List of Hsu and Chan comics

Hsu and Chan is a comic created by Jeremy "Norm" Scott that appears in the video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly. It follows the misadventures of the brothers Hsu and Chan Tanaka, who own and operate a company called "Tanaka Bros. Game Development" (which specializes in knock-offs of popular titles such as Gran Turismo: "Hsu and Chan in: Chan Turismo!"). These comics are known around the world.

After three years with EGM, Norm contacted Slave Labor Graphics Publishing about making a standalone, full-length Hsu and Chan comic book. Slave Labor agreed, and seven issues of the comic, as of 2005, have been published. A collection of these first five (along with extra bonus material) was released in 2004 and is titled Hsu and Chan: Too Much Adventure.

Tanaka Bros. Game Development has other, less seen employees, including Arnie, a ground squirrel bearing a striking resemblance to Sonic the Hedgehog, Gila Mobster, the brutish Charmander parody who can be seen wearing a black Fedora with a lighter grasped in the end of his tail, and Chernobyl, the radioactive chipmunk who is a take on Pikachu.

EGM strips

Below is a list of the Hsu and Chan strips that have appeared in EGM as well as what video game they are parodying. Usually, but not always, the content of the comic is related to what is on the cover of EGM that month. Unless otherwise noted, each strip is one page long.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Note: This is the first Hsu and Chan strip to run in EGM. It features the introduction of both Hsu and Chan Tanaka as well as Chernobyl, the Radioactive Chipmunk.

Note: According to Norm, this was the first comic starring the titular duo that he ever wrote

Note: This strip features the introduction of Arnie.

Note: This strip features the introduction of Gila Mobster.

Note 2: Aside from the 2 Page strip, this issue also featured Hsu and Chan's Fall Preview-O-Rama which featured Hsu, Chan, Chernobyl, Arnie, and Gila Mobster previewing games such as The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Jet Grind Radio, Paper Mario and Final Fantasy IX.

Note: This comic introduces X, the mysterious Microsoft spokesman.

Note: This was a four-page strip. It also contains a plug for the first issue of Slave Labor's Hsu and Chan comic book. The comic also confirms the correct pronunciation of Hsu's name (rhymes with "shoe," which rhymes with "true," à la "True Crime Stories.")

Note: Despite this being the January issue, the magazine actually shipping in December, making the Holiday Gift Guide still relevant.

Note: Like the previous strip, this strip's content was still relevant at the time since EGM typically ships during the month prior to the month on the cover.

Note: EGM went through a redesign in this issue. The Hsu and Chan comic was moved from the end of the Press Start section (near the front of the magazine) to the last page (in a section called Game Over).

Note: This strip features the introduction of Arnie's family.

Note: This strip was drawn is a different style to emulate the art style of famed Final Fantasy artist, Yoshitaka Amano.

Note: This strip doesn't feature Hsu and Chan, but is instead a collection of five different video games (Mortal Kombat, Clock Tower, Bionic Commando, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Resident Evil) drawn as if they were covers to 1950s horror comics.

Note: When this strip was written, Nintendo's Wii was still being referred to by its official codename, the Revolution.

Note: Due to an EGM redesign this month, this is the first comic without the customary title panel.

Note: This is the final comic to appear in EGM. After this issue, Hsu and Chan will continue at 1UP.com.

Slave Labor Comics

The following strips have been featured in the Hsu and Chan comic book published by Slave Labor Graphics.

Slave Labor Trade Paperbacks

The following are Hsu and Chan trade paperbacks that have been published by Slave Labor Graphics.

Spookingtons Comics

In December 2006, Norm began running a near-daily comic strip on his website, Spookingtons. Instead of a standard three panel gag strip or a single page adventure (like the EGM strips), these new Hsu and Chan comics are full stories, much like one would find in the Slave Labor comics. The story is then broken up into 2-3 panel chunks each day.

Also on March 25, 2009, Norm began updating short, black and white newspaper-style comics with no distinct plot linking them together. There are currently 11 of these "Black and White Strips"

1UP.com Comics

On December 22, 2008, began running on 1UP.com. Like the Spookingtons comics, these comics are ongoing serials that are broken into smaller strips. The comics are viewable on Hsu and Chan's 1UP.com blog.

On September 7, 2009, Norm announced that due to 1Up.com's financial situation, the Hsu and Chan blog will be ending on September 30, 2009, after which the comic will continue on Spookingtons.

Game Critter Super-Squad! Comics

Game Critter Super-Squad! was a Hsu and Chan spin-off comic that ran in nine issue of EGM's now-defunct sister magazine, GameNOW. Although the GCSS strips didn't have separate titles, the following are brief descriptions of the strips that ran.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.1up.com/1upblogs/2/hsu_and_chan

External links

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