“The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past†is considered by many fans to be either one of or the best “Legend of Zelda†games ever made. When it was released in 1991, its popularity was so big that there was a comic based off of it written and drawn by legendary mangaka Shotaro Ishinomori. Viz Media has published this comic for the US and, even with some changes, it does the game justice.
The wizard Agahnim has captured all the Hyrule maidens, including Princess Zelda, in order to merge the Dark World with Hyrule. Princess Zelda has called upon Link to help stop Agahnim and save these maidens.
Anyone who has played the game will be familiar with the story, but Ishinomori has made some changes to maybe not spoil the game and to make it work as a comic. One of these characters is Roam who is supposed to be a rival to Link even though he feels unneeded.
Since Link had no character, Ishnomori had to come up with him. He made Link a total goofball similar to the cartoon version except not as annoying and no “well, excuse me princess†line. It’s a decent enough character trait since people really don’t want Link to be that serious a character but not a complete doofus either.
The artwork is Ishinomori’s iconic look that many people will recognize from his most famous work “Cyborg 009.†Some may hate this style and say that it makes the comic look too much like a kid’s comic, but Ishinomori really does a fine job of creating the world of “Legend of Zelda.†There is a lot of emotion coming from the characters and the backdrop and action look terrific. The only real downside is, going back to the kiddie argument, some of the character reactions do look too goofy for their own good.
“The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past†is a great adaptation to a beloved game even some changes. It may be too light-hearted for some, but once you get past that you’ll find a comic that is well worth reading.
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