📜 Post with us on Reddit
📝 Create a new article
🏭 Create a company page
🇬🇧 - in English
🇫🇷 - en Français (FR)
🇵🇹 - em Português (PT)
🇩🇪 - in Deutsch (DE)
🇯🇵 - 日本語で (JA)
Sponsored articles

You can edit almost every page by Creating an account. Otherwise, see the FAQ.

List of Hsu and Chan comics

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

Hsu and Chan is a comic created by Jeremy "Norm" Scott that appears in the video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly. It follows the misadventures of the brothers Hsu and Chan Tanaka, who own and operate a company called "Tanaka Bros. Game Development" (which specializes in knock-offs of popular titles such as Gran Turismo: "Hsu and Chan in: Chan Turismo!"). These comics are known around the world.

After three years with EGM, Norm contacted Slave Labor Graphics Publishing about making a standalone, full-length Hsu and Chan comic book. Slave Labor agreed, and seven issues of the comic, as of 2005, have been published. A collection of these first five (along with extra bonus material) was released in 2004 and is titled Hsu and Chan: Too Much Adventure.

Tanaka Bros. Game Development has other, less seen employees, including Arnie, a ground squirrel bearing a striking resemblance to Sonic the Hedgehog, Gila Mobster, the brutish Charmander parody who can be seen wearing a black Fedora with a lighter grasped in the end of his tail, and Chernobyl, the radioactive chipmunk who is a take on Pikachu.

EGM strips[edit]

Below is a list of the Hsu and Chan strips that have appeared in EGM as well as what video game they are parodying. Usually, but not always, the content of the comic is related to what is on the cover of EGM that month. Unless otherwise noted, each strip is one page long.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Note: This is the first Hsu and Chan strip to run in EGM. It features the introduction of both Hsu and Chan Tanaka as well as Chernobyl, the Radioactive Chipmunk.

  • (EGM #125) - "Meet Hsu and Chan"

Note: According to Norm, this was the first comic starring the titular duo that he ever wrote

  • (EGM #126, January 2000) "Secret Agent Chan" (Metal Gear Solid - PlayStation)
  • (EGM #127, February 2000) "Hsu and Chan 2000" (The new millennium and the Y2K scare)
  • (EGM #128, March 2000) "The Magnificent Two" (Westerns)
  • (EGM #129, April 2000) "The Next Generation" (The Tanaka Brothers introduce their own next-gen console, the Tanakatron 5000)
  • (EGM #130, May 2000) "Chan Turismo" (Grand Turismo)
  • (EGM #131, June 2000) "Seduction of the Innocent" (Violence in video games)
  • (EGM #132, July 2000) "Peripheral Panic (Yes I know that's a dumb name. Shut Up!)" (The Tanaka Brothers attempt to copy the success of the N64 Rumble Pack with their own peripherals.)
  • (EGM #133, September 2000) - Sonic Boobs! (Sonic the Hedgehog games)

Note: This strip features the introduction of Arnie.

Note: This strip features the introduction of Gila Mobster.

Note 2: Aside from the 2 Page strip, this issue also featured Hsu and Chan's Fall Preview-O-Rama which featured Hsu, Chan, Chernobyl, Arnie, and Gila Mobster previewing games such as The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Jet Grind Radio, Paper Mario and Final Fantasy IX.

  • (EGM #136, December 2000) - Tales From Hsu and Chan (obsolete consoles and the horror genre)
  • (EGM #137, December 2001) - "Online!" (Internet/online gaming; MMORPGs)
  • (EGM #138, January 2001) - "O, Holy Nuts" (holiday special)
  • (EGM #139, February 2001) - "Girly!" (women and videogaming)
  • (EGM #140, March 2001) - "Schoolin'" (game design school)
  • (EGM #141, April 2001) - "The Sushi Saga!" Part One: "Robots Suck."
  • (EGM #142, May 2001) - The Sushi Saga! Part Two: "Backstory!"
  • (EGM #143, June 2001) - The Sushi Saga! Part Three: "Electric Bugaloo"
  • (EGM #144, July 2001) - "Advanced!" (Game Boy Advance)
  • (EGM #145, August 2001) - The Trade Show Diaries (E3)
  • (EGM #146, September 2001) - "Last Hurrah!" (end of summer antics)
  • (EGM #147, October 2001) - Chums of Liberty (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - PlayStation 2)
  • (EGM #148, November 2001) - "Wrasslemania! YARRG!" (WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It- PlayStation 2)
  • (EGM #149, December 2001) - Game Noir (Gila Mobster as "Harry Booker, PI" in a crime noir-themed comic out of place in the Hsu and Chan universe)
  • (EGM #150, January 2002) - "Squares" (GameCube versus Xbox)

Note: This comic introduces X, the mysterious Microsoft spokesman.

  • (EGM #151, February 2002) - 'Fantastique' (Final Fantasy X - PlayStation 2)
  • (EGM #152, March 2002) - Rebirth (Maximo theme of 3-D revival of 2-D games)
  • (EGM #153, April 2002) - Best of 2001 Round-Up! (the best games of 2001)
  • (EGM #154, May 2002) - All-Star Gala Zombierama (Resident Evil - GameCube)
  • (EGM #155, June 2002) - War Games (military video games)
  • (EGM #156, July 2002) - Hsu and Chan Go Hollywood! (video game movies)
  • (EGM #157, August 2002) - Down the Drain! (Super Mario Sunshine - GameCube)
  • (EGM #158, September 2002) - Connections (PlayStation 2 online)
  • (EGM #159, October 2002) - Hsu and Chan's Authoritative Net Etiquette Primer (online etiquette)
  • (EGM #159, October 2002) - This issue also features a 12-page comic strip/feature article entitled "EGM's No-Problemo Guide to Taking Your PS2 Online" that was illustrated by Norm. Although Hsu and Chan do not appear in this feature, it does mark the debut of Jimmy, the lead character in the H&C spin-off comic, Game Critter Super-Squad!
  • (EGM #160, November 2002) - First Person! (first person shooters)
  • (EGM #161, December 2002) - Hsu Crime Stories (Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - PlayStation 2)

Note: This was a four-page strip. It also contains a plug for the first issue of Slave Labor's Hsu and Chan comic book. The comic also confirms the correct pronunciation of Hsu's name (rhymes with "shoe," which rhymes with "true," à la "True Crime Stories.")

Note: Despite this being the January issue, the magazine actually shipping in December, making the Holiday Gift Guide still relevant.

  • (EGM #163, February 2003) - 2002: The Year We Made Contracts (New Year's resolutions)

Note: Like the previous strip, this strip's content was still relevant at the time since EGM typically ships during the month prior to the month on the cover.

Note: EGM went through a redesign in this issue. The Hsu and Chan comic was moved from the end of the Press Start section (near the front of the magazine) to the last page (in a section called Game Over).

Note: This strip features the introduction of Arnie's family.

Note: This strip was drawn is a different style to emulate the art style of famed Final Fantasy artist, Yoshitaka Amano.

Note: This strip doesn't feature Hsu and Chan, but is instead a collection of five different video games (Mortal Kombat, Clock Tower, Bionic Commando, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Resident Evil) drawn as if they were covers to 1950s horror comics.

Note: When this strip was written, Nintendo's Wii was still being referred to by its official codename, the Revolution.

  • (EGM #205, July 2006) - Scent of Fear! (World War II video games)
  • (EGM #206, August 2006) - Expansion (luring non-gamers to play video games)
  • (EGM #207, September 2006) - The Last Random Battle (turn-based RPGs vs. action RPGs)
  • (EGM #208, October 2006) - Conned! (The death of E3)
  • (EGM #209, November 2006) - Gear (Gears of War - Xbox 360)
  • (EGM #210, December 2006) - Combat: Involved! (Halo: Combat Evolved - Xbox)
  • (EGM #211, January 2007) - Parade of Disparagement (Console wars between PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360)

Note: Due to an EGM redesign this month, this is the first comic without the customary title panel.

Note: This is the final comic to appear in EGM. After this issue, Hsu and Chan will continue at 1UP.com.

Slave Labor Comics[edit]

The following strips have been featured in the Hsu and Chan comic book published by Slave Labor Graphics.

  • Hsu and Chan #1 (January 2003) - Curse of the Ancients!; Evening of Destruction; Shoot-Man video game ad
  • Hsu and Chan #2 (April 2003) - Horrors from Beyond the Rec Room!; All-Star Gala Zombierama (reprinted from EGM #154, May 2002)
  • Hsu and Chan #3 (July 2003) - The Duel; War Games (reprinted from EGM #155, June 2002)
  • Hsu and Chan #4 (October 2003) - Drive-In To Murder; Hsu and Chan Go Hollywood! (reprinted from EGM #156, July 2002)
  • Hsu and Chan #5 (February 2004) - Phantom of the Carnies; Wrasslemania! YARRG! (reprinted from EGM #148, November 2001)
  • Hsu and Chan #6 (August 2004) - Brand Loyalty; Chums of Liberty (reprinted from EGM #147, October 2001)
  • Hsu and Chan #7 (April 2005) - Tourists, Trapped!
  • Hsu and Chan #8 (January 2009) - - Tourists, Trapped! part 2

Slave Labor Trade Paperbacks[edit]

The following are Hsu and Chan trade paperbacks that have been published by Slave Labor Graphics.

  • Hsu and Chan: Too Much Adventure (May 2004) - Collects issue #1-5 of Slave Labor's Hsu and Chan comic book as well as a few bonus articles and strips by Norm (including the very first, previously unpublished Hsu and Chan strip).

Spookingtons Comics[edit]

In December 2006, Norm began running a near-daily comic strip on his website, Spookingtons. Instead of a standard three panel gag strip or a single page adventure (like the EGM strips), these new Hsu and Chan comics are full stories, much like one would find in the Slave Labor comics. The story is then broken up into 2-3 panel chunks each day.

Also on March 25, 2009, Norm began updating short, black and white newspaper-style comics with no distinct plot linking them together. There are currently 11 of these "Black and White Strips"

  • The Mummy's Tooth! (12/4/2006 - 8/20/2007) - While attending a lecture on ancient Egypt, Arnie's kleptomaniac habits awaken the wrath of the recently recovered mummy.
  • Sights for Sore Isotopes (09/3/2008 - 9/22/2008) - Chernobyl the Radioactive Chipmunk catches an illness that will cause a nuclear meltdown if the Brothers can't come up with a homemade remedy.
  • Arnie's Deliverance (2/5/2010) - Arnie the Ground Squirrel takes on the duties – and enemies – of the postal service. Moderate violence and gratuitous usage of dog puns!
  • Cave of the Tyrant Lizard (Summer 2010) - Using the same device that created Chernobyl and Gila Mobster to recreate dinosaurs, the brothers start a Jurassic Park inspired theme park (though they claim they had the idea first). Unfortunately, Hsu's carefree views on safety precautions quickly endanger the brothers and a group of teenagers on spring break.
  • Epicdemic (1/5/2011–present) - Hsu gets an idea after seeing how people like Arnie are willing to pay monthly fees to do banal, repetitive tasks in MMORPGs.

1UP.com Comics[edit]

On December 22, 2008, began running on 1UP.com. Like the Spookingtons comics, these comics are ongoing serials that are broken into smaller strips. The comics are viewable on Hsu and Chan's 1UP.com blog.

On September 7, 2009, Norm announced that due to 1Up.com's financial situation, the Hsu and Chan blog will be ending on September 30, 2009, after which the comic will continue on Spookingtons.

  • The House of Miyamoto (12/22/2008–present) - In exchange for not being turned over to the police for breaking into his home, the Tanaka Brothers agree to help world renown game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, find a new hobby and inspiration for a new game. Unfortunately, Arnie's gambling habits lead to trouble with the Yakuza.
  • DRM and You (7/6/2009 - 7/13/2009) - (Digital rights management, Phoenix Wright)
  • Dragon Cash (7/20/2009) - (Dragon Quest IX)
  • Santino and Lump: Princess Retrieval Unit (7/27/2009) - (Super Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda)
  • Use Your Peripherals (8/3/2009) - (New generation peripheral controllers)
  • Slim Fortunes (8/25/2009) - (PlayStation 3 Slim)
  • The Terrible Secret of the Hsu and Chan Blog (9/7/2009 - 9/30/2009) - A 4-part finale for the Hsu and Chan 1Up.com blog.
    • Part 1 (9/7/2009) - After learning that they are being fired again, Hsu plots revenge involving urine filled balloons while Chan reads over an emergency protocol.
    • Part 2 (9/14/2009) - The Catastrophe Terminal prepares to relay important information to the Tanakas, but due to its programming, it wastes time being dramatic.
    • Part 3 (9/21/2009) - The Catastrophe Terminal finally reveals its secret and the brothers plot to use this shocking information for their own amusement.
    • Part 4 (9/30/2009) - As the brothers' (and Arnie's) robotic clones begin abusing their access the originals' funds and attorney, Hsu's clone questions the accuracy of the name of the "Hsu and Chan" blog when the comic apparently focused on the clones. Chan's clone (with a replaced right hand) responds that nobody ever got specific and that they "Sail on a loophole." The comic ends with the trio walking into the distance, bringing the Hsu and Chan 1up blog to a close.
  • In the comments for the last episode, Norm comments how appropriate it is that blog ended on the 10 year anniversary of the first Hsu and Chan strip to appear in EGM.[1]

Game Critter Super-Squad! Comics[edit]

Game Critter Super-Squad! was a Hsu and Chan spin-off comic that ran in nine issue of EGM's now-defunct sister magazine, GameNOW. Although the GCSS strips didn't have separate titles, the following are brief descriptions of the strips that ran.

  • (GameNOW #19, May 2003) - Jimmy assembles the GCSS to defeat a giant robot, but the Squad is easily distracted by donuts.
  • (GameNOW #20, June 2003) - Gila Mobster helps Jimmy believe in the heart of the cards in a Yu-Gi-Oh! parody.
  • (GameNOW #21, July 2003) - Arnie questions reality after playing a video game based on The Matrix.
  • (GameNOW #22, August 2003) - The Squad accidentally wanders into Silent Hill. Arnie wets his pants, if he wore any.
  • (GameNOW #23, September 2003) - Part two of the Silent Hill saga. The Squad chats up one of the more talkative residents of the town.
  • (GameNOW #24, October 2003) - Arnie complains about having to play as an elf in a The Lord of the Rings-style game.
  • (GameNOW #25, November 2003) - Arnie realizes that for a group called the "Super-Squad," the gang doesn't really go on any grand, world-saving adventures. Gila Mobster sends Arnie on a quest to fetch him another beer.
  • (GameNOW #26, December 2003) - Jimmy takes a rare trip outside in order to play Boktai despite the Squad's insistence that the outdoors are nothing but trouble.
  • (GameNOW #27, January 2004) - Jimmy and Arnie discuss the future of 3-D gaming (that is, "alien monsters flying out of your TV" 3-D and not simply polygonal graphics) and other gimmicky gaming technology.

References[edit]

  • Scott, Norm. (2004). Hsu and Chan: Too Much Adventure. SLG Publishing.
  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2008-12-29. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)

External links[edit]


This article "List of Hsu and Chan comics" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:List of Hsu and Chan comics. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.


Retrieved from "https://en.everybodywiki.com/index.php?title=List_of_Hsu_and_Chan_comics&oldid=922918"
License CC BY-SA 3.0
Powered by MediaWiki
Powered by Semantic MediaWiki