Captain Comic

Captain Comic (a.k.a. Captain Comic: The Adventure from the box art, or The Adventures of Captain Comic from the title screen) is a platform game released for MS-DOS in 1988. It is known for being one of the first side-scrolling games made for IBM PC. It was developed entirely by Michael Denio. The PC version of the game was distributed as shareware. Later, a version for the NES was published by Color Dreams as an unlicensed title. An unofficial conversion for the SAM Coupé also exists. It was also cloned as "The Adventures of Pioneer Ksenia" in 1990 by a team of Ukrainian programmers.

In the game, the player takes control of Captain Comic, who is on a mission to the planet Tambi to recover three treasures stolen from the planet Omsoc. Its author, Michael Denio, writes in the introduction to the game's manual:

"The Adventures of Captain Comic started out as an experiment to test the viability of two theories, the first as to whether a real arcade type game can be done on a standard IBM PC with an Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) card, and secondly, given the first can be done, if it is possible to make any money doing it. Well, I've come to a conclusion on the second point, but I'll let you judge the first point for yourself."

Although neither the original, nor its Captain Comic II: Fractured Reality were commercial successes, Captain Comic is best known for its historical significance to classic PC games.

The theme song for Captain Comic was traditionally a rendition of the United States Marine Corps Hymn. The song was changed in Version 5 (the final revision of the game, released in 1991).

Story
From the back of the NES box:

''They have been stolen - the legendary treasures of Osmic - and hidden somewhere in the eight deceptively beautiful and mysitcal lands of Tambi and its moon. You must find the tools to overcome treacherous obstacles in your quest. This is no laughing matter! Yet, you must be lighthearted and quite out of your mind to takea on this job. Insane ravens, blood-sucking bats, spinning wraiths, and living electrical masses have been reported on a ruined planet still beautiful beyond belief. Only you, Captain Comic, armed with nothing but your sense of humor and easy going character can survive all that lies ahead. You can't lose your cool and must keep on your toes across the broken bridges of LAKE SIRI, the TABIAN MOON, the ROCKY FOREST, the CAVE OF BLIND TOADS, the KILLER BEE SHED, and the HAUNTED CASTLE. You were destined to take on this adventure. The Planet of Osmic waits to hear your victory laugh!''