Summary

  • Super Mario Bros. 2: The Comic is a fan-made sequel to the original Super Mario Bros. movie, created with the support of one of the movie's original writers.
  • The comic follows the Mario Bros. in a new adventure set directly after the movie, and features a clash with the villain Wart.
  • The comic explores the aftermath of the movie and its impact on both worlds, but unfortunately ends before the final battle with Wart, building to an epic showdown in a full movie trilogy.

The 1993 cult-classic Super Mario Bros.: The Movie, a (very) loose adaptation of Nintendo's famous video game franchise of the same name, left an indelible impression on a whole generation of Mario-nerds, but some might not know that in 2013 a sequel fan-made webcomic, Super Mario Bros. 2: The Comic, was released with the support of one of the movie's original writers.

Super Mario Bros. 2: The Comicwritten by Steven Applebaum and Ryan Hoss with art by Eryk Donovan and Jaymes Reed—was created after Applebaum and Hoss, two editors of a Super Mario Bros.: The Movie fansite, collaborated with Parker Bennett, one of the film's original screen writers, to create a "canon" sequel to the iconic film. Bennett apparently did not do any of the writing for the comic but instead provided Applebaum and Hoss with broad stroke ideas and inspirations for what would have happened after the original movie's hook ending.

The gorgeously drawn fan comic was released weekly, and follows the brothers in a new adventure that takes place directly after the movie ended, although the comic itself also abruptly ended before the main plot could be finished. The comic sequel, created after plans for a follow-up movie were scrapped, follows the eponymous Mario Bros. as they return to Dinohattan to face off against the villain Wart, and the wild cyber punk comic truly needs to be seen to be believed.

Related: Original Super Mario Bros. Star Responds to 2022 Movie Casting Choices

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Sequel Would've Adapted Even More of The Games

Super Mario Bros. 2: The Comic follows Princess Daisy as she returns to the human world and, again, asks Mario and Luigi for help in fighting back against the new big bad, Wart, who also was the villain in the Super Mario Bros. 2 video game. The Super Mario Bros. comic explores the aftermath of the original movie, how it has impacted both worlds and the main characters, but unfortunately ends without explanation right before the brothers final battle with Wart. Back when the comic was originally released in 2013, co-creator Applebaum had this to say about why they moved forward with the project:

“Super Mario Bros. provided a look into a world too rich and too original to not explore again. We knew that the original had its fans and felt that if we brought the Mario Bros. back to Dinohattan there would be an audience for that story.”

While there has been no additional public work done on the comic since its most recent chapter was released in 2015, the creators had some grand plans for a Super Mario Bros.: The Movie comic universe:

“We have planned for ten chapters of about ten pages each, which will then lead into a final adventure to close off a 'trilogy' for the characters. We also have several side-stories to explore in what we'd like to think of as an 'expanded universe,' which will be open to other writers and artists.”

The Sequel Comic Proves Super Mario's Live-Action Legacy is Alive & Well

super mario bros bob hoskins

The original movie followed Italian plumbing brothers Mario and Luigi (played by Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo) as they teamed up with Princess Daisy, Toad, and other classic Super Mario Bros. characters to take down the evil President Koops, a humanoid version of Mario's greatest enemy, Bowser. The film was panned by critics and was a box office failure. But, in the years following its abysmal release, it gained a rabid cult following from 90s kids who were obsessed with Mario. Although Super Mario Bros.: The Movie is not regarded as a "good" movie, its success in the years since its release is a testament to the power and cultural impact the Mario franchise has had on the world, and the fan efforts to create a sequel comic only continue to prove that point.

Hopefully Applebaum and Hoss will find a way to continue creating and publishing the fan-made comic, because it provides closure to many cult obsessives of the original, and is pure nostalgia. Especially with the (much anticipated and controversial) upcoming release of an animated Super Mario Bros. movie, fans are more than ever clamoring for Mario-centric content. For anyone who is interested in reading Super Mario Bros. 2: The Comic, based on Nintendo's classic game, the webcomic is available for free online, so there is truly nothing stopping you from continuing to explore this beloved universe.

Source: SMBTheComic