Nintendo Goes Pulp in an Illustrator's Work

[roseofbattle]

Nintendo Goes Pulp in an Illustrator's Work

Astor Alexander transforms three beloved Nintendo franchises into pulp fiction book covers.

Nintendo's getting a bit noir in three pieces of art from illustrator Astor Alexander. The illustrator works on a lot of work outside of video games, but these three artworks from Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Super Mario look just like old, worn pulp fiction book covers.

Alexander references actual pulp fiction novels for this set of illustrations, drawing from Rudy Nappi's Naked Nurse [http://pulpcovers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/10583001466_7ec1094a08_o.jpg] and The Sleeper for Super Mario.

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Last year Alexander shared his art for a '50s crime novel version of Bioshock Infinite's Burial at Sea DLC, which fit the game really well.

Noir fiction has never been especially kind to female characters, so the cover for Samus is my favorite, but Alexander's detail for all three is wonderful. He gives these three Nintendo series an entirely different tone. Be sure to check out his other work as well. He's done illustrations for SKEPTIC and various portraits of actors, such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert.

Alexander's work can be found on Alexander confirmed. [https://www.behance.net/astoralexander]

Source: Game Informer [https://www.behance.net/astoralexander]


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[Johnny Novgorod]

These look brilliant but the inclusion of BioShock: Infinite ruins the sequence. The game is quite pulpy to begin with, whereas Nintendo games are depicted in stark contrast to the childish naiveté that characterizes them.

 

[roseofbattle]

These look brilliant but the inclusion of BioShock: Infinite ruins the sequence. The game is quite pulpy to begin with, whereas Nintendo games are depicted in stark contrast to the childish naiveté that characterizes them.

The Bioshock one is from last year, but I figured it wouldn't be bad to show off more of Alexander's really cool style.

 

[Something Amyss]

The scenes are certainly authentic, but they also really genericise the characters. I'm really glad they don't look like this.

But it's still sort of cool.

 

[CaitSeith]

The scenes are certainly authentic, but they also really genericise the characters. I'm really glad they don't look like this.

But it's still sort of cool.

I think the plumber outfit in the one with Mario still keeps him more authentic than the others. It kinda reminds me how CorridorDigital portrays Mario in their live-action videos (although this one has a gun).

 

[JoshuaNorton]

These are awesome. Why did pulp fiction stop being a thing? I wish for more.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

The scenes are certainly authentic, but they also really genericise the characters. I'm really glad they don't look like this.

But it's still sort of cool.

It certainly is; and I'll admit I get a kick out of imagining Link as a lantern-jawed Humphrey Bogart type. Ganondorf could either be known as "The Pig" or "The Red-Haired Man", and essentially act as a Kaspar Gutman send-off.

 

[Shinkicker444]

Mario and Bioshock are the best, imo.

 

[Darth_Payn]

Dat Metroid cover; just, DAMN! I don't care HOW impractical that spacesuit is, it's perfect.

 

[Kameburger]

I want that metroid game though. I would buy a print of these definitely if they exist...

 

[FirstNameLastName]

"Some would say she has a taste for being kidnapped."

Solid gold! These are great, but the bioshock one seems kind of out of place. Still great though.

 

[Ohlookit'sMatty]

Ok, these are six degrees of awesome

But 'Burial at Sea' pretty much was a pulp fiction novel, I don't think it need this treatment


-M

 

[Remus]

As an addendum to the Mario pic, I present Act 1 Scene 2, courtesy of Ctrl+Alt+Del:

Spoiler

 

[Kerethos]

These were pretty cool, I think I'll use one as a desktop image for a while

 

[Scow2]

I... do not like the Samus one. Puts the Pulp twist far ahead of the character.

 

[Ghostdraconi]

I... do not like the Samus one. Puts the Pulp twist far ahead of the character.

Yeah the "real" Samus would have waited for permission to use that gun.