Comics from Calatia

In addition to the Mario and Captain N comics, Valiant’s Nintendo Comics System also included a Zelda series. Like the others, it was influenced by the DiC cartoons, which means we get a lot of Link hitting on Zelda, but also that Zelda is a competent adventurer in her own right. The comic delves deeper into the characters’ back stories than the show ever did, though, It informs us that Link (well, this version of Link, anyway) comes from Calatia, a kingdom to the west of Hyrule. The Queen of Calatia is even a character in a few stories. Another new character is Miff, a fairy who doesn’t have much respect for Link.

I don’t believe that Spryte, the fairy from the cartoon who has a crush on Link, ever appears in these comics, but she’s mentioned on the map.

One odd thing about these comics is the timeline, in that there are hints that Zelda II has already taken place, but Ganon somehow still has the Triforce of Power. For instance, “Homecoming” has Link’s Shadow besmirching the hero’s good name, and Link says he remembers fighting the Shadow, but wasn’t Ganon already dead by that point?

Regardless, one of the best stories in the comics is the two-parter “The Power” and “The Price,” in which Link takes the Triforce of Power from Ganon and turns evil. The explanation is that power without wisdom is a corrupting influence, and it’s interesting to see Link become a villain.