Bookmark This Page; All about the Marvel Contest of Champions

Did you know that Marvel had a free fighting game available on mobile devices for over a decade? If you want to find out about the Marvel Contest of Champions then Bookmark This Page.

The Marvel Contest of Champions Legacy, part 1…

The Marvel Contest of Champions Legacy, part 2…

The Marvel Contest of Champions Legacy, part 3…

The Marvel Contest of Champions Legacy, part 4…

The Marvel Contest of Champions Legacy, part 5…

The Marvel Contest of Champions Legacy, final part.

Do you play mobile fighting games? Have you ever played the Marvel Contest of Champions? Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Illustrating the Warhammer 40,000 Primarchs

Hello friends, you might, or might not know that I was an illustrator. Like many artists I had been drawing since I could first hold a crayon. In the past few years I drew mostly using Adobe Illustrator on my computer. I hadn’t done much drawing in my sketchbook, but I was hoping to turn that around in 2026. It’s a slow going so far. I was very critical of my pencil, or ink drawings because if they didn’t come out exactly as I imagined them then I would be disappointed. This pressure that I placed on myself was something that I had been dealing with all of my life. It was something I had to work through, and was only getting worse with age. I had to make time to draw because it was good for my mental health. Also because in times of darkness creating was the greatest source of light. Over the weeks I would like to share some of the pieces I created when I was a little bit more active. It might inspire me to pick up the sketchbook. Today I would like to feature what was arguably my most active month in creating illustrations. This batch went back almost 20 years. You could find all of these and more on my Warhammer & Warhammer 40,000 Gallery.

Games Day was a traveling convention put together by Games Workshop. For a few years they held it in the LA County Fairplex. I would go with my brothers on those days. When I heard that Games Day was coming to Los Angeles I decided to enter an illustration into the art contest. Naturally I thought of doing an illustration of the Emperor from Warhammer 40,000. But he had to be unique so I sketched out what I thought he must have looked like when he was young and full of wonder. All of the art in books features a stern man that looks very down. Not at all like the look I gave this guy. It took me about three days to get this look right. Then I figured since I have time I might as well do Horus. After finishing Horus I wondered if I could do a version of every primarch pre-heresy. I'm not a prolific artist so doing 20 illustrations in one month seemed impossible. But here they were, ready for Games Day LA 2007. It also took me a while to get the armor right for Horus. What was funny was that I printed full page color versions of everything to take with me to the convention, however the Games Workshop organizers didn’t want to display them because they were digital, and because they didn’t think I had created them.

Lion El'Jonson - This was one of the last Primarch illustrations I did. I was so sick and tired of drawing by then that I really didn't care. Still I had to make sure that the first Primarch had the proper respect he deserved so his armor came off very priestly. In a previous version I even gave his armor a white collar. Unknown Primarch I - There were 20 Primarchs in canon but two of them were deleted from Imperial records. I wonder what they would have looked like, or how they would be remembered. The shroud design I actually wanted to use on a Lamenters Captain... I might still do that.

Fulgrim - Fulgrim had actually been painted a few times so I tried not to deviate too far from the character but still put my spin on him. What do you think? Peturabo - This primarch was described as the master of siege warfare. I really wish there had been a fight between him and Ferrus Manus, who was the master of fortification. It would settle who was the toughest of all the primarchs.

Jaghatai Khan - I didn't want the armor to look too samurai since it is supposed to be more Mongolian than anything. I did some research and came up with this look. Leman Russ - This guy was possibly the most popular primarch. At least he's the easiest to remember since there is a tank named after him. Like all the other primarchs I illustrated I wanted to show him young and before the heresy. The hair took a while to draw, take a close look at that.

Rogal Dorn - While I'm not a big fan of the Imperial Fists I do like the loyalty they have shown in Warhammer legend and that they were the founders of the Black Templars. Konrad Curze the Night Haunter - Again, look at this guy... how did the Emperor not know he was going to side with Chaos?

Sanguinius - I made him look young by adding freckles and the warm smile. I want people to feel sorry for this guy because he knows not what the future holds for him. Ferrus Manus - This primarch killed a monster made of living metal by drowning it in lava with his bare hands. If that doesn't make him a complete bad-ass then I don't know what does.

Unknown Primarch II - I went for memorial statue here. Missing a head and ravaged by time... what could this primarch have become? Angron - Fans think Horus was the first to turn against the Emperor. Take a look at Angron and you'll know that he was actually the first to turn to chaos. Heck with a legion called the "World Eaters" why should it come as a surprise?

Roboute Guilliman - I wanted to go Julius Caesar with Roboute but it just didn't come out that way. Oh well... Mortarion - The guy had an obsession with death plus his health was not always that great. How can the Emperor not know he would turn to Nurgle?

Magnus the Red - Magnus and his legion the Thousand Sons are easily the best-looking squad pre and post-heresy in 40k. My brother really likes the way this one came out. I kept the cyclops look even though more recently Games Workshop says he was missing an eye, not a real cyclops. Lorgar - Thanks to a eagle-eyed reader. He corrected my mistake. It's Word Bearer legion, not World Bearer... I feel like such a dope but the new version it up.

Vulkan - Not many gamers know that some of the Space Marines are colored. One of the strongest was Vulkan. He's the Primarch of the Salamanders from 40k. Corax - Here's the Primarch of the Raven Guard. According to Games Workshop text (and inside jokes) Corax is supposed to be somber and melancholy like Edgar Allen Poe. Instead I illustrated a Native-inspired Corax rather than a pasty white guy to take with me to Games Day. Alpharius - Here's the Primarch of the Alpha Legion. The last of the Primarch illustrations I'm doing for Games Day 2007. A bit of a surfer vibe? Did you have a favorite primarch, or a favorite unit of Warhammer 40,000? If you create art do you ever find yourself fighting with yourself on how to start? Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; 30 years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters

Street Fighter is my favorite fighting game series by a mile. If you want to learn about my favorite characters from the SF universe over the past 30+ years then Bookmark This Page.

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #30

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #29

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #28

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #27

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30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #25

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #24

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #23

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30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #20

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #19

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #18

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30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #16

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #15

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #14

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #13

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #12

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #11

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #10

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #9

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #8

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #7

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #6

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #5

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #4

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #3

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #2

30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #1

Who is your favorite Street Fighter universe character? Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; Discovering SNK character design

I may be known for my Street Fighter deep dives, but did you know that some of my first blogs were about Fatal Fury, and the Art of Fighting? If you want to learn the differences between Capcom and SNK's approach to design then Bookmark This Page.

So it begins... a salute to Mr. Karate.

The Legend of Kyokugen Karate, Marco Rodriguez

Hiding the master in plain sight, the genius of SNK's character design…part 1

Hiding the master in plain sight, the genius of SNK's character design…part 2

Hiding the master in plain sight, the genius of SNK's character design…part 3

Hiding the master in plain sight, the genius of SNK's character design…part 4

Hiding the master in plain sight, the genius of SNK's character design…part 5

Hiding the master in plain sight, the genius of SNK's character design…final part

Do you have a favorite SNK character. Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Taking a shark bite out of my monster collection

Previously on the blog I mentioned how I had started collecting some monster truck toys decades after I stopped. I discovered that not only did they look good sitting on my desk, but they actually photographed fairly well. My pride and joy were the Bigfoot trucks that I had. The oldest was the one from the Matchbox Super Charger series from 1986. This was the one that I could never find on the store shelves. Thankfully an inexpensive one popped up on eBay so I had to pick it up. The newer one from the Hot Wheels Monster Truck line circa 2025 looked great as well. The one with the 10-foot tires from Greenlight models was stunning. It had a highly detailed interior where you could make out the console, glove compartment, and even cup holders! These three were the clearest example of how far toys had evolved in 40 years. I could look at them every day, and never get tired of how cool they were.

I made a conscious decision to clear more room on my desk for more toys, specifically my trucks. I then got the idea of photographing them for the blog. Many 1/64 scale model car collectors had scale garages, parking lots, and even light up gas stations that they displayed their favorite cars on. I didn’t have that much space, or money. Also if I wanted to display monster trucks they might seem out of place next to a scale building. I then got an idea based on the color of my desk. The hardwood was very light in tone, almost like dirt, or sand. So I wondered if I could find a desk mat that looked like a beach, complete with crashing waves. There were a few options, but found one that I think worked best. As soon as I laid down the mat I knew that I was going to have fun with it. I stated previously that I was a fan of storytelling with monster truck designs. I specifically mentioned that the Wreckreation monster camping truck was probably my favorite of the past decade. However that truck wouldn’t make much sense in the middle of the surf. I needed to find other trucks that worked better for the pics.

I found three that were absolutely perfect. Hot Wheels made two of them, the Surf Bus, and the Great Bite shark-bodied truck. Spinmaster / Monster Jam had created the Big Kahuna. Despite my distaste for Feld Motorsports I wasn’t going to lie about how great the design behind the Big Kahuna truck was. The rusty square-body truck with surfboards in the bed definitely told a story. In fact I think it worked better than the more traditional Woodie body that the latter Big Kahuna used. It had a good color scheme, a classic monster truck shape. There wasn’t much they could have added or taken away from its look. The surf bus was self-explanatory. It was the type of bus that would have been used by surfers to visit destinations up and down the coast. The Great Bite however was definitely something else entirely.

I mentioned previously how I didn’t care for monster trucks with silly 3D bodies. This was something that the Monster Jam tour pushed in the late ‘90s when they were booming in popularity. The trucks shaped like dogs, ponies, skulls, and sharks I thought were doing a disservice to the sport. Granted there were a few 3D body trucks in the early ‘90s including Snake Bite which was designed by the Bigfoot Team. To put it in perspective maybe three out of the dozens of trucks competing professionally had non-traditional bodies. The majority of the ones with animal-type bodies appeared almost 20 years after the birth of the culture, so I felt that they weren’t carrying on the tradition. I had no idea who thought this was a great idea, but I was sure that they hadn’t followed the history of the sport. I could just imagine that a corporate boardroom put together truck bodies based on a marketing survey. They asked kids what they liked. The responses were things like ponies, dinosaurs, and monsters. So the people at Feld ran with it. It would be easy for them to market these trucks, make tee shirts, and toys out of them with little regard for the sport itself.

Of the animal bodies the shark was one of the most popular ones in the past decade. This was overlooking Monster Mutt (2003), and El Toro Loco (2001) of course. The Megalodon truck was announced in 2016, and debuted in 2017. It became a hit with audiences, and opened the floodgates for more outlandish animal bodies. The thing was that Hot Wheels had actually created the body style much earlier. Great Bite appeared as a toy way back in 2003, and its sister Shark Wreak in 2010. So once again Monster Jam was cashing in on ideas that they didn’t even come up with. With that said I didn’t care much for the body shape. It wasn’t really telling a story as much as it was just a gimmick. The designers at Hot Wheels went back to the drawing board and came up with something infinitely better.

The new Great Bite body released in 2025. It was another master class in storytelling from the people at Mattel. Instead of creating a generic shark-shaped body the designers Kevin Cao, and Kurina Alim went full Hot Wheels mode into it. For almost 60 years the toy series was known for coming up with all sorts of fun, and wild cars. In this case Alim, and Cao asked themselves what would it look like if a great white shark mutated into a monster truck? They incorporated elements of a shark, but also a shark cage, manta ray, and enormous V8 motor into the body itself. Every angle was dynamic, all of the body lines flowed into each other organically. It was flesh, and machine made into one. It was a radical look that could never be confused with the older shark bodies. It spoke to me when it came out, and I certainly knew why. When I was a kid Hot Wheels launched a line of cars shaped after animals, bugs, monsters, and robots. They called them the Speed Demons.

The Speed Demons were bolder than anything I had seen in the late ‘70s when I got my first toy cars. The line included such memorable names as Vampyra, Cargoyle, Turboa, Ratmobile, and Rodzilla. I’m sure you could imagine what inspired them. Of all the cars released there was one that I thought was the best of all. The Sharkruiser was an absolute beast in both look, and performance. It didn’t have any flashy graphics, or bright stickers to dress it up. Instead it was a flat gray body with chrome teeth, and an enormous engine. It was an apex predator hunting for other fast cars on the road. I took it to school, and my friends agreed that it was the coolest Hot Wheel they had ever seen. I kept that car in my pocket wherever I went. I always had something to play with when my family was traveling. It was one of the few cars that I didn’t give to my cousins when I got older.

The Sharkruiser certainly looked great on my desk. It made me think about getting a small playset to put on the desk as well. I remembered that Mattel released a few shark-themed tracks. For some reason sharks and cars just seemed to go together. I had no idea how many had come out until I started searching for them. There must have been nine or ten released in the past 30 years. Then there were tracks themed around snakes, spiders, dinosaurs, volcanoes, slime pits, and more. The majority of the playsets were too big to display, but there might be one that could fit onto my beach mat. If, and when I decided to get one then it would be a topic for another blog.

I’d like to know your thoughts. Did you have any classic toys that you held onto? Did you get any re-releases of a favorite figure, or car? Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; Women in fighting games

I love to write about fighting games, and fighting game characters. If you want a collection of articles about women in fighting games then Bookmark This Page.

The return of Rainbow Mika, did Capcom cross the line in Street Fighter V?

Laura, the new leading lady of Street Fighter V or more fanservice?

Odd Girl Out, a look at alternate female fighting game characters...

The legend of Blue Mary, or girls in fighting games, part 1…

The legend of Blue Mary, or girls in fighting games, part 2…

The legend of Blue Mary, or girls in fighting games, part 3…

Why is Street Fighter playing with Dolls?

Meet Street Fighter V's Menat, an old soul in a young body?

The rise of Falke, or how military design works in fighting games...

The Chun-Li template, don't follow it too closely! A 1UP classic...

A look at Marisa, the Street Fighter 6 gladiator...

A look at Lili, the new native Mexican fighter in Street Fighter 6

Juri in Street Fighter 6, how her design got better with time

Manon in Street Fighter 6, representing a style over 200 years in the making

Cammy gets an entirely new look for Street Fighter 6, let's see how

Let's talk about A.K.I., the Dragon Lady of Street Fighter 6

Meet Kimberly, is she the Urban ninja of Street Fighter 6?

Chun-Li's new look in Street Fighter 6. Is it a step backwards?

Style Wars, looking at Kimberly in Street Fighter 6, and Isla from King of Fighters XIV.

The Street Fighter 6 pre-order trailer, a look at Manon, the graceful judo practitioner

The Street Fighter 6 pre-order trailer, a look at Marisa, the modern gladiator

Lili gets a makeover, just in time for Street Fighter 6!

Do you have a favorite female character in a fighting game. Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; The Giant Monster Series

I love kaiju, I love daikaiju, I love giant monsters of all sorts. If you want to see how giant monsters made their way into gaming then Bookmark This Page.

The Giant Monster Series, part 1…

The Giant Monster Series, part 2…

The Giant Monster Series, part 3…

The Giant Monster Series, part 4…

The Giant Monster Series, part 5…

The Giant Monster Series, part 6…

The Giant Monster Series, part 7…

The Giant Monster Series, part 8…

The Giant Monster Series, part 9…

The Giant Monster Series, part 10…

The Giant Monster Series, part 11…

The Giant Monster Series, part 12…

The Giant Monster Series, part 13…

The Giant Monster Series, part 14…

The Giant Monster Series, part 15…

The Giant Monster Series, part 16…

The Giant Monster Series, part 17…

The Giant Monster Series, part 18…

The Giant Monster Series, part 19…

The Giant Monster Series, part 20…

The Giant Monster Series, Final Part

Manifesting a press kit, or how much I love War of the Monsters…

Did you have a favorite monster movie? Did you have a favorite daikaiju? Mines was Rodan. Let me know yours in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Undead hot rod culture, a match made in hell

I spent the last few weeks doing a deep dive on my obsession with monster trucks. How I became a fan, what toys I collected, a history of the organizers, and more. I had something left to say about the design behind the Bone Shaker. I said that it was essentially Mattel’s counter to the Grave Digger. I argued that the reason why the Bone Shaker was an instant hit with the community was because it called back to the roots of hot rod culture. It had a body similar to the classic Ford Model T, A-Frame, and B-Frame cars with the styling of modern rat rods, and the fantastic elements of a chrome skull, and skeleton hand headlights at the front.

Americans had been car crazy ever since the introduction of the automobile. In the early 1900’s cars were utilitarian. They were a replacement for horses, and buggies. Some of the first car builders were former carriage makers. As technology improved they made cars with better handling, better visibility for drivers, and better comfort for passengers. By the 1930’s cars started having more unique body shapes that were less carriage like. Automobile manufacturers also started offering different colors, and options. Some cars were now becoming luxury items. Roads began being paved, and expanded beyond the city. In the late 1940’s Americans were returning from a war economy to a peace economy. Factory jobs were changing. Women, and minorities were not willing to give up the advances that they had gained, and suburbs were expanding. There was some civil turmoil boiling under the surface, and it would only get stronger through the 1950’s, and especially the 1960’s.

As far as car culture went it was in the late 40’s, and ‘50s that a perfect storm was brewing. That original generation of cars were now filling up junkyards, and collecting dust in garages. There was a surplus of bodies, and a youth culture that was eager to get away from the war mentality that they had grown up with. They put that energy into rock and roll music. They put that energy into rebellion. They put that energy into remaking old cars because they couldn’t buy new ones. More than simply trying to go faster, and faster this was the foundation of hot rod culture. Hot rods were considered too fast, and too dangerous for the masses. Hot rods were counter culture. They were punk. They were rebellious. They were visual statements against the establishment. After all what could be more punk that ripping the hood, and fenders off of grandpa’s old car, chopping off the top, and exposing the motor?

Teens were constantly embracing anything that shocked adults. The fashion, the music, the language, anything that challenged the status quo was appealing to them. The bigger the shock value the more the youth were drawn to it. Years ago I talked about “Big Daddy” Ed Roth. He created the most mind-bending custom cars, trucks, and motorcycles. More important he created Rat Fink. He would become the mascot of hot rod culture. Aside from Rat Fink things like ghouls, ghosts, skeletons, monsters, and the macabre actually mixed into hot rod culture very well. This wild mashup of elements couldn’t be ignored any longer. It was becoming a part of pop culture. It could be seen in Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow, a movie from 1959.

Hot rod culture was constantly evolving, and creating different branches. Entering the 1960’s there was another movement happening within the culture. Builders were creating what would later be known as “show rods”. These were hot rods seemingly built out of anything, including a barbershop chair, telephone booth, bathtub, bed frame, and popcorn cart. The Boothill Express by Ray Fahrner was arguably the coldest example of the movement. He turned a late 1800’s funeral coach, the kind that carried the outlaw Jessie James into a hot rod. Show rods could be a little campy, but the builders that understood the culture could really make a statement. Such was the case for the “King of Kustomizers” George Barris.

Mr. Barris was known for building all sorts of outlandish hot rods, show rods, and especially cars for television. He built the Black Beauty for the Black Hornet television show. He built the Batmobile for the Adam West TV series. He built K.I.T.T. for the show Knight Rider. He built the Beverly Hillbillies truck. He built the Monkeemobile (designed by Dean Jeffries) for the Monkee’s television show. All of these cars were brilliant, but I would argue that his best work went into the Munsters show. The family car was a stretched t-bucket-meets-hearse called the Munster Koach. Not long after he gave Grandpa Munster a car by turning a coffin into the wickedly cool Drag-u-la. To be fair these last two were designed by Tom Daniel. Tom had created a number of best selling hot rod model kits, some of which were so popular that they were turned into actual show rod builds.

There was definitely an appeal to the ghoulish hot rods. By the late 1960’s hot rod culture was becoming mainstream culture. It was subtle in movies like The Great Race. The 1965 Warner Bros. classic featured several fictional rides, but none were as scene stealing as Professor Fate's Hannibal 8. I would call that ride the original Sinister Six. You could also see the hot rod appeal in the cartoons from the era. Shows like Tom Slick captured the spirit in 1967. A more popular cartoon was called Wacky Races, which was influenced by The Great Race. Animation studio Hanna-Barbara was always quick to turn a pop trend into a cartoon. They were the animation studio that turned the live action shows Happy Days, Star Trek, and Gilligan’s Island into cartoons after all. The studio saw how quickly car culture had grown in the past decade. They made a cartoon that was essentially a mash up of show rods, hot rods, and the model kits from Roth, Daniel, and Barris.

The Wacky Races featured a car made of stone driven by cavemen, a ‘30s sedan driven by mobsters, an airplane-turned-car driven by a pilot, a military tank driven by a general, and even a distillery on wheels driven by a moonshiner. Some of contestants were Big Gruesome, and Li’l Gruesome know as the Gruesome Twosome. They piloted the Creepy Coupe which was a rolling haunted house. It hosted all manner of monsters that they could call upon for help. The kinds of fantastic cars featured in Wacky Races wouldn’t necessarily have made sense in any other time, but they perfectly captured the anything goes spirit of the ‘60s.

There was a certain appeal to what I called the goth hot rod aesthetic. It was as intimidating as a custom car build could get. The hot rod had long been a canvas for artists of every kind. Some would paint pinstripes, or airbrush flames all over their rides. Some would make cartoons of monsters driving hot rods, or build models of skeletons racing dragsters. Some would hand build fiberglass bodies over a rolling chassis. Ed Roth managed to do all of the above. He was the leader of a movement that had no parallel. Certain paint schemes, or body mods told a story. They reflected the personality of the builder. These things let other people on the road know how badass their ride was. There was the extreme end of kustom kulture. One that went well beyond a massive engine or paint scheme. The most heavy metal thing a person could do was turn a hearse into a hot rod. Changing a car that was previously used to carry dead people into a street racing machine was beyond macabre. It was apparent in the Boothill Express, and every modern hearse-turned-rod ever made. This connection between hot rods, and the undead had been coloring the mainstream for generations. It would eventually influence car designs in video games.

Carmageddon was one of my favorite games of all time. It was a vehicle combat game from the mid-‘90s that didn’t use guns. Instead the cars destroyed each other in collisions. That was when they weren’t running over pedestrians. There was a number of memorable cars, trucks, tanks, and monsters that had been featured in the series. One that was highlighted in the original title, and early ads was a fan favorite called the Stiff Shifter. It was a hot rod hearse driven by the Brother’s Grimm. It had coffin in the trunk, and the owners were rumored to have a connection to the underworld. The full story of the Brother’s Grimm hunting for souls, and summoning demons was explained in the official comic which was available to people that contributed to the Kickstarter campaign. It was my little brother’s favorite ride in the game, and one that I certainly enjoyed racing with as well. It wouldn’t be the only game influenced by the wicked designs of hot rods, and show rods.

The 2009 game Brütal Legend by Double Fine was a love letter to everything rock & roll, specifically heavy metal music. It called out 50+ years of history, and culture. It presented the type of world that Ed Roth would have dreamed up; filled with avatars of metal icons like Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead), Glenn Danzig, Lita Ford, Metallica, KISS, and more. Director Tim Schafer was known for his sharp writing, engaging stories, and funny games. These included Maniac Mansion 2: Day of the Tentacle, Psychonauts, Grim Fandango, and Full Throttle. Each one was a refreshing change of pace from the standard genres. Brütal Legend had one of the greatest aesthetics, and world building of any action-meets-RTS game. There was nothing like it before, or after. The good guys, bad guys, magics, vehicles, and character designs pulled together several generations of heavy metal influences. The team at Double Fine somehow made it all work together, and put it in a package that was severely underrated. The iconic rides reminded me of the darkest monster trucks I had ever seen.

There had been a few hearse-bodied monster trucks in the community. Some going back almost to the birth of the sport. The oldest I think was called the Undertaker. It had a 1955 Cadillac Hearse body that was built by Tom Zachery and Robert Moore. I first saw it in an old monster truck poster magazine. Based on its construction it looked like a first generation monster truck. This meant that it was on a stiff frame with traditional shock absorbers. These were prone to breaking if pushed too hard in competition. Then there was Cardiac Arrest, which was built by Rick Rabb from a 1961 Cadillac Hearse. The construction of this one was closer to a second generation truck, which meant it had a greater range of travel on its suspension. This made it less likely to break in racing. This truck was sold to a Canadian. It was fixed up as the Soul Collector, and turned into a ride truck from the last news I was able to find on it. They all demonstrated that the goth hot rod worked whether they were slammed to the ground, or riding on monster truck tires. That was one of the reasons why the Bone Shaker looked so good as a monster truck. This dark aesthetic also reminded me of the early version of the Grave Digger.

Dennis Anderson like many of the early monster builders started with a work truck. He strengthened the chassis, built a new motor, added a better suspension, and more over the years. Replacing mechanical parts like transmissions, and axles with military equipment so they could take severe abuse. The tires got taller, but still narrow so that he could conquer the mud. Then one day his truck got big enough to run in monster truck competition. The 1950 Chevrolet Panel Van that it was built from was both beautiful, and brutal. No other driver had anything that looked remotely as tough. A lot if it had to do with its paint scheme. The van was all black with green flames on the front, and an airbrushed ghostly skull cloud hovering over a cemetery. A haunted house was shrouded in the mist. The chrome grille with some patina, red headlights, and gold rims gave the truck contrasting colors. It helped frame its tough appearance. Everything about the early Grave Digger embraced the spirit of do-it-yourself. That was the backbone of hot rodding. Monster trucks were essentially hot rods for off road enthusiasts. The baddest monster trucks embraced their brutal side. They didn’t aways have to look bright, and polished like a show truck. They were allowed to be rough around the edges. To show their working man roots. The important thing was that they got the job done.

By comparison the recent builds by Feld Entertainment were more uniform, almost cookie-cutter. The trucks featured in the Monster Jam shows had steel tube chassis made by one of a handful of fabricators, often painted with a bright complimentary color. The interchangeable fiberglass bodies had colorful graphics. Not the toned down, hand painted metal bodies of the old school trucks. The new frames were covered with sponsor stickers similar to NASCAR. The Feld monsters looked like they were searching for corporate branding opportunities rather than cars to flatten. Feld made sure that their trucks offered a family-friendly look, whereas the original Grave Digger looked like it was about to beat you up, and take your lunch money. This was what I felt was missing in the modern format, and most new builds. It wouldn’t hurt to see them return to their roots, and maybe put a coffin in the bed. That’s what I think anyhow. Do you think the macabre and motorsports work together? I mean would a goth NASCAR design work? Tell me in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; where did the Capcom giants come from?

Sometimes my biggest series are very short, if you love fighting game giants then Bookmark This Page.

A look at the big man, where did the Capcom giants come from? Part 1…

A look at the big man, where did the Capcom giants come from? Part 2…

A look at the big man, where did the Capcom giants come from? Part 3…

Did you have a favorite giant fighting game character? Let me know about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Bookmark This Page; Art, graphics, and aesthetics in fighting games

Video game players sometimes use the word graphics, when instead they mean the aesthetics, or art style of the game. If you want to learn about some of the most unique looking fighters then Bookmark This Page.

The aesthetic versus graphics debate, part 1…

The aesthetic versus graphics debate, part 2…

The aesthetic versus graphics debate, part 3…

The Style Files, Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer & Goketsuji Ichizoku aka Power Instinct

The Style Files, Psikyo and the aesthetic copies

The Style Files, Daraku Tenshi: The Fallen Angels, part 1

The Style Files: Daraku Tenshi The Fallen Angels, part 2...

Did you get a chance to play any of these fighting games? Let me know about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!