A Link to the Past is a legendary game (no pun intended), and the story has been told in a number of ways. There have been a number of manga adaptations, and a comic serialized in the pages of Nintendo Power. The Nintendo Power adaptation of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was done by the late Shotaro Ishinomori who worked on Cyborg 009 and created the long running Kamen Rider franchise among many other works, and was given a reprint a few years ago by Viz Media in 2015, along with some other Nintendo comics from that era.
This adaptation is one of the better ones and has a somber and moody tone in some areas and humorous tone in others and nothing feels out of place. Ishinomori expanded on the story where it needed to be expanded, and put a new touch on the beloved classic. This is not a 1:1 retelling of the story you know, but a reinterpretation that not only tells the general story of the game well, but builds on the narrative in areas that were lacking, which works because comics and video games rely on different methods to tell their stories, and Ishinomori managed to bring something new that made the story stand out more.
The art in the comic is extremely well done, and reminiscent of the concept art for the game. Link has a distinct personality here and you feel a connection with him as he goes through his journey. Ishinomori also added new characters as well to the story that both add to the explanations, as well as help trim down some of the story to flow better. Not all parts of the game are adapted, and other parts are told differently, such as the sage Sahasrahla, and characters related to him being given highly expanded roles compared to the original game.
In addition, there are new characters include Epheremelda, a fairy who accompanies Link on his journey like Navi would later, and for those wondering Epheremelda was created before Navi was. There was also a character called Roam who acted as a rival to Link, who also tried to defeat Ganon,and was based off a character from Ishinomori’s Cyborg 009 series. The character fit in surprisingly well here and can be seen as a precursor to many of the rival type characters who would pop up in later games.
The other noteworthy thing about the comic is that is is very dark in tone. Characters die and nothing is sugarcoated, and the corrupting nature of the Dark World is expanded on even more to show how horrifying it truly is. I earlier mentioned the comic having a somber tone, and the story truly does feel less like a traditional Zelda story and more like an alternate take on Zelda.
Having Ishinomori be the one to make this comic was a great move, as it not only brought his distinct art style, but also his unique storytelling method as well. He was after all, one of the most influential creators in Japan and was known for his massive influence on anime, manga, and Tokusatsu heroes. If you have not read this yet, I highly recommend you do so as it is one of the best Nintendo comics around and still holds up well today.
