VERSUS

Versus ran in the pages of Kick Fighter Action Komiks Magasin (published by Infinity Publishing, Inc.) from 1993 to 1995.  One of the magazine's most popular features, it was written by Mike Tan and illustrated by Lando Inolino.

THE BATTLE BEGINS

Versus is a gladiatorial fighting tournament held on the technologically-advanced planet Omicron.  Two of the games' mightiest fighters are the heroic superhuman warrior Balzaur and the evil electric-powered Voltar.

On the day the two combatants were slated to face each other, Omicron was rocked by a devastating quake that eventually led to its destruction.

Balzaur and Voltar manage to escape to the planet Earth, where they continue their ongoing battle. However, powerful shockwaves are unleashed whenever the two are in close proximity to each other, threatening to destroy the world (as they did Omicron) every time that they do battle!

TEAM BALZAUR

 BALZAUR

 An extraterrestrial powerhouse, Balzaur possesses superhuman strength and agility.  He can leap great heights and distances, and is invulnerable to most forms of harm.

BOGA

Ex-soldier and hitman turned vigilante.  Originally hired to take down Balzaur,  Boga (slang term for "gun") eventually switches to his side.  An electronics wizard, he employs an arsenal of high-tech weaponry.  The resident "merc with a mouth," he is as sharp with his tongue as he is with his aim, and is perhaps the series' most popular character.

He may also have been the first person to coin the term "Dabarkads."

VIDA

Sole survivor from the lost civilization of Lemuria.  She possesses mind-based powers such as telepathy, telekinesis, levitation and the ability to project psi-blasts.

CHAN LEE
Martial arts master and Shaolin monk sent to determine the nature of the alien combatants.  He develops the ability to expel bursts of energy after surviving an electric blast from Voltar.

SHADOW NINJA

Another adversary turned ally.  He doesn't last very long, ultimately sacrificing his life in battle.













DELGADO AND SPIKE
Delgado is the fight manager who discovers Balzaur and owner of the gym that serves as the team's home base.  Spike is an aspiring amateur boxer and resident sidekick.

TEAM VOLTAR

VOLTAR

A living dynamo of devastation, Voltar has the power to fire destructive blasts of electricity and the ability to fly.

BRAIN MASTER

A pint-sized robotics genius who seeks to control both Voltar and Balzaur.

ULTIMAXX

Sometimes referred to as Ultramaxx, Brain Master's main robot henchman.

SENTINEL ROBOT 
Another of Brain Master's robot creations.

 

BROMEL

Balzaur's brother, who leads an alien invasion of Earth.

  







THE MUTATES

Three earthlings abducted by Bromel, subjected to genetic experimentation and transformed into his super-powered soldiers.  They are composed of:

MATAHARI

Matahari (literally "Eyeking") has the power to shoot powerful blasts from his eye(s).

 

ARYANA

Aryana possesses lethal telekinetic abilities.

KUWATROMANOS

Kuwatromanos ("Fourhands") literally has four arms, each hand equipped with deadly razor-sharp claws.

COMMANDER

Yet another would-be alien invader.

ZORK

The pilot of the Commander's ship.

BLACK DRAGON NINJA

Shadow Ninja's shapeshifting brother, out to avenge his sibling's death (which he blames on Team Balzaur.)

OTHER BATTLES TO FIGHT

When Versus concluded its run (with the main conflict unresolved), its cast of characters went their separate ways into other series.  Balzaur teamed up with Billy the Dragon in Zero Gravity, and later with Biotrog and Jolas Zuares in Omni Powers.  Voltar played the villain in Blades and Bullets and Tech Force 2000.  As for Boga and the rest of the team, they would strike out on their own as Team Bravo.

COVERS

KICK FIGHTERS ASSEMBLE!

Way back in the mid-1990's, Kick Fighter Komiks was one of the most popular komiks magazines on the stands at the time.  Published by Infinity Publishing Inc., it's claim to fame was its roster of characters that were based around those from the popular Street Fighter video games. Be that as it may, the book's writers and artist still managed to exercise their creativity, giving their cast of heroes completely different backgrounds and gradually modifying their looks just enough to make them more-or-less original characters in their own right.

Another thing that made Kick Fighter unique at the time was that its characters existed in the same universe.  Although there they may been a few crossovers between Philippine comic book characters before then, they were very rare.  To my mind, there hadn't really been a serious attempt at a shared continuity among a large cast of characters from individual series until that time.

The Kick Fighters first came together in KFK's 48th issue (December 30, 1993).  With some snappy dialogue from writer Mike Tan and action-packed art by Gilbert Monsanto and Lando Inolino, this book-length adventure was billed as their "Winter Special Edition" (even though we don't really have winter here in the Philippines).

THE KICK FIGHTER KAST

BALZAUR

Alien gladiator from the planet Omicron.  Star of the serial Versus.















BIOTROG

The silver-masked bionic vigilante, star of his own self-titled series.






BLADE

From the serial Double Blade, a Special Forces commando turned mercenary.  Not to be confused with Billy the Dragon, who would later replace Blade as the magazine's resident Guile clone.

BOGA

Wisecracking high-tech hitman.  Also a character from Versus.

BRONCO

Environmentally-conscious green-skinned man-monster.  Star of the series Mysterio.

CHAN LEE

From Versus, a Shaolin monk and ally of Balzaur.
















HIRO

From Double Blade, a black ninja and Blade's former nemesis-turned reluctant partner.














HUGO

From his own self-titled series, a pro-wrestler and part-time terrorist-buster.











ISPIKIKAY

Eco-friendly teenage superheroine, star of her own self-titled series.















JOLAS ZUARES

Fil-American secret agent, star of his own series.
















KAHDDIM

Super-powered Hindu monk, from the series Kulto.














KICKERO

Bionic-eyed crime-fighting kickboxer, star of his own series.
















ULTIMAXX

From Versus, evil robot creation of the mad scientist Brain Master.  Erroneously referred to in this story as Ultramaxx.












VOLTAR

From Versus, Balzaur's electric-powered arch-foe.
















WARLORD
The villain for this issue, an insane terrorist who has declared war on peace.















 The plot involves the Warlord's scheme to  turn the entire world's population into warmongers via a mind-control device.  With some of the KF heroes (and some villains) already under the Warlord's thrall, the rest of the good guys are forced to fight their brainwashed comrades in order to save the day.

The story ends with the Warlord being driven away (he's never heard from again), and the heroes vowing to stand together against evil, gathering together for one last group shot...

Even though this was the KF characters' only full-scale crossover, the universe had been established, and the Kick Fighters went on to make frequent guest appearances in each others' series. Later, during the two KFK revamps that followed, certain sets of characters would go on to form their own teams, such as Blades and Bullets, Omni Powers and others.

KICK FIGHTER KOVERS