N-Gang

The title of this article is official, but it comes from a German source.
If an acceptable English name is found, then the article should be moved to the new title.

N-Gang
Publisher	Nintendo
Original language	German
Issues	12
Release date	January 1999–June 2000[?]

N-Gang was a comic series published in the 1999 and 2000 issues of the German Club Nintendo magazine. N-Gang is also the name of a group of teenagers, all being Nintendo fans (hence the gang's name) who feature in these comics as the protagonists. While most of the previous Club Nintendo comics centered on characters from the Super Mario franchise, in N-Gang, their roles are mostly minor. Also, unlike previous comics published in Club Nintendo, the N-Gang comics were produced in Germany rather than Japan. The setting of N-Gang is Earth. Like the previous Club Nintendo comics, the N-Gang comics were never published outside Germany.

Characters

From left to right: Toni, Nick, Big B., and Gecko.

The N-Gang series centers on a group of five teenagers. It is heavily implied that the term "N-Gang" refers to this group, though this is never explicitly stated.

Nick

Nick is a tall boy with curly black hair and a short beard as his trademark. He wears a yellow T-shirt with a big red "N" printed on it. He appears in every comic but two, making him of the two most regularly appearing characters in the series along with Toni.

Toni

Toni presumably is Nick's best friend since both are often seen together. His trademark is his long blond hair and a red cap. He also wears a plaid jacket and shorts.

Big B.

Big B., actually called Benno and often referred to as simply "B.," is the shortest member of the N-Gang. He wears a black cap, a purple sweater and wide pants, dressed in a hip hop-oriented style. Big B. appears to be a careless boy who often takes action without listening to what his friends are advising. He first appears in the comic "Kino & Ketchup."

VIP

VIP

Though mentioned by his friends several times before, VIP is not actually seen until the comic "Gecko." He is a handicapped boy with black hair and square glasses. VIP is able to bring video game characters to life, implying that he is a very intelligent boy.

Gecko

Gecko, debuting in the comic of the same name, is the only girl in the gang. She has skills in martial arts and uses them several times to help her friends. Gecko wears a red crop top with a gecko on it and black pants.

Pestalozzi-Rabauken

The Pestalozzi-Rabauken is a gang consisting of Robi, Pelle, and Bernd. The gang teases the N-Gang several times in the series (though it is Big B. who provokes them first). They appear as dimwitted and revengeful boys who steal Nick's Game Boy Color, with Gecko usually being the one who drives them back.

Super Mario characters appearing in N-Gang

The last panel of "Freeze Frame," depicting many Super Mario standard and crossover characters appearing in N-Gang.

While the N-Gang series's focus lies on the teenagers constituting the N-Gang, in about half of the comics characters from the Super Mario franchise and its spin-offs appear, beginning with the fourth comic "Jagdszenen aus der unteren Oberstufe."

The following is a list of all of the Super Mario franchise characters seen in the N-Gang comics:

Character	Comics they appear in
Bowser	"Das Ende der Welt?"
Cranky Kong	"Die Ostereier-Situation"
Diddy Kong	"Freeze Frame"
Donkey Kong	"Freeze Frame," "N-Gang vs. Nintendo," "Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht"
King K. Rool	"Freeze Frame"
Lanky Kong	"N-Gang vs. Nintendo"
Luigi	"Freeze Frame," "Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht"
Mario	"Freeze Frame," "Das Ende der Welt?", "N-Gang vs. Nintendo," "Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht"
Princess Peach	"Freeze Frame," "N-Gang vs. Nintendo"
Tiny Kong	"Freeze Frame"
Toad	"Freeze Frame"
Wario	"Jagdszenen aus der unteren Oberstufe," "Gecko"
Yoshi	"Freeze Frame," "Die Ostereier-Situation," "N-Gang vs. Nintendo," "Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht"

Comics

• 1/1999: "Cityhunter"
• 2/1999: "Kino & Ketchup"
• 3/1999: "Das Phantom der Piste"
• 4/1999: "Jagdszenen aus der unteren Oberstufe"
• 5/1999: "Gecko"
• 6/1999: "Freeze Frame"
• 1/2000: "Das Ende der Welt?"
• 2/2000: "Die Ostereier-Situation"
• 3/2000: "N-Gang vs. Nintendo"
• 4/2000: "Die Götter des Olymp"
• 5/2000: "Halloween Trouble Mix"
• 6/2000: "Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht"

Non-Super Mario comics with cameos

The Nintendo team.

"Das Phantom der Piste"

Mario and Super Stars appear on the walls of Nick's bedroom, using their artwork from Super Mario 64.

"N-Gang vs. Nintendo"

In this comic, the N-Gang goes to a soccer camp, and while there are confronted by a team made up of Banjo, Kazooie, Wario, Yoshi, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, and Lanky Kong, while Mario serves as the referee.

"Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht"

Donkey Kong makes a cameo appearance towards the end of the comic, where he can be seen celebrating with the N-Gang after they and Banjo defeat Toni Gruntilda. Luigi, Mario, and Yoshi make cameo appearances in the comic as well.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
German	N-Gang	-