Udon Entertainment Corp. is a Canadian art studio and publisher. The company publishes original and translated

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

and

art book Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects. Overview Artists' books have employed a ...

s related to

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

and

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s. It was founded in 2000 and is named after

udon Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. It is a comfort food for many Japanese people. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a hot soup as with a mild broth called ...

, a kind of Japanese noodle.

Overview

It was affiliated with Studio XD; in March 2004, Udon announced a partnership to release comics under

Devil's Due Publishing Devil's Due Publishing (often abbreviated as DDP) is an independent comic book publisher in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned proper ...

. Udon's first offering was the ''

Street Fighter , commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six ...

'' comic book series, launching in September 2003. They would add a '' Darkstalkers'' comic series to their line in November 2004. In October 2005, Udon reorganized its operations and became a full-fledged publisher. Erik Ko revealed that the lengthy break in the Summer of 2005 was to recover from a licensing deal with

Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...

, which saw Udon doing artwork for ''

Capcom Fighting Evolution , released in the US as ''Capcom Fighting Evolution'', is a 2004 head-to-head fighting game from Capcom. It was originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Namco System 246 hardware and ported to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The g ...

''. Although Udon appreciated the opportunity to work on the game and to strengthen their ties with the video game maker, it taxed their resources and left them behind schedule on their comics. In October 2005, Udon released ''Street Fighter II #0'', the sequel to their ''Street Fighter'' comic; it was followed in early 2006 with the long-awaited launch of ''

Rival Schools ''Rival Schools: United by Fate'', known in Japan as is a fighting game produced by Capcom originally released as an arcade game in 1997 and ported to the PlayStation (console), PlayStation in 1998. On February 23, 2012, Capcom released ''Unit ...

''. Erik Ko discussed this in an interview with Newsarama that can be read here.

In December 2007 at the New York Anime Festival, Udon announced that it would be publishing three new ''Street Fighter'' comic book series in 2008. These include ''Street Fighter II Turbo'' (12-issue series), ''Street Fighter Legends: Chun-Li'' (4-issue mini), and ''Street Fighter III'' (6-issue series). In November 2008, Udon announced it would publish a 4-issue mini-series of the upcoming ''

Street Fighter IV is a 2008 fighting game published by Capcom, who also co-developed the game with Dimps. It was the first original main entry in the series since '' Street Fighter III'' in 1997, a hiatus of eleven years. The coin-operated arcade game version wa ...

'' game. “With the most anticipated Street Fighter game in years arriving 2009, we will be launching the ‘‘Street Fighter IV” comic series as a big crossover event with the game. That would mean the originally planned ''Street Fighter III'' series will have to make way and be released after this ‘‘Street Fighter IV” story arc is done,” said Ko. “We are working very closely with Capcom and the SFIV producer in Japan to make this comic series as exciting as possible. The stories from our comic are linked directly to the game, and it is a genuine extension that fans will definitely love. Also expect plenty of cross promotion and marketing between our comics and the game.” In January 2009, Udon announced it had acquired the rights to produce ''Final Fight'' comic books. In November 2009, Udon announced it will continue the ''Darkstalkers'' comic series with a new 3-issue mini-series called ''Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors''. In December 2009, Udon announced it would publish a four-issue ''Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki'' miniseries. From 2012 to 2014, Udon partnered with

Bandai Namco also known as the Bandai Namco Group and generally Bandai Namco, is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, formed from the merger of Bandai and Namco on S ...

to produce several webcomics and webseries based on their various video game IP as part of their ShiftyLook initiative.

Publishing

Comic books

Capcom Comic Book Universe

The Capcom Comic Book Universe (CCBU) is a comic book franchise developed by Udon, which is based on various

franchises set inside a

shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where more than one writer (or other artist) independently contributes a work that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, chara ...

Other comic books

*''

Exalted ''Exalted'' is a high fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally published by White Wolf Publishing in July 2001. The game is currently in its third edition. It was originally created by Robert Hatch, Justin Achilli and Stephan Wieck, and wa ...

'' #0-4 (2005−2006, based on the roleplaying game by

White Wolf A white wolf or Arctic wolf is a mammal of the ''Canidae'' family and a subspecies of the gray wolf. It may also refer to: Organizations * White Wolf (band), a Canadian heavy metal band * White Wolf (band), white power oi band from the USA * Whi ...

) *''

Cannon Busters ''Cannon Busters'' is an American fantasy comic book series by LeSean Thomas, launched in March 2005. An original net animation anime series by Satelight and Yumeta Company was released on Netflix on August 15, 2019. Publication history The fi ...

'' #0-2 (2005−2006, creator-owned series by LeSean Thomas)

Imported titles

Art books

Anime & character art

Video games

;Notes Out of print.

Work for other companies

Video games

*Full artwork for '' Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix'' (

), for

Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is a digital video game download service available through the Xbox Games Store, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360. It focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent ...

and

PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...

*Character designs and illustrations for '' New International Track & Field'' (

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

), for

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

*Character designs and illustrations for ''

Speed Racer ''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese media franchise about Auto racing, automobile racing. ''Mach GoGoGo'' was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in tankōbon book form by Sun W ...

'' ( WB Games), for

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...

and

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

*Artwork for ''

'' (Capcom) *Artwork for

Kongai Kongregate is an American web gaming portal and video game publisher. Its website features over 110,000 online games and 30+ mobile games available to the public. The company also publishes games for PC, mobile, and home consoles. It was purchase ...

Kongregate Kongregate is an American web gaming portal and video game publisher. Its website features over 110,000 online games and 30+ mobile games available to the public. The company also publishes games for PC, mobile, and home consoles. It was purchase ...

*Artwork for the pack-in comic included with

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

's''

Soulcalibur IV is the sixth installment in the '' Soulcalibur'' series of fighting games, released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2008. It features greatly improved graphics over the previous title, and includes three guest characters from the ''Star Wa ...

'' Platinum Edition *Artwork for the pack-in comic included with Capcom's ''

'' Collector's Edition *Artwork for '' Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars'' (Capcom), for

*Inks and Colours for the pack-in comic included with

Midway Games Midway Games Inc., known previously as Midway Manufacturing and Bally Midway, and commonly known as simply Midway, was an American video game developer and publisher. Midway's franchises included ''Mortal Kombat'', ''Rampage (series), Rampage'' ...

' ''

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' is a 2008 fighting video game, developed and published by Midway Games. The last entry in the franchise before the company went bankrupt in 2009 and sold the franchise to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment ...

'' Kollector's Edition *Promotional artwork for the re-release of '' Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes'' on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network *Promotional artwork for '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds'' *Promotional Comic for '' Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones''

Comics

*'' Agent X'' (

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

) *''Marvel Mangaverse: Avengers Assemble'' (Marvel Comics) *''

Cable & Deadpool ''Cable & Deadpool'' was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2004. The title characters, Cable and Deadpool, shared the focus of the book. The series was launched following the cancellation of the characters' previous ong ...

'' (Marvel Comics) *''

Deadpool Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...

'' (Marvel Comics) *''

Sentinel Sentinel may refer to: Places Mountains * Mount Sentinel, a mountain next to the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana * Sentinel Buttress, a volcanic crag on James Ross Island, Antarctica * Sentinel Dome, a naturally occurring grani ...

'' (Marvel Comics) *'' Taskmaster'' (Marvel Comics) *'' X-Men: Evolution'' (Marvel Comics) *''

Last Shot "Last Shot" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Kip Moore. It is the second single to his third studio album '' Slowheart''. Moore wrote the song with Dan Couch and David Lee Murphy, and produced it himself. Content ...

'' (Marvel Comics) *''

Vampi Vampirella () is a fictional vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of ''Creep ...

'' (

Harris Comics Harris Publications Inc. was an American special interest media company, operating over 75 brands with print, digital, mobile and live event platforms prior to its sale to Athlon Media in 2016. It produced magazines that educate, entertain, inf ...

) *'' XIN'' (

) *''

Robotech ''Robotech'' is a science fiction franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production and first released in the United States in 1985. The show was adapted from t ...

'' (

Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wilds ...

) *Covers for the ''

StarCraft ''StarCraft'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance am ...

'' and ''

Warcraft ''Warcraft'' is a franchise of video games, novels, and other media created by Blizzard Entertainment. The series is made up of five core games: '' Warcraft: Orcs & Humans'', '' Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness'', '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chao ...

'' manga (

Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed J ...

)

Misc

*Character designs for DC's ''Ame-Comi Girls'' PVC statue line ( DC Direct) *'' Epic Battles'' trading card game (

Score Entertainment Score Entertainment was a trading card design and manufacturing company based in Arlington, Texas. Their first card game was the Dragon Ball Z: Collectible Card Game in 2000. Score Entertainment was a member of the Donruss Playoff LP family of ...

) *''Street Fighter UFS'' trading card game (

Sabertooth Games BL Publishing was a division of Games Workshop, and was split into three sections: * The Black Library publishes novels, art books, background books and graphic novels set in the Warhammer Fantasy (setting), Warhammer Fantasy world and the Warham ...

) *''Darkstalkers UFS'' trading card game (Sabertooth Games)

References

External links

*
Udon Comics on Marvel.com
{{Authority control Comic book publishing companies of Canada Comics studios Manga distributors Manhwa distributors Canadian companies established in 2000 Publishing companies established in 2000 Companies based in Richmond Hill, Ontario