Nintendo Comics System

From 1991 to 1992, Acclaim and Valiant launched the Nintendo Comics System, a nine-issue series that brought the vibrant, offbeat world of Nintendo's video games to the comic page. Anchored by frequent writers Bill Vallely, Mark McClellan, and George Caragonne, and illustrated by artists like George Wildman, Gray Morrow, and Dennis Francis, the series expanded the Mario universe with original characters such as the scheming Herman Smirch and the alien Pionpi, alongside familiar faces like Princess Daisy and the villainous Tatanga. Though short-lived, it remains a quirky and fondly remembered artifact of early-'90s licensed comics, capturing the playful spirit of the Super Mario franchise before it became a global multimedia juggernaut.