Mario vs. Wario

Mario vs. Wario was a comic seen in Issue #44 of Nintendo Power and later reprinted in the Super Mario Adventures comic. It also appeared as a PDF file at the American Wario Land 4 website. The plot was about Wario, seeking revenge for Mario's "dirty deeds" such as including tricking him onto pulling up Piranha Plants in the garden, Thwomping him, and always being the Sheriff in their games of cowboys. Wario was especially furious about when they played cowboys. In their youth, they played cowboys 1,256 times. Mario was the sheriff 1,255 times. Wario was the sheriff once. And the one time Wario got to be sheriff, Mario made fun of him. When Wario mails the letter, his revenge plan is set. Mario receives it and he, too, has flashbacks, remembering all the incidents Wario remembered, but his opinion is quite different. Mario sets out, but is confronted on the way by many of the bosses from the Mario Land and Wario Land series. A humorous incident, for example, occurs when the Octopus boss from Turtle Zone in Mario Land surfaces in front of him, threatening him. Mario tells him that he should be in saltwater, not freshwater as he is now. The octopus sighs that he has, as a matter of fact, been feeling sickly, and Mario pours some salt in the water for him. But suddenly, he realizes that it was actually sugar, causing the octopus to faint. When Mario reaches the castle and pushes down the door, he finds Wario awaiting him. Mario realizes that Wario is a lot bigger than he is! After dodging his rivals enraged attacks, Mario notices a plug in Wario's overalls. He pulls it, shrinking the blown-out Wario back to size. Wario starts crying, calling Mario a "big bully". Mario cheers him up by pulling out what they used to play, cowboys! Mario immediately christens himself Sheriff and begins chasing Wario around the room, as Wario screams that he'll soon get his revenge.

A second Mario vs. Wario comic was published in the magazine a year later, in issue #56. Here, Mario and Wario (who is depicted here in his usual large size) receive invitations to Princess Toadstool's birthday party, and figure out what to get her. Recalling that she expressed a desire for a Samus Aran doll in a toy store the previous week, both of them decide on getting her the doll. We then see Wario at the toy store, only to be informed by the storekeeper (a Koopa Troopa) that they're sold out of Samus dolls, and the last guy who bought one had a big moustache like his. Thinking Mario beat him to it, Wario buys a jack-in-the-box and orders the storekeeper to wrap it up just like the last guy's. On the day of the party, Wario sees that the present Mario has looks just like his, and attempts to distract Mario away so he can switch the presents. Mario eventually does get up to answer the door, so Wario switches the gifts and presents Mario's gift to Toadstool. When she opens it, though, she and Wario are both shocked to find it's a jack-in-the-box (which really scares the Princess). Mario then presents "his" gift to Toadstool, but he and Wario get into a fight while Toadstool opens it up and finds another jack-in-the-box. The fight rages on until they realize neither of them has the Samus doll, and Toadstool demands they stop, crying that they've ruined her party. Luigi, however, manages to cheer her up with his gift, which turns out to be the Samus doll.