Super Mario Time!
Posted on April 14, 2023
by Patrick C
It’s finally happening: another attempt at a Super Mario film. It’s been 30 years since the last attempt, a live-action movie starring Bob Hoskins, which has since gone down as one of the worst movies ever made. Not even a banger song featuring George Clinton could make up for the odd creative choices. It didn’t end Super Mario, however, and the video game franchise has been running strong and throwing out more content than an angry Hammer Bro. throws… well, hammers, of course. Here are five titles to get you prepped for any references or Easter eggs that might pop up during the movie.
Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia: The Official Guide to the First 30 Years, 1985-2015
This book establishes the Mario canon. After a brief interview with Nintendo producer Takshi Tezuka, the bulk of the book is committed to describing all the mainline Mario games starting with Super Mario Bros. in 1985. There are lists upon lists of characters, the worlds, enemies, power-ups, and even tips and tricks for the games. If you’ve ever wanted to know about parts of the games without having to go play the games, this would be the book for you.
Print | eBook | hoopla | Comics Plus
Super Mario Adventures
This is a collection of comics that were originally printed in the official Nintendo magazine, Nintendo Power, in 1992. Reprinted here, these stories are some of the first to make the world of the Mushroom Kingdom into a place where the Mario brothers live and do business. It features the expected storyline and attempts to throw in as much of the conventional cast of characters as possible. This book is just plain zany, and even King Koopa is as much goofball as villain.
Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America
By Jeff Ryan
Print | eAudiobook | hoopla
This nonfiction book traces the evolution of Super Mario up through the 2000s. It has a deeper reach than the official Encyclopedia because it begins with Mario’s 1981 premiere as the protagonist in Donkey Kong. Back then, Mario wasn’t even a licensed plumber but was listed as a carpenter. I guess he changed careers after dealing with all those pipes in the Mushroom Kingdom. This book does great at dramatizing the trials of Nintendo and how much of their success is due to the now classic character.
Super Mario: Manga Mania
By Yukio Sawada
In my opinion, this is something really special. It’s a collection of Mario manga that were previously unavailable in English until now. It’s a great reminder that Mario is a truly Japanese creation and an international sensation, he’s not just a character for the United States. These comics are a lot of fun and, while it doesn’t have every manga Mario story, it does have a lot of the characters we know and love, and none of the stories take themselves seriously. Mario is meant to be fun, and these stories double down on that.
Mario and Luigi
By Kenny Abdo
A nice little primer for younger audiences, this brief book gives the origin of the heroes with lots of colorful pictures and easy language. It’s short, sweet, to the point, and would be a great choice if you’re looking for early grade nonfiction for school. It would also be a great choice if you want to make sure the children in your life have the important information about this historical figure before they see the movie.
It wouldn’t be Mario if there wasn’t something else to discover after you’ve played the game. Check out some of this other Mario content if you want to keep playing.
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