Udon's contribution to Street Fighter (and Capcom as a whole) cannot be understated. From their superb comics spanning the breadth of the Street Fighter games through to artbooks, specials and even these artist collections, the amount of quality content they've produced, with some of the best comics artists in the world, has added many, many layers to the characters that populate these games. I remember a time when collections of the comics, in a handy A5 format, would sell for over £100 each. Taking the granules of story that the games relayed and expanding it into a cohesive (and fun) world really is a masterclass on how to manage an IP beyond its original base as a popular arcade game.
So with all this talk of depth, I suppose it's slightly ironic that I'm writing about a Swimsuit Collection today. But stay with me, there's more here than just a themed Pirelli calendar!
Let's get the surface level stuff out of the way first - yes, this is a collection of attractive people in tight-fitting beachwear, and just so we're absolutely clear, there's as much eye-candy for the ladies as there is for the gents, so let's not get our knickers in a twist about how sexist the book is - the word you're actually looking for is "sexy".
There are beautiful bodies of both genders on display, a little something for everyone!
But what gives the book depth is not the surface detail, it's the interaction between the characters writ-large in these illustrations. Were this just hot people flexing, then yes it would be shallow. However, the characters really shine throughout this book, from hinted rivalries conveyed by wary glances, to the out-and-out playfulness of Sakura burying E-Honda in sand shaped as a fishtail (Steven Cummings/Josh Perez), or Blanka electrifying everyone in the water by FABO. It's a fun book, and the more you know about the characters, the more you'll take away from it. It's really quite the achievement for Udon that it's invested so much into the lore of the franchises that there's so much character on display throughout.
Varied art styles with healthy lifestyles are inspiring
This ability to convey emotions purely through art is clearly great fun for the artists too, as they stretch not only their love of the characters but also play with artistic forms, none more so than Jeffrey "Chamba" Chaz depicting a race between Chun Li and Juri with dot-printed colours and a style ripped directly from the golden age of comics. As if to hammer-home how versatile the cast is, the opposite page has a modern and cartoony fight scene with Rainbow Mika and Poison grappling from the shoulders of series bruisers Zangief and Hugo courtesy of Alphonso Orozco. My personal favourites include Brendan Tapper's rendition of (my) "Best Girl" Juri playing badminton, and the playful, childlike renditions of the cast provided by Dax Gordine (with colouring by Josh Perez).
For those who love the process, the rear contains sketches, layout roughs and never-before seen artwork that gives a glimpse into the amount of planning it takes to create work of this quality.
Some of the exclusive work to be found in the book
But for those looking for pure eye-candy, yes that's in here too. Tei Lee's rendition of Guy and Cody will set pulses racing just as much as the opposing page's Rainbow Mika by Ryosoko. Whoever your favourite pugilist is, you'll see them at their chiselled best in here.
However, it's the artistic flair on display that sets my pulse racing, and it's absolutely thrilling that the book closes on a two-page spread by original Street Fighter illustrator Kinu Nishimura, who provides the most 90's beach scene you can imagine. Glorious!
While the cover elicited a rather negative response from my fiance, even she conceded that the contents were varied and full of life, so if even she can be won over, you know the contents are gold.
The Street Fighter Swimsuit Special Collection is available from all good bookshops for £34.95 (though currently only £26 on Amazon!). This book was not provided for review and was purchased by the author.
In this house, we do Street Fighter!
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