Yearly Archives: 2007
Here is my tribute to the wonderfully specific, scandalously explicit, Craigslist personals.
This was originally a sketch from those pirate illustrations from a few months back. (See, I told you I recycle everything.)
10) X-Men
Developer: Konami, 1992
Genre: Side-Scrolling Beat-Em-Up
System: Arcade
If you’re a regular here on this blog, then you know I’m a big fan of the side-scrolling beat-em-up what with my posts about Streets of Rage and Final Fight. But, the game that really kicked that genre up a notch for me was Konami‘s gem featuring my favorite superheroes, the X-Men. This particular game is based on a pilot for a cartoon series that never got picked up. However, it holds a special place in the hearts of many arcade-goers. It was the only beat-em-up that featured a whopping 6 different playable characters, two of them being female, something that really broke a barrier at the time. It had huge, colorful sprites that could only be contained on 2 screens, mind-blowing animation, and awesome sound (how could anyone forget, “I am Magneto, master of magnet!?” haha.) And hey, its still the only game in history where you can play as Dazzler, everyone’s favorite mutant disco queen!
9) Mega Man 3
Developer: Capcom, 1990
Genre: Side-Scrolling Platformer
System: NES
There were quite a few side-scrolling platformers that could have easily filled this spot for me. Among them, any of the early Marios or Sonics. What makes a side-scroller for me are the power-ups and no one has more power-ups than that little blue bomber, Mega Man. He could do ANYTHING! Also, the graphics were just so cute! I remember thinking that this was as close to actual TV animation as you could get! LOL! Mega Man 3 is the best in the series because that’s when the story first began to thicken with the introduction of the mysterious ProtoMan. Also, this game had frikkin’ SCHWEET music!
8) Tiny Toon Adventures: Acme All-Stars
Developer: Konami, 1994
Genre: Sports
System: Genesis
Other than kinda liking the Knicks in the 90’s, I’m not a huge sports fan. So naturally, I’ve never really liked sports games. Tiny Toon Adventures: Acme All-Stars is the one exception. I was a huge Tiny Toons fan and had all the Tiny Toons games even though they were all pretty horrible. This one broke the mold with its awesome multiplayer function (up to 6, relatively unheard of at the time,) and playable character roster of 12 different toons. In basketball, Montana Max‘s method of stealing the ball was to walk up to you and just punch. You have not seen comedy until you’ve seen the Montana Max sprite walk up to Elmyra and punch her in the face.
7) MarioKart DS
Developer: Nintendo, 2005
Genre: Racing
System: DS
Nintendo has recently really upped the ante when it comes to innovation in console design. Yeah, I have the Wii, but I think their real marvel is the DS. It is by far the best handheld system EVER– and it’s best and most popular title? MarioKart, of course. It’s pretty much a given that MarioKart games are fun on ANY system. The DS version shines because of its ease of multiplayer: up to 8 players, totally wireless, ANYWHERE you want! It’s really caught on here in NYC, as I’ve had insane 8 player matches with complete strangers on more than one occasion. I do take it very personally, however, when some asshole picks Toad. Don’t people realize he is MINE?!
6) Columns III
Developer: Sega, 1994
Genre: Puzzle
System: Genesis
I know what you’re thinking. “You’ve seen one puzzle game, you’ve seen them all.” I wholeheartedly agree with that statement, but what set Columns III apart from all the rest for me was its 2-player head-to-head play. Talk about COMPETITIVE! Some of the things you could do to your opponent were downright EVIL! How ’bout turning your opponent’s side to GRAYSCALE for a while? Or see how they’ll do when you turn their side UPSIDE-DOWN! Man, me and my mom had some intense marathon Columns tournaments that would often last into the wee hours of the morning. “C’mon, JC, one more game and I’ll let you stay home from school tomorrow,” she’d say.
5) X-Men Legends
Developer: Raven Software / Activision, 2004
Genre: Action RPG
System: PS2, Xbox, GameCube
No one hates RPGs as vehemently as me. To quote Beavis and Butt-Head, “If I wanted to read, I’d go to school.” HAHA. I’m sorry, but I grew up with the notion that video games were supposed to action-packed and fast-paced… not PAGES and PAGES of heavy reading! Now, I know nowadays, RPG’s have much more hands-on action, with a lot more realtime gameplay. But my overall disdain for the genre almost made me not try X-Men Legends. In truth, the game is more of a hybrid adventure platformer with beat-em-up and RPG elements. Like most RPGs, the story is very “epic.” Unlike most RPGs, the story managed to hold my attention (again, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t care less about the triumphs and struggles of some whiney queer-ass little elves.) Any X-Men fan should own this title simply because of the huge playable character roster (15) and familiar story elements (which are pretty close to the comics.) Of course, there are areas where it could improve (sadly, issues that aren’t addressed in its sequels) but overall it’s a solid title and a must for any X-Fan.
4) Ms. Pac-Man
Developer: Midway /Namco, 1981
Genre: Puzzle / Maze
System: Arcade (and a lot of others)
This is an example of a game that is absolutely timeless. Whether you play it in the arcade (my preference) or on any of the consoles its been released on (pretty much all of them,) you can’t deny the overall replayability of Ms. Pac-Man. Infinitely superior to its predecessor AND its sequels, its simple yet subtly deep gameplay mechanics make it one of those few games that appeals to everyone– old, young, male, female. Its also the one arcade cabinet that I cannot resist no matter where it is… a bar, laundromat, gas station… I have to play it when I see it! Its probably the one arcade cabinet I would actually buy… if I had a house.
3) Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers
Developer: Capcom, 1990
Genre: Side-Scrolling Platformer
System: NES
Frequently, in the realm of classic video gaming, titles based on other media (cartoons, film) usually had little or nothing to do with the source material. Chip ‘n Dale is no exception. I mean, it’s a valiant effort, but none of the main gameplay elements are ever featured in the cartoon. However, that’s not to say these gameplay elements are bad– quite the contrary actually! Chip and Dale hurl tiny wooden boxes at foes and stack metal ones to get to otherwise unreachable areas. It might sound lame– but don’t knock it till you’ve played it! The biggest plus this game has going for it is its 2-player SIMULTANEOUS action! Do you know how RARE that is in a cutesy platformer? Think of how ridiculously fun any of the early Marios, Sonics, or MegaMans would be if they were 2-player simultaneous! Hopefully, the gaming companies will realize that multiplayer games are still viable and stop catering to the socially-awkward loser who sits at home playing video games by himself all day. (God, I’m a mean bastard, aren’t I? haha.)
2) Street Fighter 2
Developer: Capcom, 1991
Genre: Fighting
System: Um… all of them?
Yea, big surprise here, right? Haha. But I have to give credit where it’s due. Being the VERY FIRST real fighting game, Street Fighter 2 pretty much REVOLUTIONIZED the gaming industry. The huge sprites, the fluid animation, the fast-paced yet intricate gameplay, were all mind-blowing at the time. Who would have thought that such a simple idea (2 guys fighting each other) would evolve into such a deep, limitless genre?
1) X-Men vs. Street Fighter
Developer: Capcom, 1996
Genre: Fighting
System: Arcade, Saturn
I am pretty savvy when it comes to games. So when X-Men vs. Street Fighter came out without me knowing anything about it, I was literally floored. (Literally– I think I fainted in the arcade.) Please understand that X-Men and Street Fighter were my two great loves so finding out about a game like this was like… having a hard cock in your mouth and your ass at the same time! Truth be told, I was already pretty used to the mechanics of the game, having played Capcom‘s other fighting titles. Nothing was really new about the gameplay accept for the ability to switch between multiple characters mid-match. For me, what was so crazy about the game was the sheer… absurdity of it! No one expected the crossover. Now, its totally commonplace for fictional universes to crossover in games– but back then… UNPRECEDENTED!
So how do you guys like my list? Any games you love that you’d like to mention? Tell me! If they’re from the 90’s, I most likely know them and probably like them because that was before 3D and 1st Person Shooters which have ruined the industry as far as I’m concerned. haha.
For those of you who don’t know, SD began as a senior thesis project for one of my illustration classes. My good friend and I thought it’d be fun to make up our own video game. It would be a fighting game in the tradition of Street Fighter or Rival Schools with a medieval fantasy twist.
I created 33 characters with elaborately intertwined stories and initially wanted him to design half of them. But after I saw a lot of his design ideas, I ended up redesigning most of the characters chosen for him (bit of a control freak here, what can I say?) His strength was in designing the elves, so I actually kept those characters true to his vision but gave them a bit of a wardrobe change.
We both got B’s on the project and apparently would have gotten A’s if we actually made the video game. Needless to say, our teacher didn’t quite know how difficult that would have been. haha! Joking aside though, after I graduated, I really did have massive plans for Supreme Dominion. But then, one project led to another and another and another until I finally kinda forgot about SD. I think this was because I was getting more and more into my homoerotic art and SD didn’t really have any gay characters.
But then I noticed that many of my gay art site visitors loved the concept of my medieval fantasy fighter. I was constantly being asked what I was going to do with the series. I’ve played around with ideas but nothing has really come to fruition just yet. The most I’ve done is “slashed” the male characters, making for some hot, sexy drawings.
So we’ll see what eventually happens to the cast of my beloved beat-em-up. Featured in the NEW piece at the top are Sir Vanderlorne the knight, Jaygar the barbarian, Paxton the merchant, Keth the half-ogre, and the dude getting “bukkaked” on is Ruschae the elf.
In the first one, as skinny teens, Todd and Cameron discover an old chest in a dusty attic from which a ghastly specter appears. The ghost is a soldier from the American Revolutionary War and also a super-hero in his own right.
He then sexily “bestows” the boys with their super-powers while their new muscles burst free of the confines of their attire. (My personal favorite step in this process… ^___^)
Finally, the proud ghost soldier looks on as the boys nobly accept their new identities as super-heroes.
This series was particularly fun as I got to explore new techniqes with the ghost and his power effects. Also, even though the background was a pain, it was pretty satisfying to get it done. So expect more from me about this duo because I’ve totally fallen in love with them and their story.
Also, let my client know what a cool premise this is for a comic book! You’d buy it right?
“C’mon, let’s FIGHT!” was what the main characters of this 1986 NES classic shouted before unloading their semi-automatic weapons into the jungles of their 8-bit universe. I’m speaking of Ikari Warriors, a rare game I never actually owned. A friend of mine had it but whenever we played, it would freeze on like the 4th stage. My friend was convinced that it was because he had roaches in his Nintendo and I told him that didn’t make any sense. Then, sure enough, one day we were playing and a cockroach crawled out of his Nintendo and the thing froze. I never played Josh’s Nintendo again after that.
ANYWAY, yeah, random tangent. The characters from this game would later be much more fleshed out in SNK‘s fighting game super-franchise King of Fighters. KOF, as it is called by fans, is the main rival to Capcom’s Street Fighter, and the Ikari Warriors: Ralf and Clark have been in all 10+ installments of the game. Clark is quiet, reserved, and never removes his shades. Ralf is loud, boisterous, and takes a swig of beer before each match. The two are military partners and inseparable friends (which of course leads fans to pair them up romantically!)
So yeah, enjoy my version of the Ikari team in all their dangling glory.
Or if not a team of superheroes, then a blockbuster ensemble cast murder mystery flick! WHODUNNIT!?! The baby!! haha.
I’m sorry– it just makes me crack up everytime I see it, so I had to take the picture. I mean, you just don’t put an ad like this together unless it’s for somethin’ like Scream, or X-Men, or Lost or something, ya know? insane.
So, the pluses Psylocke had in her corner convinced me to try and grab all the X-Men from the Marvel Legends line. I’ve been grabbing them on eBay for the past few weeks and I have to say, I’m SORELY disappointed.
Well, some of them aren’t terrible. I’d give the Cyclops, Professor X, and Bishop toys a good review (particularly Bishop because each of his fingers is articulated, meaning he can flip you the bird, as I’ve done in my photo above– haah!)
But what’s bad about these toys is that none of them are the right size in relation to each other! It’s so maddening! Storm and Emma have these ridiculously tiny heads! And don’t even get me started on Rogue. She is HIDEOUS! Her face looks like Blanche on the Golden Girls! And she’s a GIGANTIC toy! She towers over all my male figures– like a full head taller then Gambit, Angel, and Nightcrawler. What’s worse is her head itself– it’s ridiculously big. And she’s not articulated like any of the other female Legends characters. She has a weird butt, droopy boobs, and she kinda has a fupa. It makes me most mad because since this figure is rare, she sells for a LOT on eBay.
So yeah, the Marvel Legends action figures are kind-of luck of the draw. If you want one or two, go ahead– because they’re kinda cool. But don’t try to collect a bunch of them, because they’ll all look like they’re made from different companies. That is all.
Oh, and you have my permission to laugh at this one (hehehe.) The mechanic is supposed to be a little doofy-lookin’. ^___^
Here’s a quickie sketch I did last night. I did it to see how fast I could get it done and to see if that Blanka coloring style would work again. Well, it’s not exactly like that piece– it has much less hard edges. I think I might work on developing this style more and maybe use it in my next job.
Preston’s expression here is decidedly serious because people are always saying how humorous my work is– even when I’m not tying to make it funny. So yeah– Preston is SOMBER and CONTEMPLATIVE here! Imagine him thinking about a man he shot last week or something.
Oh– but I guess he wouldn’t he wanking his dick while thinking about heinous crimes he committed. Oh well, whatever– it’s just NOT supposed to be comical.
Yay! I’m so happy about the positive response to my Omega Phi boys. Now that I know they’ll be accepted, I’ll have more incentive to actually do something with them. For instance, I’ve been planning an issue of Anti-Heroes where they go back to school. Maybe the Omega boys can make their first appearance there as some formidable enemies / fuck-buddies.
In the meantime, because you guys liked that concept, I thought I’d show you where it originally came from. As I said, I have been intrigued by Greek mythology for the better part of my life. I used to sketch modern versions of the deities quite regularly. So, I’m once again opening up the vault of old shyt to show you these scary sketches of the gods. I was probably 17 or 18 when I drew these and I remember it was an attempt at fashion illustration. Pretty embarrassing– I know. Well, I am still somewhat proud of my Hera and Apollo. But yeah, the rest of them look pretty deformed.
Such is the premise of my latest perversion: The Men of Omega Phi.
I’ve always been fascinated by Greek mythology. If you think about it, its totally up my alley– a bunch of beautiful super-powered people who fight and screw each other.
Don’t ask me what I have planned for these guys. At the moment, there’s no comic series in the works. I mainly just wanted to design the characters and finally get it down on paper.
I’ve drawn these images as wallpapers, because I felt guilty about taking the old ones down from my site. These are all at widescreen monitor resolution (1680×1050.) For the fullscreen versions at 1024×768, visit the work section of my site.
Comments greatly welcomed and appreciated. Which one’s the hottest? Personally, I have to say that I have a thing for big boy Ryan– and also Emerson. But then again, I wouldn’t push ANY of them outta my bed– haha. Let me know what you guys think.
