

Also, if it takes place in the future, does that mean that Rice Balls were renamed Jelly Donuts? That explains everything!

 

[prog rocker]

Also, if it takes place in the future, does that mean that Rice Balls were renamed Jelly Donuts? That explains everything!

I'm sorry, but I don't think there's an explanation for that one. Doesn't help that every single other dubbed anime that I saw around that time called them "rice balls", making the name change even more jarring.

 

[BackSet]

I'm sorry, but I don't think there's an explanation for that one. Doesn't help that every single other dubbed anime that I saw around that time called them "rice balls", making the name change even more jarring.

Eh, at least I still get a joke about it.

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

I... uh... kind of knew that already.

Though I'm still not entirely sure where people get half the stuff. I mean, it takes place on earth in the first gen (mentions of african elephants, south asia, the Apollo Space Shuttle, etc) but this whole "future earth" thing is always brought up and I keep thinking "where is this coming from? Was there an interview? Are we basing this off of some other material that I don't know about?"

It's mostly the implication that Pokémon were recently invented by someone, or at least only appeared recently. Which implies the world of Pokémon was once our world, then Pokémon appeared as a new sport, the League started, and now Pokémon League regions have supplanted countries as the principal way of politically dividing the world. It's also more technologically advanced and different in fashion sense than the real-life 1990's.

Maybe it's because I watched the Latin American version of the anime, but I don't remember this.

Then in the Spanish dub it's future Spain\Mexico, in the Portuguese dub it's Portugal\Brazil, in the Kay(f)bop(f) dub it's happy pangolin land, et al. Or whatever, the Pokémon world can be anywhere and nowhere at the same time.

 

[prog rocker]

Then in the Spanish dub it's future Spain\Mexico, in the Portuguese dub it's Portugal\Brazil, in the Kay(f)bop(f) dub it's happy pangolin land, et al. Or whatever, the Pokémon world can be anywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Considering the amount of times James, Meowth and occasionally Brock mentioned Mexican cities and celebrities, I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't notice. Or they just had more freedom compared to the other actors.

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

Considering the amount of times James, Meowth and occasionally Brock mentioned Mexican cities and celebrities, I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't notice. Or they just had more freedom compared to the other actors.

Usually the other dubs have more freedom than the american english one.

Anyway my headcanon is that the Pokémon world is divided by 12 regions plus a few subregions like Sevii and Sinjoh. It's so small that it does'nt have any ethnic differences. Every Pikachu is ethnically just a Pikachu, every Eevee is ethnically just an Eevee, and so on. Which means the trainers are ethnically just "anime person", which is why almost everyone has names based on Japanese flower words. It's because in the Pokémon world, the anime person language is a lot like Japanese but with many words deriving from Pokémon and plant names. And thus the Japanese character names are the only canonical ones. When a few other languages show up in the Japanese version of the game, they actually reflect not a proper different language, but more like a weird affected slang with a weird affected heavy accent, somewhere midway an Homestuck quirk and a full-blown conlang. The equivalent would be:

Japanese: Hello. I want a Pokémon battle.
English: Howdy. Ah wanna pukimanz schwifty-ah.
Spanish: Oh lee mon! Oh de pikimin bittu-bittu, yaw!
French: Oh, mon cherì! Darlìn' mignòn pochumàn, el-frand!
German: Grunt. Af Pòkamonbatt raw-raw!
Italian: Leh! of Pukey-Pukey dance lah!
Korean: Yeah yeah! Wanna wanna come in on Pawkemanz! Yeah yeah!
Chinese: Oh la, Pocomen battur deshu la la!

 

[fluffy-wooloo]

They'd be too action heavy and not have as much plot as the Japanese comics have. The artwork would look more intense though I bet.