Did you Know Gaming uncovers failed Pokémon comic strip

There’s no shortage of Pokémon merchandise and spin-offs in the world, and while most of them have proven to be quite successful, they can’t all be big moneymakers. Such is the case with the failed idea for a daily Pokémon comic strip in American newspapers.

Did You Know Gaming has the full scoop, thanks to the translation of a Japanese Pokémon book. As the story goes, Peanuts was ending its legendary run in newspaper comics in the year 2000. Seeing this as an opportunity, the Pokémon Company decided they should try to implement their own newspaper comic based on Pokémon. They even got Marvel and DC comics artist Gerard Jones to do the art and writing for them.

Each strip featured Ash, Misty, and other characters from the anime. It was a strange mixture of Pokémon lore and American newspaper comic gags. Unfortunately, the comic was pretty universally panned, and ended its run after only six months. Today, hardly anyone seems to remember or talk about the strip at all.

If you’re curious about the Pokémon comic strip, you can read it for yourself! The entire run has been posted for free on the Internet Archive in a collection known as Pikachu Meets the Press. Give it a read, or get the strip’s complete history via the video above.