Crash Team Rumble promotional comics

Alongside the release of Crash Team Rumble, a series of intermittent comics are being released in order to promote the game. Each comic is named after and are focused on individual characters.

Catbat
Catbat, the first comic in the series, was released on the 7th of June and explains the origin story of Catbat. It was exclusively released via an article on Kotaku.

The comic begins with Catbat escaping Cortex Castle after N. Brio failed to hold them down during an experiment, much to Neo Cortex's frustration. They soon find themselves in the lively city of Mosquito Marsh, where a kindly stranger finds them and offers them a burger. Catbat is inspired by the stranger's rock-and-roll style and reinvents themself, taking over as the leader of Mosquito Marsh's bat denizens. Catbat works together with their newly obtained crew to sabotage Cortex's machinery as revenge for the scientist's cruel experiments. The comic ends with Catbat encountering Cortex again during the events of Crash Team Rumble and angrily confronting him, determined to make him remember their name.

Ripper Roo & N. Gin
Ripper Roo & N. Gin is the second comic in the series, released on the 24th of August to coincide with N. Gin's introduction to the game. It was released on Toys For Bob's blog.

This comic is of a small scene featuring Ripper Roo and N. Gin in Calamity Canyon, attempting to hack a relic station in order to rig it in their favor. While internally Ripper Roo's genius mind is easily able to understand the station's secrets, externally he's up to his usual hopping and cackling antics, much to N. Gin's annoyance. The two doctors work together to pry the thing open with the assistance of one of N. Gin's devices, and while N. Gin is dusting himself off, Ripper Roo has an epiphany - which apparently involves blowing the whole thing sky-high with a pile of explosives. As Ripper and N. Gin pick themselves up, a strange pink energy begins to swirl within the combined wreckage of the relic station and N. Gin's machine - which soon forms into a portal, from which an unknown voice is heard.

Ripto
Ripto is the third comic in the series, continuing the plot begun in Ripper Roo & N. Gin. It was released on the 24th of October, 3 days before the introduction of Ripto into the game.

In a far-off castle, Ripto is pacing around and complaining about the failures of his Riptoc army. He snatches up his scepter, but is distracted by a mysterious pink portal that appears behind him. Through the portal he sees the silhouette of what he thinks is a dragon, and marches through the portal to attack. On the other side, back in Calamity Canyon, N. Gin and Ripper Roo are examining the portal, now joined by Cortex, N. Tropy (F) and N. Brio. The "dragon" that Ripto saw was just the silhouette of Ripper Roo, Cortex and N. Gin standing next to each other. Hearing Ripto's voice echoing through the portal, N. Tropy (F) suggests sealing off the portal so they can determine how dangerous it may be before interacting with it, but before any action can be taken Ripto's scepter is thrust through the portal's opening. Ripto fires off a beam from it, but trips and falls out of the portal, missing entirely. Realizing how powerful this scepter could be, all four doctors immediately pounce and attempt to steal it from Ripto, while Ripper Roo is more interested in watching a butterfly. With a shockwave of electricity, Ripto sends the scientists flying in all directions, announcing his plan of taking over this new realm and naming it "New Riptonia" before taking off on a magical gust of wind. None of the evil doctors managed to catch Ripto's name, but Cortex is furious and demands that Ripto be stopped.

Playing With Fire
Playing With Fire is the fourth comic in the series, furthering continuing the plotline of the previous two comics. It was released on the 11th of December, set to coincide with the launch of Season 3, and with it the introduction of Spyro the Dragon and Elora to the game.

In Cortex Castle, N. Tropy (F), Cortex and N. Brio are plotting how to deal with Ripto. They decide that a getting a dragon on their side is the best course of action; using leaves left behind by Ripto's entrance via the portal, N. Tropy (F) is able to transport the three of them through the multiverse to Avalar, where they encounter Elora. N. Tropy (F) initially mistakes Elora for a dragon and demands that she come with them, but Elora corrects her and helpfully points out that Spyro is nearby. When N. Tropy (F) mentions wanting to stop Ripto, Spyro and Elora immediately trust them and follow them back to Crash's dimension. In Just Beachy, a match of Crash Team Rumble is taking place, with Crash, Tawna, Dingodile and Ripto on a team together against Spyro, Elora, N. Tropy (F) and Cortex. Ripto is furious upon noticing Spyro's arrival and commands his teammates to destroy him, but Spyro isn't intimidated and stands his ground, the comic ending with both teams clashing together.

Trivia

 * Two lines in the last page of Catbat are direct references to dialogue from Crash Twinsanity.
 * N. Gin's "smartest pile of ashes" line in Ripper Roo & N. Gin is a direct reference to a line in Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!, foreshadowing Ripto's arrival.
 * In the last panel of Ripto, N. Brio refers to Ripto as "スパイロ", Spyro's name in Japanese katakana script. This is a reference to the katakana characters' resemblance to "Ripto" in latin script, which is the origin of Ripto's name.