Comics aren’t lacking in merchandise and licensed entertainment, which is what many fans enjoy about comics. Even if you’re into the more niche ones, chances are still good that you can find them in a game, some rare bedding, a novelty hat – or you can just enjoy any of the infinite takes the different writers and graphic artists has on them.
Slot games are one merchandising area that has shown a lot of love for comic books, way before the mainstream Marvel boom. Developers of casino slots has sometimes struggled a little with the licensing – not every entertainment company is ok with gambling – and so they’ve ended up working with what was available, making the selection more unpredictable and fun.
The newer comic themed slots do tend to be based around movies, however. But since Marvel is owned by Disney, there’s no Iron Man or Hulk. A good franchise license is no telltale sign of quality in either case, as the slots should stand on their own to be popular among all players. Which also results in more odd selections.
Enjoy our selection, with a fair mix of adherence to the material, ironic humour, and genuine game quality:
Batman & the Penguin Prize
An amazing homage to the camp crusader himself, Adam West. This is more based on the original TV series than the comic book, but it’s such a charmingly cool effort that it’s important to include it on this list.
The big draw to the gaming part of the slot is the twin reels. You have two 3×4 reels, with the left set being the normal reels. If you get a bonus, the penguin prize reels start spinning. There are some big prizes possible, but it’s mostly small wins that arrive often enough to make it interesting.
With a great surf-rock riff and plenty of soundbites from the original Batman, Alfred, Joker, and Penguin, it’s hard to not grin while you’re playing. If you like this style, there’s another similar game in the series, Batman & The Batgirl Bonanza.
Justice League
Like we mentioned in the introduction, you might get some weird gems out of the world of comic-themed slots. Justice League was hardly the comic book fans’ most acclaimed movie – though it had some fun moments – but as a slot, it’s an overall fantastic game.
This is a promotional slot for the 2017 movie and uses all the heroes in the franchise to give you an impressive potential for free spins. Remember, within a slot game, free spins allow you to win actual money – not bonus money with lots of limitations. You can check this page for more information on how free spins work.
The free spins bonus is triggered by getting three scatters, and then the amount of extra spins are determined by a hero that’s chosen at random. All the heroes do different things to the reels while you’re spinning for free. Superman and Batman gives the least free spins but basically makes every spin a guaranteed massive win.
For the casino nerd, it’s perfect. For the comic book nerd, it still might be fun.
Miyuki and Friends
Anime and manga is an important part of the comic world, though we understand if you purists disagree. But this game is representationally important as one of the few Ghibli-style slot games out there. “One of the few” means “the only one we’ve ever seen, but we won’t pretend to know everything”.
As a slot game, it’s great for a beginner. You’re supposed to help Miyuki find her friends and what better place to do it than on the reels. There’s not a lot of complicated bonuses, but the simplicity makes the game even better for mobile devices.
The style is really good at staying close to Ghibli without being blatantly copied. Probably a legally safe move, but it also shows off the designers’ own personality in a cute way.
Jack Hammer series
To conclude the list, we thought it would be a fun idea to include the casino slot designers’ own take on the comic book world, unrelated to existing IP. And who better to show some design flair than NetEnt, considered by many to be one of the most flawless slot game designer out there.
The story is about Jack Hammer, a fierce detective-style character with a gun, and the classic evil scientist villain, Dr. Wüten. You don’t get a whole lot of storytelling, but by using such a recognizable theme, you fill out a lot of details yourself. Sometimes you get little snippets of comic book panels to add some drama.
And it couldn’t really be done in a better way for this format. Noir style and music – timeless and currently trending – and a world you instantly know everything about. Villain probably kidnaps someone, Jack Hammer uses excessive force, etc.
You probably wouldn’t want to read a full comic book about Jack Hammer, but you would definitely enjoy this game!
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