There are no more additional stories in "Nintendo Comics System", so I'll be reviewing just Captain N #4.
The Real Game Master (3:00 PM - 4:36 PM)
Cover: A cool drawing of the android zapping Kevin. He says "There's only one real Game Master--and it's me!" The Captain N logo has blue text, white background, and a blue border. The beam is yellow. "THE" is black. "GAME" and "MASTER" are blue with black border. The Captain N logo is split from the beam in the story itself. The Captain N logo has blue text, white background, and a blue border. The beam is white. "THE" is blue. "GAME" and "MASTER" are yellow with blue border.
Story title: "THE REAL GAME MASTER"
Writer: Mark McClellan
Other staff: Bill Vallely, James Brock, Bob Layton, Jade, Joe Q., Giselle Sarli
Length: 10 pages
Appears in:
Captain N: The Game Master, Volume #1, Issue #4, August 1990
Adventures of the Super Mario Bros., Volume # 1, Issue # 6, July 1991
Summary:
Kevin, Lana, Kid Icarus, and Duke are returning from a failed mission to infiltrate Mother Brain's League of Darkness Headquarters. They're running towards the Palace gates, King Hippo and the Eggplant Wizard chasing them in flying saucers. An army of giant grasshoppers is also chasing them. Kevin runs into Lana, and they both fall down. Just as Eggy is about to attack, Kid shoots Eggy's controls, sending him out of control. The good guys get into the Palace and close the "gate" (the double doors).
Lana complains to Kevin about clumsiness. Kevin apologizes and says that he never encountered the grasshoppers before.
It turns out that the grasshoppers were merely holograms created by Mother Brain's new machine. Hippo and Eggy go back to "Mother Brain's Metroid Headquarters". Mother Brain watched video of Lana complaining to Kevin on a viewscreen. To break up the N-Team, Mother Brain creates a new superior Game Master with her hologram machine, using images of Kevin. After Kevin leaves the team in disgrace, she will use the new Game Master to conquer Videoland.
Soon, at the Palace of Power, Lana is eating at a table, Kevin is sitting in a chair and watched TV, and Kid Icarus is reading something. They hear a noise outside and open the double doors. A huge storm is going on. Suddenly, the new Game Master appears, looking like a larger version of Kevin with advanced weapons. He's dressed like a super-hero - complete with a cape. He vows to free them from Mother Brain on this day. Kevin doesn't believe him. The army of grasshoppers arrives. The new Game Master defeats them. Lana is impressed. Kevin feels bad.
Meanwhile, on Metroid, MB, Hippo, and Eggy are watching all of this on the viewscreen. Kevin says that maybe the new Game Master is the real Game Master, and he wants to serve with the new Game Master until Mother Brain is defeated. MB decides to reprogram the new Game Master to lure Kevin to Metroid.
The new Game Master wants to go with Kevin to Metroid alone. Lana is surprised.
Kevin, Lana, Kid Icarus, Duke, and the new Game Master go to the West Hall of the warp zones area in the Palace. Lana tries to talk Kevin out of going. The new Game Master convinces Kevin to go. Kevin calls the new Game Master "Captain N", but Kid Icarus says that Kevin will always be his Captain N.
Kevin and the new Game Master go to Metroid, where the new Game Master wipes out a lot of bad guys. Kevin says that the new Game Master is good. They arrive in MB's chamber. MB, Hippo, and Eggy are there. Kevin says they're trapped, but the new Game Master rushes forward. Kevin sees a machine and doesn't remember it in the Metroid game. MB gives them 20 seconds to surrender, or she'll detonate this "doomsday device". She says that any shot or her or this device will send all of Videoland sky high. Kevin thinks that MB is bluffing. MB asks him if he's sure. The new Game Master asks Kevin for his Zapper to short circuit MB. Kevin isn't sure. The new Game Master calls itself the real Game Master and demands Kevin's gun. Kevin decides to stick to what he knows and zaps the hologram machine. The new Game Master fades out (and says so while he does it). Kevin realizes that he's been "faked out". A bunch of holographic variations of Kevin appear. Kevin goes through "the warp zone" before the machine blows.
Seconds later, at the Palace of Power, Kevin arrives and tells Lana and Kid Icarus about the holograms. Kevin realizes that he is the real Game Master. Lana hugs Kevin and says that he was the only one who doubted it.
Interesting Notes:
The Captain N logo is split from the beam. The Captain N logo has blue text, white background, and a blue border. The beam is white. "THE" is blue. "GAME" and "MASTER" are yellow with blue border.
Kid Icarus calls Lana "Princess Lana" in this story.
Lana's clothes are purple and purple-pink in this story.
Kevin's Zapper beams are white with blue border in this story.
Kid Icarus holds his bow in both hands in this story.
Mother Brain is spelled "Mother Brain" in this story.
The team is called the "N-Team" and the "N Team" in this story.
Mother Brain calls Kevin "Kevin" in this story.
Mario appears to be on the TV when Kevin's watching it.
Lana puts her left hand on Kevin's right shoulder when she's afraid.
Kid Icarus calls Kevin "Kevin" in this story.
The Palace of Power seems to have a lot of corridors with warp zones, since one of them is the "West Hall".
The Eggplant Wizard calls Kevin "Kevin" in this story.
Great Lines:
Lana: "It's not like Kevin planned to lead us straight into Mother Brain's new troops!"
Kid Icarus: "Just give me a clear shot, you big, fat veggie!"
Eggplant Wizard: "Oh, radishes! I'm out of control!!"
Lana: "That was too close. First we run straight into Mother Brain's henchmen, plus those strange grasshopper-creatures of hers...then we almost get caught----because of clumsiness! Kevin, you're supposed to be Captain N! You're supposed to help us against Mother Brain's League of Darkness!"
Eggplant Wizard: "So, Mother Brain, what hologram are we going to hit them with next? Giant lizards? Snapping turtles? Vegetable peelers?!"
Eggplant Wizard: "Is he going to cry? I hate seeing guys cry!"
Kid Icarus: "You'll always be my Captain N...Kevin."
Mother Brain: "Welcome, Game Master--whichever one of you that may be! Heh-heh!"
Kevin: "Sorry, but I've got to stick to what I know! And I know that machine doesn't belong in this room! That's what being a Game Master is all about!"
Eggplant Wizard: "Aaaugh--look at all the Kevins!"
King Hippo: "Waaaa-aaaa!!! I'm scared!"
Kevin: "I only figured it out because I knew the Mtroid game so well...so I guess I am the real Game Master!"
Lana: "The only one who doubted it, Kevin...was you!"
Dumb Lines:
Mother Brain: "Stop! One step closer and I'll detonate this doomsday device!! Any shot at me or the device will send all of Videoland sky high! You have twenty seconds to surrender!!"
Kevin: "You're lying, Mother Brain! If you had a doomsday device, you would have threatened us with it long before now!"
Mother Brain: "Perhaps. But can you be sure?"
How does Mother Brain even expect Kevin to believe that she'd destroy all of Videoland? And how can Videoland be blown "sky high"? Furthermore, why does Kevin assume that Mother Brain would have threatened to destroy Videoland before?
Review:
This story was good. I don't know how Mother Brain could see what's going on at the Palace. Maybe hidden video cameras in the flying saucers and the grasshoppers? The grasshoppers are described as "metal", so the "hologram machine" is probably a matter replicator. It looks like the holographic Game Master was going to attack Mother Brain. Why? So, does that mean that it really wanted Kevin's Zapper to short circuit Mother Brain? Or was he simply trying to disarm Kevin? It doesn't add up. The whole "doomsday device" thing was stupid, too. Duke was useless - again. I did like how King Hippo slammed into the Palace "gate", though, leaving a dent and hurting his nose. Despite no Samus, this was a pretty good story.
Secrets of the Warp Zones (5:28 PM - 5:52 PM)
Story title: SECRETS OF THE WARP ZONES
Writer: George Caragonne
Other staff: Laura Spofford, Rod Ollerenshaw, Jade, Kingman Huie, Rainbowhead
Length: 2 pages
Appears in:
Captain N: The Game Master, Volume #1, Issue #4, August 1990
Adventures of the Super Mario Bros., Volume # 1, Issue # 9, October 1991
Summary:
Kevin demonstrates and explains about warp zones. He escapes from Donkey Kong (and has the idea that DK thinks that Kevin stole his automatic banana peeler) in Kongoland and warps back to a hall in the Palace of Power. He shows a map of Videoland. He says that warp zones may lead almost anywhere in the other worlds - into a dungeon, onto a mountaintop, or even underwater. Years ago, the warp zones always took you exactly where you wanted to go, but, since the League of Darkness attacked, warp zones are not so reliable. A short creature called Pluton, the robbing ogre, runs past Kevin and into a warp. Kevin tries to warn him, but Pluton doesn't listen. He tries to get to Metroid but ends up in the desert. He goes through another warp with the bag of weapons that he had stolen, and he ends up in Kongoland. Donkey Kong comes up and sees that Pluton had stolen his automatic banana peeler.
Dumb Lines:
Kevin: "Believe me, Donkey Kong--I didn't steal your automatic banana peeler!"
How did Kevin know that that's what Donkey Kong was chasing him for? Did Donkey Kong speak to him? I hope not!
Kevin: "Somewhere, there's even an Ultimate Warp Zone that brought me here from Earth!"
That would be in the Palace, Kev.
Interesting notes:
Warp zones criss-cross every world in Videoland. All the worlds in Videoland are connected by warp zones to a hall in the Palace of Power.
Review:
This is an okay short story that explains warp zones. There are some problems, though. First, how did Kevin know what Donkey Kong was chasing him for? Second, Kevin shows a map of Videoland similar to the one that Simon has in "Kevin in Videoland". It's impossible to make out. Third, the "N" is missing from Kevin's jacket in that same panel. Fourth, Kevin's head is drawn badly in that same panel. Fifth, how does Kevin know Pluton, the robbing ogre? Pluton seems to deal with Mother Brain, but we've never seen him before. Maybe Kevin has. Sixth, how did Pluton get into the Palace of Power?
Videoland Guidebook: Prisonworld (6:00 PM - 6:09 PM)
Story title: VIDEOLAND GUIDEBOOK: PRISONWORLD
Writers: George Caragonne
Other staff: Mickey Ritter, Don Hudson, Jade, Kingman Huie, Rainbowhead
Length: 1 page
Appears in:
Captain N: The Game Master, Volume #1, Issue #4, August 1990
Summary:
The maximum security prison on Planet RX 338 was originally built generations ago, by an evil emperor named Suimar, to imprison all rebels against his despotic rule. Years later, after Suimar was overthrown, the Galactic Federation began using the world to imprison Videoland's most dangerous villains. In Suimar's ancient times, prisoners were put to hard labor mining the world's rich mineral deposits. The old tunnels still exist, deep inside the planet. There are over 100 separate prison blocks, each designed to secure villains of every aptitude, from every world in Videoland! A chain of orbiting hunter killer satellites and space mines prevent anyone from getting on...or off! Even worse, the asteroid field around RX 338 is infested with deadly star sharks! These creatures feed on anything, from starship hulls to living flesh! Criminals check in...but they don't check out.
Review:
A good, one-page description of the world that is featured in the next long story. It has interesting information that would never be found in the cartoon series, but the star sharks part was dumb.
Breakout (7:50 PM - 9:52 PM)
Story title: BREAKOUT
Writer: George Caragone
Other staff: Dennis Woodyard, Wansi, Jade, Heather Eatman
Length: 10 pages
Appears in:
Captain N: The Game Master, Volume #1, Issue #4, August 1990
Nintendo Comics System Featuring Super Mario Bros., Volume # 1, Issue # 8, September 1991
Summary:
While our hero, Kevin Keene, a.k.a. Captain N, is off on a dangerous mission, action does not stop in the Palace of Power. Princess Lana is sitting on her throne, and Samus Aran is standing to her left. Suddenly, the Throne room is raided by people in full silver armor and carrying really big guns. A man with short brown hair points at Lana with his right index finger. He introduces himself as Captain Dare, Federation Police Officer, and he places Princess Lana under arrest. Samus and Dare argue. Lana tells her not to fight him and asks for the charges. Dare reads the charges. Lana says they are crimes committed by Mother Brain. Samus wants to fight them, but Lana says she'll clear her name in court.
Later, in a Galactic Federation Circuit Court, Lana is standing in handcuffs. Samus is standing to her right. There are officers with guns standing to their right. Lana says that they can always rely on the courts to provide a fair and unbiased hearing. Judge Racklas is really Ridley, the pirate boss from Metroid. Samus begins fighting the guards, knocking them over, as she runs towards the bench. She realizes that the trial is a set up. Captain Dare and another officer run towards Samus. A bunch of guards hold Samus in place. Captain Dare swings at Samus and tells her that she'll do twenty years forassaulting a Federal Judge and aiding and abetting a fugitive. Ridley finds Lana and Samus guilty and sentences them to life imprisonment on the Federation Penal Colony Planet RX-338 - Prison World. As Samus and Lana are led away, Lana says that they have powerful friends.
Meanwhile, on Metroid, Mother Brain reveals that she kidnapped Racklas and put Ridley in his place, since they are of the same species, and the entire race looks alike.
On Planet RX 338, it's revealed that no one has ever escaped from any of the 100 separate prisons. Lana and Samus, handcuffed, are being led by a Federation officer. They are now dressed in plain gray pants, shirts, and shoes. Lana is allowed to keep her crown, necklace, and earrings, however.
They are led into an office, where a man is sitting behind a desk. The man assigns them to different cell blocks. Samu protests the separation and fights him. He presses his gun to Lana's back and threatens to shoot her.
In the yard of Cell Block 1, the prisoners hate Samus for putting them in there. They all charge at her. Samus begins fighting off the other prisoners, punching and kicking them.
Meanwhile, in Cell Block Ten, Lana is horrified at the way a guard treats the prisoners. Lana meets a winged prisoner named Syren. She's the self-proclaimed boss there. Lana tells her to assemble the prisoners, and then she speaks to them.
Later, Lana and some other prisoners are in the mess hall. She is watching them clean up the mess. By organizing the mess hall, they can feed everyone better, Lana tells them.
Still later, Lana is watching as some prisoners paint the courtyard, while others pick up the trash.
In Cell Block One, however, Samus waits until night to handle things her own way. Samus and Kraid, the prisoner she had swung around earlier, are walking outside. Around the corner, searchlights are moving back and forth. Samus tells Kraid to get out into the courtyard. When he does, alarms sound, and all the searchlights go on him.
While the guards are busy, Samus goes through one of the tiny air tunnels that criss-cross the Prison World. Samus arrives at a circular opening with two bars running vertically across it - the landing zone. A voice announces the esscape attempt in Block One and orders all transport shuttles scrambled and to maintain security orbit. Samus goes down into the landing zone and up to the shuttle. Samus grabs the man entering the shuttle with her right hand and throws him out of the shuttle.
Samus lands the shuttle in the yard of Cell Block 1 and opens the door. The guards start firing lasers from the watch towers. Lana refuses to go, saying that these people need her. Samus gets out of the shuttle, picks Lana up, and carries her over to the shuttle. Lana orders Samus to release her. Three prisoners protest Samus' actions. So does Syren, but then she changes her mind and tells Samus to take Lana gome. Lana agrees with this.
Later, back at the Palace of Power, in the Throne room, Kevin explains that, when we found out what happened to Lana and Samus, he freed the real judge from Metroid. He was on his way to Prison World when he discovered that they'd already escaped. Lana tells Kevin to return to Prison World soon to make sure conditions there have been improved. She asks Kevin to excuse herself and Samus for a moment, because she needs to speak to Samus alone. Kevin runs off, telling Lana to not forget that he's taking her to Pro Wrestling in Videotown tonight. He leaves the Throne room. Lana and Samus talk for a moment.
Interesting notes:
The Captain N logo has blue text, white background, and a blue border. The beam is white. "THE" is blue. "GAME" and "MASTER" are yellow with blue border.
Lana's clothes are purple in this story.
Mother Brain is spelled "Mother Brain" in this story.
Lana and Samus have powerful friends.
No one had ever escaped from any of the 100 separate prisons on Prison World until Samus Aran and Princess Lana.
It's appropriate that Samus is sent to Metroid Cell Block One.
Samus is called "Prisoner Samus Aran", and Lana is called "Prisoner Lana". Apparently, Lana has no last name.
Syren says that Lana looks like a crystal doll - meaning very fragile.
Lana may or may not like professional wrestling, but she's interested enough to let Kevin take her to a match.
Great Lines:
Lana: "I wish Kevin were...here...Still, if I must deal with this danger alone, I will."
Samus: "I gave my word to Kevin to protect the Princess. I do not understand why he is so interested in her well-being--she's not half the hero I am! Still, I shall protect her..."
Captain Dare: "Stand aside, Samus Aran! You may be a space bounty hunter, but you don't have the right to interfere with Federation officers!"
Samus: "You've always acted too big for your own armor, Dare! You want the Princess, you go through me!"
Lana: "What am I charged with officer?"
Captain Dare: "Forty-six counts of galactic piracy, twenty-eight counts of armed planetary robbery, eighteen counts of solar assault, fifteen counts of star smuggling......and 1,387 unpaid space parking tickets."
Lana: "But...this is a list of crimes committed by mother Brain!"
Captain Dare: "Tell it to the judge!"
Samus: "I can beat them!"
Lana: "No! I won't fight the law. I'll clear my name in court."
Lana: "We can always rely on the courts to provide a fair and unbiased hearing!"
Lana: "You'll never get away with this!" Lana yelled. "We have powerful friends!"
Mother Brain: "You also have powerful enemies!"
Narrator: "The Planet RX 338...Prison World. One hundred separate prisons, with one thing in common--no one has ever escaped from any of them!"
Lana: "What a dismal place..."
Guard: "What did you expect, the Pleasure Zone?"
Samus: "Stick close to me, Princess! Alone, you wouldn't last five minutes in here!"
Lana: "We've never been the best of friends, Samus...Why the sudden concern for me?"
Samus: "I gave my word to Captain N to protect you."
Prisoner #1: "It's her!"
Prisoner #2: "It's Samus Aran!"
Prisoner #3: "Samus put me in here for life!"
Prisoner #4: "Lousy space hunter!"
Prisoner #5: "Let's get her!"
Prisoner #6: "We don't have our weapons!"
Prisoner #2: "Neither does she!"
Samus: "Don't you monsters know the motto of the Space Hunter Academy? A space hunter does not need a weapon......a space hunter is a weapon!"
Samus: "Remember...I can do a lot worse than send you to prison, boys!"
Lana: "This is terrible! Prisoners or not...how can they treat people like this?"
Lana: "Stop that! These are not animals! They're intelligent beings! There are laws that apply to prisons as well as prisoners!"
Syren: "You look like a crystal doll, but I like the way you stood up to the guard! Name's Syren...I'm boss around here!"
Lana: "You call yourself their leader? How can you let them be treated like this? Assemble the prisoners! Let me speak to them!"
Narrator: "And so, one clear voice rises above the din--in simple, but eloquent words...expressing the dignity of all individuals...the triumph of spirit in the face of adversity...She is more than a Princess, she is a leader. She speaks to them with words so forceful that even these prisoners on the edge of despair...find hope."
Lana: "If we act like people, the guards will have to treat us with respect! If we behave like animals...we're as good as finished!"
Lana: "This place may be a prison--but we'll make it a fit place to live!"
Samus: "Now...get out there!"
Kraid: "Are you kidding!? They'll catch me--I'll be sent to solitary confinement for a month!"
Samus: "A month in solitary or a month in the hospital...it's your choice."
Samus: "The Princess is in Block Ten...that's on the other side of the complex! Samus thought. Here's where my experience in the mazes of Zebes and Metroid pays off!"
Samus: "If I go get Lana, I'll miss the shuttle, and we'll both be stuck here! I don't even know if she's still alive! But...with Lana...gone...at last, I would have Captain N to myself. Then, he'd realize I am the only hero worthy of battling side by side with him!"
Syren: "Even if I wanted to go straight, nobody'll accept me, an ex-con!"
Lana: "If you really want to change, there are people who will help you, Syren!"
Lana: "Samus! You've got a ship! You could have already escaped! Why did you come back for me?"
Samus: "No time to talk! Let's go!"
Lana: "No, I can't leave this place. These people need me."
Samus: "What? They're the scum of the universe! You are coming with me!"
Lana: "Release me!"
Prisoner #1: "We want her to stay!"
Prisoner #2: "Don't hurt Lana!"
Prisoner #3: "Let her go!"
Syren: "Princess! I'm coming! I--I...Enough! People everwhere need someone like you, Lana! But, you don't belong here. Samus, take our Princess home."
Lana: "I...see. You are right, Syren. I won't forget you, I promise!"
Lana: "Samus, I know you don't feel very committed to the N-Team's cause. And I know how you feel about Kevin. You could have left me back on Prison World and convinced him to join you as a space hunter!"
Samus: "I told you before, I gave my word to protect you."
Lana: "No! That's not it! Woman to woman, Samus...the truth!"
Samus: "Of all the warriors I have known, Captain N is the most daring, interesting--and worthy of being...my partner! Together, we could become the best bounty hunters in the galaxy! But, I will convince him fairly. Not because you are absent! What do you say to that?"
Lana: "I say...may the best woman win."
Review:
Wow, what a great story! The level of characterization given to both Lana and Samus is wonderful. Samus' belief in fairness wins out over her selfish desire for Kevin. Samus is also willing to hurt and use prisoners, yet she stops fighting when Lana is threatened with harm. Lana is a strong leader that can inspire people with her speech. Lana is willing to sacrifice her chance at freedom to stay to help prisoners, who are the scum of the universe, but she then learns that she can do greater good from home in the Palace of Power. Kevin doesn't show up until the very end, and Duke and Kid Icarus don't appear at all, giving Lana and Samus a lot of story time and an opportunity to carry the story on their own. It worked beautifully. There are only a few problems, such as how anyone, even Ridley, could convince a group of Federation officers that Lana had committed those crimes. How can Lana, as Princess of Videoland, even be subject to the Galactic Federation? Why was Lana allowed to keep her jewelry (minus her bracelets) in prison? Despite these unexplained things, lack of commas in some places, and spelling inconsistencies with the "Videoland Guidebook: Prisonworld" story, "Breakout" is a damn fine, inspirational story!
Comic VS Cartoon (10:52 PM - 11:24 PM)
As before, I'm going to compare each comic book story reviewed against one or more cartoon episodes.
The Real Game Master VS The Most Dangerous Game Master / Totally Tetrized
Both "The Real Game Master" and "The Most Dangerous Game Master" involve Kevin meeting his match, but they're pretty different, too. "The Most Dangerous Game Master" has Kevin fighting the new Game Master. "The Real Game Master" has Kevin working with the new Game Master. Both stories don't explain plot points, such as how Dr. Wily knew to create the android duplicate of Mike Vincent before getting Kevin's memories of Mike, and whether the holographic Game Master was planning to destroy Mother Brain or leave Kevin defenseless. Mike Vincent tops the holographic Game Master in the personality event. It's a pretty even match, but "The Real Game Master" has Kevin stating that maybe someone else is the Game Master before realizing that he is, whereas "The Most Dangerous Game Master" doesn't have Kevin verbally doubting that he's the Game Master, and he agrees that he is only when Lana tells him that he is. "Totally Tetrized" involves Simon trying to solve a riddle to win, but Kevin dismisses it and uses quick movements to win. "The Real Game Master" has Kevin using his mind to make the right choice and win. So, "The Real Game Master" wins.
Secrets of the Warp Zones VS Mega Trouble for Megaland
It makes more sense for all worlds to be connected via warps through the Palace of Power than in the center of the universe, so "Secrets of the Warp Zones" wins.
Videoland Guidebook: Prisonworld VS Nightmare on Mother Brain's Street
Prisonworld VS the (unseen) Palace Jail. "Videoland Guidebook: Prisonworld" easily wins.
Breakout VS Three Men and a Dragon / Quest for the Potion of Power / The Big Game / The Feud of Faxanadu / The Lost City of Kongoland / The Trouble with Tetris / The Invasion of the Paper Pedalers / Battle of the Baseball Know-It-Alls
"Three Men and a Dragon" has Lana and Mega Man escaping from a cell using "magic warp water". "Breakout" has a much more realistic prison escape. "Quest for the Potion of Power", "The Big Game", "The Feud of Faxanadu", and "Battle of the Baseball Know-It-Alls" all deal with the good guys arguing with each other over the best way to handle a situation. "Breakout" has a much more interesting verbal battle about how to handle a situation. "The Lost City of Kongoland" has Lana being a forceful leader, but she's possessed by someone else at the time. "Breakout" has Lana being a forceful leader on her own. "The Trouble with Tetris", "The Invasion of the Paper Pedalers", and "Misadventures in Robin Hood Woods" deal with believing in yourself to improve your situation, but "Breakout" is more inspirational. "Breakout" wins the match in every events, splattering the opponents on the wall.
Nervous Meltdown VS The Trojan Dragon
Okay, this is an Issue #3 comparison that I forgot to make in my last review. Both stories involve the Palace of Power possibly being destroyed. However, "Nervous Meltdown" gives it a real sense of urgency and says that thousands will die if the Palace is destroyed, whereas "The Trojan Dragon" simply says that the Palace is "doomed" without the Sun Stone and then drops the idea until near the end of the episode. "Nervous Meltdown" wins.
That's the end of my review of Captain N: The Game Master, Volume #1, Issue #4. It's definitely better than #3. Next up - Captain N: The Game Master, Volume #1, Issue #5!