<s>
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1995	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
for	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
style	O
is	O
in	O
previous	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
Ocean	O
Software	O
's	O
Batman	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Caped	I-Application
Crusader	I-Application
in	O
1988	O
,	O
but	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
stretched	O
the	O
idea	O
to	O
such	O
an	O
extent	O
that	O
Sega	O
applied	O
for	O
and	O
was	O
granted	O
a	O
patent	O
for	O
a	O
"	O
videogame	O
system	O
for	O
creating	O
a	O
simulated	O
comic	O
book	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
concept	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
originated	O
from	O
a	O
1992	O
demo	O
video	O
for	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
titled	O
"	O
Joe	O
Pencil	O
Trapped	O
In	O
The	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
"	O
,	O
animated	O
by	O
Peter	O
Morawiec	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sketch	B-Application
Turner	I-Application
,	O
a	O
"	O
starving	O
artist	O
"	O
and	O
freelance	O
rock	O
musician	O
living	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
,	O
is	O
working	O
on	O
his	O
newest	O
comic	O
book	O
,	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
night	O
,	O
while	O
Sketch	O
is	O
working	O
on	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
during	O
a	O
thunderstorm	O
,	O
a	O
lightning	O
bolt	O
strikes	O
a	O
panel	O
of	O
his	O
comic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
becomes	O
an	O
instant	O
sensation	O
,	O
selling	O
out	O
on	O
the	O
first	O
day	O
,	O
making	O
Sketch	O
famous	O
as	O
it	O
becomes	O
the	O
best-selling	O
comic	O
book	O
ever	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
is	O
an	O
action	O
platformer	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
control	O
Sketch	O
as	O
he	O
progresses	O
through	O
panels	O
of	O
his	O
comic	O
book	O
,	O
hoping	O
to	O
reach	O
the	O
end	O
and	O
escape	O
before	O
his	O
own	O
creations	O
finish	O
him	O
off	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
is	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
with	O
the	O
6-button	O
gamepad	O
:	O
buttons	O
X	O
,	O
Y	O
and	O
Z	O
correspond	O
to	O
the	O
three	O
inventory	O
slots	O
Sketch	O
has	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
was	O
conceived	O
by	O
the	O
Sega	O
Technical	O
Institute	O
(	O
STI	O
)	O
programmer	O
Peter	O
Morawiec	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
devised	O
the	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
concept	O
after	O
joining	O
his	O
co-workers	O
on	O
one	O
of	O
their	O
trips	O
to	O
a	O
shop	O
in	O
Palo	O
Alto	O
,	O
California	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Morawiec	O
"	O
felt	O
that	O
comics	O
and	O
games	O
could	O
be	O
very	O
complementary	O
"	O
and	O
began	O
working	O
on	O
a	O
technology	O
demonstration	O
for	O
his	O
Amiga	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Morawiec	O
presented	O
the	O
video	O
,	O
"	O
Joe	O
Pencil	O
Trapped	O
in	O
the	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
"	O
,	O
to	O
STI	O
head	O
Roger	O
Hector	O
in	O
December	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Kalinske	O
wanted	O
development	O
to	O
begin	O
immediately	O
,	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
was	O
placed	O
on	O
hold	O
so	O
STI	O
could	O
work	O
on	O
Sonic	B-Application
Spinball	I-Application
(	O
1993	O
)	O
,	O
as	O
Sega	O
wanted	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
game	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
1993	O
Christmas	O
shopping	O
season	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
Spinball	O
release	O
,	O
STI	O
pitched	O
several	O
concepts	O
,	O
including	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
,	O
to	O
Sega	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kalinske	O
remembered	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
and	O
asked	O
STI	O
to	O
begin	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Morawiec	O
approached	O
programmer	O
Adrian	O
Stephens	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
joined	O
STI	O
as	O
a	O
programmer	O
as	O
Spinball	O
was	O
nearing	O
completion	O
,	O
about	O
working	O
on	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
's	O
marketing	O
department	O
objected	O
to	O
the	O
character	O
's	O
name	O
and	O
design	O
,	O
so	O
he	O
was	O
renamed	O
Sketch	B-Application
Turner	I-Application
and	O
Morawiec	O
,	O
a	O
fan	O
of	O
the	O
Smashing	O
Pumpkins	O
,	O
redesigned	O
him	O
to	O
resemble	O
a	O
grunge	O
rocker	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
STI	O
sought	O
to	O
design	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
faithfully	O
to	O
its	O
comic	O
book	O
theme	O
,	O
including	O
in	O
its	O
animation	O
style	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DeZuniga	O
designed	O
the	O
beginning	O
and	O
ending	O
sequences	O
;	O
he	O
drew	O
the	O
art	O
with	O
ink	O
and	O
pencils	O
before	O
scanning	O
it	O
into	O
a	O
computer	O
and	O
processing	O
it	O
for	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
development	O
progressed	O
,	O
Stephens	O
found	O
it	O
challenging	O
to	O
program	O
the	O
game	O
so	O
it	O
would	O
fit	O
within	O
two	O
megabytes	O
while	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
decompress	B-General_Concept
large	O
pages	O
of	O
graphics	O
during	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
was	O
not	O
designed	O
with	O
this	O
process	O
in	O
mind	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
pleased	O
that	O
he	O
managed	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
happen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
STI	O
sent	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
to	O
Sega	O
of	O
Japan	O
for	O
review	O
,	O
it	O
received	O
a	O
note	O
claiming	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
embodied	O
everything	O
that	O
was	O
wrong	O
with	O
American	O
culture	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
became	O
STI	O
's	O
top	O
project	O
with	O
the	O
full	O
support	O
of	O
Sega	O
's	O
marketing	O
department	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
was	O
relatively	O
smooth	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
repeatedly	O
delayed	O
so	O
the	O
team	O
could	O
add	O
more	O
features	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
a	O
release	O
late	O
in	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
 '	O
lifecycle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
only	O
two	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
other	O
being	O
The	B-Application
Ooze	I-Application
,	O
to	O
bear	O
the	O
STI	O
logo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
that	O
Wallis	O
worked	O
on	O
during	O
his	O
time	O
at	O
Sega	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
last	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
game	O
Senn	O
worked	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Drossin	O
sought	O
to	O
demonstrate	O
the	O
sound	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
and	O
that	O
it	O
could	O
produce	O
more	O
than	O
just	O
chiptune	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
complicating	O
matters	O
was	O
the	O
forthcoming	O
release	O
of	O
Sega	O
's	O
new	O
consoles	O
,	O
the	O
32X	B-Device
and	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Stephens	O
expecting	O
a	O
child	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Resultingly	O
,	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
scope	O
was	O
reduced	O
for	O
a	O
sooner-than-planned	O
release	O
and	O
two	O
levels	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
removed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
retrospect	O
,	O
Morawiec	O
felt	O
the	O
development	O
would	O
have	O
greatly	O
benefited	O
from	O
the	O
contributions	O
of	O
STI	O
's	O
more	O
experienced	O
Japanese	O
staff	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
split	O
from	O
the	O
main	O
team	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
1992	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
August	O
2	O
,	O
1995	O
,	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
September	O
1	O
,	O
1995	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
October	O
27	O
,	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
port	O
,	O
released	O
when	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
promoting	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
as	O
a	O
legitimate	O
game	O
platform	O
,	O
is	O
largely	O
identical	O
to	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
features	O
a	O
MIDI	O
rendition	O
of	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sales	O
of	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
were	O
hampered	O
by	O
its	O
late	O
release	O
in	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
 '	O
lifecycle	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
worldwide	O
launch	O
of	O
next-generation	B-Application
hardware	I-Application
like	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
and	O
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Stephens	O
,	O
Hector	O
said	O
that	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
failed	O
to	O
break	O
even	O
,	O
which	O
Morawiec	O
attributed	O
to	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
promote	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
as	O
"	O
edgy	O
and	O
cool	O
"	O
,	O
Sega	O
bundled	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
with	O
a	O
CD	O
featuring	O
rock	O
songs	O
by	O
popular	O
bands	O
such	O
as	O
Love	O
and	O
Rockets	O
,	O
Danzig	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Jesus	O
and	O
Mary	O
Chain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
STI	O
originally	O
planned	O
for	O
the	O
bundled	O
CD	O
to	O
contain	O
several	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
tracks	O
performed	O
by	O
a	O
grunge	O
band	O
that	O
Drossin	O
had	O
formed	O
in	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
,	O
but	O
Sega	O
chose	O
a	O
different	O
approach	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
concluded	O
,	O
"	O
You	O
really	O
want	O
to	O
love	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
for	O
its	O
original	O
elements	O
,	O
but	O
after	O
a	O
few	O
panels	O
,	O
the	O
honeymoon	O
's	O
over.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
four	O
reviewers	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
acknowledged	O
the	O
problems	O
with	O
the	O
controls	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
remarked	O
that	O
the	O
graphics	O
are	O
exceptionally	O
colorful	O
for	O
a	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
game	O
,	O
and	O
argued	O
that	O
the	O
originality	O
of	O
its	O
comic	O
book	O
look	O
makes	O
it	O
a	O
must-have	O
despite	O
its	O
flaws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
reviewed	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
while	O
the	O
unique	O
concept	O
,	O
outstanding	O
visuals	O
,	O
and	O
solid	O
soundtrack	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
of	O
interest	O
,	O
the	O
gameplay	O
is	O
derivative	O
and	O
repetitive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
summed	O
up	O
,	O
"	O
A	O
very	O
cool	O
idea	O
for	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
was	O
n't	O
executed	O
properly	O
,	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
is	O
better	O
than	O
most.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
GamesRadar	O
ranked	O
Comic	O
Zone	O
43rd	O
on	O
their	O
"	O
Best	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis/Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
games	O
of	O
all	O
time.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
in	O
1995	O
by	O
Sega	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
only	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
September	O
11	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Virtucraft	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
hidden	O
within	O
the	O
Japanese	O
version	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Device
Mega	I-Device
Collection	I-Device
and	O
can	O
be	O
unlocked	O
in	O
all	O
versions	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Device
Mega	I-Device
Collection	I-Device
Plus	O
by	O
having	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
Heroes	I-Application
game	O
save	O
,	O
or	O
by	O
starting	O
all	O
other	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
games	O
at	O
least	O
50	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
Collection	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
(	O
also	O
called	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
Collection	O
in	O
PAL	O
regions	O
)	O
On	O
January	O
29	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
Comix	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
on	O
June	O
10	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
appears	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
Genesis	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
(	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
)	O
and	O
on	O
June	O
3	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
pack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
download	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	O
Vintage	O
Collection	O
,	O
with	O
trophy	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
22	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
published	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
mobile	I-Application
operating	O
systems	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	B-Application
Forever	I-Application
retro	O
game	O
collection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
in	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Application
Mini	I-Application
retro	O
console	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
19	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
record	O
release	O
features	O
the	O
original	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
soundtrack	O
by	O
Howard	O
Drossin	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
live	O
recordings	O
from	O
the	O
band	O
Roadkill	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
+	I-Application
Expansion	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
.	O
</s>
