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How Tall Is Mario?
In 1991, Valiant Comics released a series of books that placed Nintendo's most recognizable characters in our world. In the third issue of the Game Boy comic, Mario walks among us, is surprisingly fluent in English, and goes well out of his way to help the American military fight a war. He's also only five inches tall.
How does he enter our world? The comic's protagonist Greg Campell, a pilot stationed on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific, is playing Super Mario Land on his Game Boy in the crew quarters. At the end of level 1-1, Greg makes Mario leap through the middle door. In Greg's words "Mario is leaping through the middle door! This has gotta be a nightmare!" Seconds later, a physical incarnation of Mario stands atop the Game Boy, pointing a stern finger at Greg. "You're no dreamboat yourself, sailor," Mario says.
If you can get your hands on this comic series, do so. I haven't read something this crazy since Ben Reeves' last game review. Call me crazy if you like, I wouldn't mind seeing Nintendo embrace this vision for a game. Picture a game in the vein of Call of Duty with a splash of the Mushroom Kingdom. Sure, it would be insane, but as this comic shows, unexpected twists can deliver entertainment.
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