Ready Player Two

The following game-inspired illustration was produced by artist Glen Brogan of the Albino Raven blog for his just-closed Gallery1988 show.

The focus of this stylish piece isn't a tanooki-suited Mario, by the way; it's a fox-suited Luigi--or whatever the hell it is Mario's main bro turns into when he grabs a Super Leaf power-ip in Super Mario 3D Land.

Why did Brogan devote an entire canvas to the most famous "player two" in all of gaming? Here's what he had to say in a recent blog post:

"As a kid I often found myself playing video games as player two, usually either because the other kid was older or because I was (and am) pretty shy and non-assertive. Because of that I still to this day have a fondness for Luigi, the ultimate second player character."

For those who may be interested: Brogan's selling 8-by-10-inch digital prints of this piece via Gallery1988's website for $35 each. (Mounted versions of the print can be picked up here for $55.)

You've never looked better, Donkey Kong

The following pair of Donkey Kong-inspired illustrations recently popped up on one of my favorite art blogs, The Autumn Society, and because I consider myself quite a fan of the big ape, I thought I'd post them here, too.

The illustration below was created by an artist who calls himself (herself?) Chogrin for the "8-Bit Champions" show that's set to open in Paris on Sept. 15.

This piece, on the other hand, was produced by artist Jayson Weidel for the "Old School Video Game Show" that will kick off on Sept. 16 in Santa Monica, California.

Now, please forgive me while I play a few rounds of Donkey Kong on my trusty Twin Famicom.

(Via theautumnsociety.com)

'The Ultimate Combo'

While clicking through Gallery 1988's website last night (I do that sometimes), I came across the following Street Fighter II-inspired screenprint:

I've always had a bit of a thing for Street Fighter II--despite the fact that I suck at it--so I'd probably buy one of these 18-by-24-inch prints (for a mere $35) if such a thing were possible.

Unfortunately, artist David Soames is only selling them to folks who can pick them up in San Francisco.

Oh, well. Maybe next time.