I suddenly know why Nintendo rejected it after seeing Mario making the peace sign prominently in one of the images
(probably not the main reason but i feel like it had to at least be part of it given how hard they tried to scrub that gesture from the series after the 90s)
Anyways, yes I'd have loved to see this get made. The way he described it is exactly how I feel a Mario comic should be handled. Story driven adaptations that tie the games together (hopefully using the stuff from the RPGs too). Which ironically means I disagree with what he said about how it's not how he'd approach Mario now. I don't think drama is a bad thing for this series, and I'm not sure how this didn't have enough whimsy based on the art. I get the feeling that this being pitched around the early 2010s played a role in it being turned down, this flies right in the face of Nintendo's corporate sanitization they prioritized during that time.
Though I am not confident the direction this would take today would be as good as what it could've been if this concept had been fleshed out from here and not affected by the 2010s brand shift. Like I doubt Wario or especially Toadsworth would be featured. Wario maybe if they do something based on party or kart. But being involved with Mario's adventures, doubtful. Toadsworth's only hope would be if they adapt Sunshine and even then I can easily see them just not having him.
(probably not the main reason but i feel like it had to at least be part of it given how hard they tried to scrub that gesture from the series after the 90s)
Anyways, yes I'd have loved to see this get made. The way he described it is exactly how I feel a Mario comic should be handled. Story driven adaptations that tie the games together (hopefully using the stuff from the RPGs too). Which ironically means I disagree with what he said about how it's not how he'd approach Mario now. I don't think drama is a bad thing for this series, and I'm not sure how this didn't have enough whimsy based on the art. I get the feeling that this being pitched around the early 2010s played a role in it being turned down, this flies right in the face of Nintendo's corporate sanitization they prioritized during that time.
Though I am not confident the direction this would take today would be as good as what it could've been if this concept had been fleshed out from here and not affected by the 2010s brand shift. Like I doubt Wario or especially Toadsworth would be featured. Wario maybe if they do something based on party or kart. But being involved with Mario's adventures, doubtful. Toadsworth's only hope would be if they adapt Sunshine and even then I can easily see them just not having him.