Hsu and Chan
Encyclopedia
Hsu and Chan is a comic strip
created by Jeremy "Norm" Scott that appeared in the video game magazine
Electronic Gaming Monthly
from October 1999 until the September 2008 issue. The strip has appeared at 1UP.com
until September 30, 2009 when the blog ended and Norm promised to continue the comic at spookingtons.com. Full-length comic books of Hsu and Chan have also been published by Slave Labor Graphics
, as well as a trade paperback collecting the first five issues of the comic.
appears in the strip "Hsu and Chan in: Chan Turismo!"
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
.
The name Dirk appears frequently as a replacement for a random name (Ledger of Zelda) or for anagrams and codenames (Pocket Morons: Platinum, Sonic Boobs). Many comics also make references to Cheez-its, usually with characters noticing crumbs (This was also done in The Otters: The Survivors). Many references are made to the Tomb Raider series, usually referring to the newer games as crimes against humanity.
The first comic to spin off from Hsu and Chan was Game Critter Super-Squad!
, which ran in EGM's now-defunct sister magazine, GameNOW
.
Others
about making a standalone, full-length Hsu and Chan comic book
. Slave Labor agreed, and eight issues of the comic have been published . A collection of these first five along with extra bonus material was released in 2004 and titled Hsu and Chan: Too Much Adventure.
Since the EGM strips are typically one page long, they are self-contained stories that parody a specific video game, usually the title on that month's cover of EGM. The Slave Labor comics, on the other hand, are considerably longer and more reliant on plot. The Slave Labor comics are also less video game-centric and feature Hsu and Chan battling supernatural foes and their arch-rivals at the competing video game company, Yamamoto Games, Inc.
Norm's naturally wordy dialogue is slightly toned down for the EGM strip, a necessary compromise given the single page nature of the strip. In the Slave Labor comic, the characters are more verbose.
Despite the separate focuses of the two different strips, they exist within the same universe. In the Slave Labor comics Hsu's right hand is severed and replaced with a prosthetic appliance
; the change was reflected in the EGM strip.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
created by Jeremy "Norm" Scott that appeared in the video game magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
from October 1999 until the September 2008 issue. The strip has appeared at 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
until September 30, 2009 when the blog ended and Norm promised to continue the comic at spookingtons.com. Full-length comic books of Hsu and Chan have also been published by Slave Labor Graphics
Slave Labor Graphics
Slave Labor Graphics is an independent American comic book publisher, well-known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics.-Company history:...
, as well as a trade paperback collecting the first five issues of the comic.
Background
Hsu and Chan follows the misadventures of the brothers Hsu and Chan Tanaka, who own and operate a company called "Tanaka Bros. Game Development" that specializes in knock-offs of popular titles. For example Bad Milage 2000, a knock-off of Gran TurismoGran Turismo (series)
is a popular and critically acclaimed series of racing simulation video games developed by Polyphony Digital.Developed exclusively for PlayStation systems, Gran Turismo games are intended to simulate the appearance and performance of a large selection of vehicles, nearly all of which are licensed...
appears in the strip "Hsu and Chan in: Chan Turismo!"
Tanaka Bros. Game Development has other, less seen employees, including Arnie, a ground squirrel bearing a striking resemblance to Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
, Gila Mobster, the brutish Charmander
Charmander
Charmander, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Charmander first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
parody who can be seen wearing a black Fedora
Fedora (hat)
A fedora is a men's felt hat. In reality, "fedora" describes most any men's hat that does not already have another name; quite a few fedoras have famous names of their own including the famous Trilby....
with a lighter grasped in the end of his tail, and Chernobyl, the radioactive chipmunk who is a take on Pikachu
Pikachu
is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
.
The name Dirk appears frequently as a replacement for a random name (Ledger of Zelda) or for anagrams and codenames (Pocket Morons: Platinum, Sonic Boobs). Many comics also make references to Cheez-its, usually with characters noticing crumbs (This was also done in The Otters: The Survivors). Many references are made to the Tomb Raider series, usually referring to the newer games as crimes against humanity.
The first comic to spin off from Hsu and Chan was Game Critter Super-Squad!
Game Critter Super-Squad!
Game Critter Super-Squad! is a comic created by Jeremy "Norm" Scott that appeared in the now-defunct video game magazine GameNOW. It is a spin-off of Norm's popular Hsu and Chan comic that appears in Electronic Gaming Monthly and in comic book form through Slave Labor Graphics.The strip follows the...
, which ran in EGM's now-defunct sister magazine, GameNOW
GameNOW
GameNOW was a United States-based video game magazine that was published by Ziff-Davis from November 2001 to January 2004. There are 27 issues of GameNOW in total. In addition to video game consoles like PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, and Game Boy Advance, GameNOW also covered games for...
.
Characters
Tanaka Bros. employees- Hsu and Chan Tanaka: The main characters in the series. Though they're apparently talented when it comes to coding and creating video games (proven in a strip where it's mentioned that their games usually get good reviews), they spend more time creating ripoffs of established franchises or other schemes to make a quick buck. According to The Hsu and Chan Story from Norm's old (now-defunct) site, which was written as if by the character Chan Tanaka, Chan is 6'2" and was born in October 1973 and Hsu was born in September 1974.
- Chernobyl: A radioactive chipmunkChipmunkChipmunks are small striped squirrels native to North America and Asia. They are usually classed either as a single genus with three subgenera, or as three genera.-Etymology and taxonomy:...
who was created in a get rich quick scheme based around the extreme popularity of the Pokémon series in the late 90s. He is based on PikachuPikachuis one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
and attacks with concentrated radiation. He can evolve into a fat, tiny, naked, flying IRS agent named Mr. Stephenson. - Arnie the Ground Squirrel: A blue ground squirrel who originally portrayed Sonic the Hedgehog at children's parties and gaming conventions before working for the Tanakas. He has multiple habits including a gambling addiction and kleptomaniaKleptomaniaKleptomania is an irresistible urge to steal items of trivial value. People with this disorder are compelled to steal things, generally, but not limited to, objects of little or no significant value, such as pens, paper clips, paper and tape...
. - Gila Mobster: A brutish lizard (most likely a gila monsterGila monsterThe Gila monster is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexican state of Sonora...
) who was based on the Pokémon, Charmander. Gila Mobster works for the Tanaka brothers as a bodyguard and an enforcer. - Hannibal Lawyer: A cross between Miles Edgeworth and Hannibal Lector. He serves as the Tanakas' legal consultant whom they usually summon to explain copyright and intellectual property laws. Due to his insanity, the brothers store him in a refrigerator when he's not being used.
Others
- The Tanaka Family: Seen in A Very Hsu and Chan Christmas. Hsu and Chan's known family includes their loving mother, their father, who follows a traditional Japanese lifestyle, and their grandfather who mostly speaks Japanese. They also have a sister, Hiroko, and her dimwitted, muscle-bound husband, Deke, who annoys the brothers with his idiotic stories and occasional physical harassment. Hiroko also has a daughter, Hanabi, who the brothers used to see if their new toy idea (an unholy fusion of past successes) would be successful with children in Oh Holy Nuts. Hiroko and Deke are also briefly mentioned in Godfodder.
- The Yamamotos: The arch-rivals of the Tanaka Brothers and the owners of a competing video game company. They are responsible for cutting off Hsu's right hand, which would be replaced with a prosthetic claw in later comics.
- X: An anthropomorphic, green letter X who served as a placeholder mascot for the XboxXboxThe Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and a legal representative of Microsoft in Squares. He reappeared in a later episode to support the Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
in Parade of Disappointment implying that he killed the Nintendo representative in his fight to the death in Squares. - Arnie's Family: Arnie's parents and younger siblings, Buckles and Trudy, who appeared in the episode, Sonic Weirdos. His father is portrayed as extremely patriotic and perpetually disappointed in his son.
Slave Labor comics
After three years with EGM, Scott contacted Slave Labor GraphicsSlave Labor Graphics
Slave Labor Graphics is an independent American comic book publisher, well-known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics.-Company history:...
about making a standalone, full-length Hsu and Chan comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
. Slave Labor agreed, and eight issues of the comic have been published . A collection of these first five along with extra bonus material was released in 2004 and titled Hsu and Chan: Too Much Adventure.
Since the EGM strips are typically one page long, they are self-contained stories that parody a specific video game, usually the title on that month's cover of EGM. The Slave Labor comics, on the other hand, are considerably longer and more reliant on plot. The Slave Labor comics are also less video game-centric and feature Hsu and Chan battling supernatural foes and their arch-rivals at the competing video game company, Yamamoto Games, Inc.
Norm's naturally wordy dialogue is slightly toned down for the EGM strip, a necessary compromise given the single page nature of the strip. In the Slave Labor comic, the characters are more verbose.
Despite the separate focuses of the two different strips, they exist within the same universe. In the Slave Labor comics Hsu's right hand is severed and replaced with a prosthetic appliance
Prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...
; the change was reflected in the EGM strip.
Video game parodies
The following games have been featured in the Hsu and Chan EGM strips:- DrivenDriven (video game)Driven is a racing video game released in 2001 by BAM! Entertainment. The game is based on the movie Driven with Sylvester Stallone.-Reception:...
- (Drivel) - Final FantasyFinal Fantasyis a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
- (Final Fantasize) - Kingdom HeartsKingdom Heartsis an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
- (Hearts o' Darkness) - Grand Theft AutoGrand Theft Auto (series)Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
- (Hsu Crime Stories) - "007" series - (Thunderblarg)
- Resident EvilResident Evil (video game)Resident Evil, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game by Capcom. The first installment in the Resident Evil series, it was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation and was subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn and PC. In 2002, a remake of the game was released for the Nintendo...
- (Zombierama) - The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
- (Lords of the Bling, Hoard of the Things) - Gran TurismoGran Turismo (series)is a popular and critically acclaimed series of racing simulation video games developed by Polyphony Digital.Developed exclusively for PlayStation systems, Gran Turismo games are intended to simulate the appearance and performance of a large selection of vehicles, nearly all of which are licensed...
- (Chan Turismo) - Metal GearMetal Gear (series)is a series of stealth video games created by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami. The first game, Metal Gear, was released in 1987 for the MSX2. The player takes control of a special forces operative Solid Snake who is assigned to find the eponymous superweapon "Metal Gear", a...
- (Secret Agent Chan) - Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney - (Jerk Simpkins, Ace Attorney [Under Fire])
- Super Mario Bros.Super Mario Bros.is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
- (Down the Drain) - PokémonPokémonis a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
- (Pocket Morons, Pocket Morons Platinum) - Sonic the HedgehogSonic the Hedgehog (character), trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
- (Sonic Boobs, Sonic Weirdos) - CastlevaniaCastlevaniaCastlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
- (Symphony of the Nut) - The Legend of Zelda - (The Ledger of Zelda)
- HaloHalo: Combat EvolvedHalo: Combat Evolved, frequently referred to as Halo: CE, or Halo 1, is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The first game of the Halo franchise, it was released on November 15, 2001 as a launch title for the Xbox gaming system, and is...
- (Combat: Involved!) - Soul CaliburSoul Caliburis a 3D, weapons-based fighting game developed by Project Soul and produced by Namco. It is the second game in the Soul series, preceeded by Soul Edge. It was released in arcades in 1998, and it ran on the Namco System 12 hardware. In 1999 it was ported to the Dreamcast with improved graphics and...
- (The Soul Still Burns, Low Calibur) - Halo 3Halo 3Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2...
- (Halo How Are You?) - Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
- (Prelude to a Brawl) - SOCOM: Confrontation - (So Conned)