I love Marvel Rivals. It’s been a fun gaming experience, particularly when teaming up with friends. But the best part of the game is that it’s been a way for me to introduce new fans and longtime friends to the world of Marvel comics. Now, Marvel Rivals: Ignite #1 provides an actual comic for players to pick up – and what’s even better, it’s based on the latest set of in-game skins!
Said skins are based on the artwork of Peach Momoko, who’s become one of the best writer/artists in the business. Momoko also contributes the story “Ko-Sute-Iwa” to the anthology, which takes place in the Demon Days universe that she helped craft and features the X-Men’s Psylocke – named “Sai” – as a demon hunter. “Ko-Sute-Iwa” pits Sai against a demonic version of Venom, and all of it is rendered in beautiful black and white by Momoko. Momoko also delivers some horrific imagery, including a demonic take on Venom, that will haunt the reader long after they close the book; she’s joined by her Demon Days team, including Zack Davisson (who acts as translator) and Ariana Maher, who plays around with black and white in terms of lettering.
Momoko is also the reason Marvel Rivals: Ignite #1 exists: she designed a series of skins for the game, giving Peni Parker’s armor a demonic-looking upgrade and the Punisher a massive set of samurai armor. They look really cool, and I love that the other stories utilize these designs. I also like that Ignite tackles the game’s mechanics by splitting its three stories into a series of Marvel characters facing off against each other.
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Take “Tsuchigumo”, which can best be described as a twisted game of tag. Yuji Kaku brings the same creepy imagery that fueled his manga Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku and applies it to Peni’s new armor; it actually moves like a spider, scurrying around and then detaching a series of cannons that fire webbing. But he also writes a story with some heart, as the Punisher refuses to kill children and turns on the people who hired him to kill Peni when he learns she’s a kid. It ends on a hilarious note, and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of this take.
The last tale, “Sounds of Victory”, which pits Luna Snow against Hela, didn’t click with me like the other two did. Maybe it’s the fact that I never got into Luna Snow as a character or that it felt less like an actual story and more like a way to explain Marvel Rivals‘ mechanics to non-players (down to actual moves from the game). But it had all the ingredients for success: Mitsuyasu Sakai is an excellent writer, having delivered great anime like Promare and Star Wars: Visions‘ “The Duel”, and Ryusei Yamada’s artwork is gorgeous – Hela looks appropriately terrifying and Luna’s ice has actual weight behind it.
Marvel Rivals: Ignite #1 is a fun collection of manga-themed tales that will appeal to Marvel Rivals players, but mostly serves as a showcase for Peach Momoko’s designs. I will say that this one-shot only increased my desire for an ongoing Marvel Rivals comic – there’s plenty of potential there!
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