The Sudden Rise & Fall of the Battletoads


Shhh, these Battletoads have a dark secret!
When we last checked in at the Comic Book Mods, we discovered that Sega developed a wacky Sonic the Hedgehog origin comic. Apparently they weren't the only ones, because Tradewest did exactly the same thing just a couple of years later. This is the Battletoads origin comic; featuring all of the information that probably should have been in the game, but instead is featured in the pages of GamePro magazine.

It's been fifteen years since we've seen a Battletoads game. It used to be that the Battletoads were the biggest thing out there, starring in video games and TV shows. But these days they're nowhere to be found. Where did they go? How could these hugely successful creatures simply disappear without saying goodbye?

In this seventh episode of the Comic Book Mods, we attempt to explain why nobody likes the Battletoads. Not only do we start from the origins of the 'Toads, but we also discover their deepest secret, the thing that will ruin them if it gets out. Forget everything you know about Pimple, Rash and Zitz, because we're about to blow your mind. This is the episode that conclusively proves that there's one BIG difference between these toads and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. One very big and bloody difference!

Battletoads Comic About These Four Pages: Context is important when looking at a comic book. This four page comic was featured as a paid advertisement in two issues of GamePro magazine. This was in 1993, after the initial launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System game and not long before the debut of the Battletoads TV cartoon. If the comic below was any indication of what the TV show was like, then I have a feeling I missed out on one of the best cartoons on television.

Sonic the Hedgehog Comic Sonic the Hedgehog Comic Sonic the Hedgehog Comic Sonic the Hedgehog Comic

NOTE: While the artwork is straight from the issues of GamePro magazine, we did take some liberties with the writing. Here we have an infinitely more interesting story, one that sets up blood and guts battles. It also proves once and for all why these three toads had to live a life apart from regular society. In the end it's really a tragic tale of three losers who get duped into becoming Battletoads. How has this not been turned into an Oscar winning movie?