On January 26th 2018, Monster Hunter World premiered on consoles, marking the first major video game release of the year. Featuring fantastic worlds of giant creatures and unique world building, the series has had a dedicated following for years. While lesser known stateside, Monster Hunter has been around for over a decade and has been a cited influence for several popular character action games such as Dark Souls.
But this is a video game series, what could it possibly do with a comics and game store? A lot actually! Here’s a bunch of cool things that Dragon’s Lair can order for all you new and veteran Monster Hunter fans!
Manga
Monster Hunter, being a Japanese series, has had multiple manga adaptations. Two notable ones that released stateside were Orage and Flash Hunter. Of the two, I prefer Flash Hunter with its more faithful adaptation and visual style to the series. Orage is worth mentioning for featuring art and writing by Hiro Mashima, the artist behind Fairy Tail!
Plushes
For a game about combating colossal creatures, the designs make for wonderfully adorable plushes! Capcom always produces new plushes for each installment, and there are already some available for order featuring monsters from MH World.
Funko Pops
I’ve always been laid back with Pop vinyls, maybe picking up one or two here and there. But these? I’m probably going to be getting all of these. The monster ones are especially great, the Funko aesthetic granting an almost Chibi feel to the monsters.
Blind Box Figures & Statues
I’ve been collecting Monster Hunter blind box figures at conventions for years and I have to say, they’re fantastic quality. Some series of the blind box figures also feature build-a-figure pieces if you collect them all. Capcom also produces high end statues that are wonderful collector pieces.
I sincerely hope this is the year Monster Hunter gets some wider recognition in the states. With lots of cool manga, toys and figures coming out alongside the new release, I like the odds. To all the longtime veterans and fresh newcomers, happy hunting!
Written by Stephen
