Rant on the new art.

[Jonas Albrecht]

Hey Mr Scrooge! How you been!

;-)

Is Mr Scrooge associated with art critique in Australia?

[Helm]

I thought the old art for Malifaux was either really terrible (the original Perdita art) or adequate (most of the book 2 master profile shots).

I'm sort of in this boat.

I can still remember standing in the FLGS debating which Malifaux boxes to start with; it was a hard bloody choice because while the small black boxes looked professional, I didn't actually like any of the art. Eventually I went for The Dreamer because of the box back description. The idea appealed to me and the art wasn't as offensive as the likes of LJ.

However, at the end of the day, those pieces of art were turned into some of the most fantastic models I have seen on the tabletop. I don't mean to offend the artist, but Lady J's art was of some kind of twisted skinny breast-monster with a hideous pose. When the original sculptor took that idea and translated it to tabletop, the end result was intimidating, calm and ready to break faces. The immensely caricatured art was toned down into someone I could just about see existing; still a bit exaggerated in some areas, but someone that could exist in reality.

Honestly, while I don't know the background of the artist, I think the big problem with the new art and sculpts is that the sculpts are made to fit the art incredibly closely. The person who is actually making a physical model to put down on the table doesn't seem to have much input. It could be that the sculpts are being made first and then being translated to art, but I'm not convinced that this is the case; I can't see Lady J's pose or Misaki's pose ever coming from a sculptor, because that person would have to build up the model from the basic skeleton and would quickly realise that such a pose could never exist in real life. Maybe even fantasy life. I appreciate that Soulstones let you do a lot, but without Marcus' powers of transformation LJ is cutting *nobody* from that weird squat pose. Seriously, we do something similar to that stretch to warm up for Kendo sessions, and you are utterly immobile while doing it.

The 1.5 Rules Manual was my first rulebook; the alternate Master versions were some of the first Malifaux pictures I saw. I can therefore say that, with a complete lack of nostalgia and with no exceptions barring possibly Seamus, I have always preferred the original Masters to alt sculpts. My thoughts were "It's really cool of Wyrd to have these alternative Master sculpts, and I like the idea of including action poses as an option. There's a sort of anime-ish vibe here. Thank God I can buy the originals though; why is Lilith standing like her hands and feet are being stretched apart by some invisible giant?"

Now Invisible Giant Lilith Mk 2 and Sports Stretching Lady J are going to be what new players first see of Malifaux; the reason I keep mentioning LJ, apart from me loving the original sculpt, is that I've always thought of her vs Seamus to be the "standard" Malifaux introduction. It's really cool in a way to have the whole game brought together under one art style. I just wish that the original sculptors were still around and having a say, really.

[Arli]

Betrayal! The new rattler is awesome BECAUSE of sleekness! I challenge you to internet fights.

Challenge Accepted! I really like the old model. Probably my favorite model (outside of the Ten Thunders) so far.

[Fetid Strumpet]

Interesting, I only met one other person who felt the same way. Are you located in Memphis by chance?

[Lussuria]

Challenge Accepted! I really like the old model. Probably my favorite model (outside of the Ten Thunders) so far.

Agree here! The current rough around the edges look I think gives it a lot of charm and character. I do like my current rattlers.

[Zaero]

I feel kinda bummed to say it myself, but I'm also in the boat of not being completely sold on the new art. What really attracted me to the game before was that dark "steampunky meets western" mash-up (saving room for things like ninjas/gangsters etc). I kind of like the disparity in art in that each crew had their own feel to it (whether stylish, spooky, or just kind of "different" looking). Also, I kind of liked the full Asian influence crews like Kirai and Misaki bring to the game. It helped make the game feel like there was something for everyone.

That all said, I can understand the new art direction in that it unifies everything and makes it feel more like a world instead of something I feel like I'd be reading in a crossover series comic book (although I do enjoy those....). However, like others have said, all I kind of see here is post-apocalyptic "Mad Max" versus what I saw above.

Either way, I've been making my decision and buying up what I can of the current models for the 13 crews I have (yea....kinda got into this hardcore), and let the chips fall where they may. I'm not going to sit here and do the "Change the art or I QUIT!!!" act, as I enjoy the game too much. But, at the same time I'm a big fan of Lady J, and just can't vibe on the new one (and I have the Nightmare, Original, and Alt version...fanboy am I).

Either way, it's a change. For better or worse is darn hard to call now. I mean, I'm still conflicted whether I like plastic or metal models more (Yan Lo's beard vs sword Vik's hands......). As the new boxes come out, I figure Wyrd will take feedback as needed. Heck, I've seen it with the plastic boxes I've worked with in how they went from guessing through to having a suggested assembly order. It's a process, and a ride.

Yes, am I attached to the 1.5 art, yup. I'll admit it. I find it cool, I find the game fun, and that's that. [Heck of a first post....]

[ehren37]

, it looks Liefeld-esque in places.

I do not think that word means what you think it means. Everyone has feet, and there's nary a gigantic shoulderpad to be found. I can count the number of pouches on any individual character.

I generally prefer the new art. It looks serious, rather than cartoonish. Lillith still sucks, but that's because the art concept of Lillith sucks at its core. A vengeful nature spirit and mother figure who looks and dresses like a Jessica Rabbit hooker, and doubtless sounds like Mae West.

I dont get why they removed gremlins noses though. Just to maek sure you had to rebuy your units for cohesion?

[Jonas Albrecht]

I do not think that word means what you think it means. Everyone has feet, and there's nary a gigantic shoulderpad to be found. I can count the number of pouches on any individual character.

Compare Chest Compartment Captain America with Marcus and get back to me.

[Mister Shine]

I'd say he looks more like a space marine under the armour than a Liefeld drawing

[Jonas Albrecht]

I'd say he looks more like a space marine under the armour than a Liefeld drawing

I still think "Meat Snowman" is the best way to describe him.

[Mike3838]

@ehren37

Gremlins in their original incarnation didn't have noses. Check the Bayou Grems, original Somer and Ophelia.

Some of us were very surprised to see Gremlins with noses when they first appeared on the scene (alt Somer, Bert, etc). We really disliked that Gremlins were being made to look more like 40k Gretchin. The new art gets them back to being right again.

[thebarbalag]

Compare Chest Compartment Captain America with Marcus and get back to me.

I disagree completely. Marcus in the new art is certainly beefy, but nowhere near as out of proportion as that image of Captain America. The angle on Marcus is different than on Cap, who is drawn about 4" (1.5m) wide, whereas Marcus just looks like he's huge, like a professional body builder, or Olympic weight lifter. My biggest problem with the Marcus art, and it's not that big, is that the digital color for shadows isn't amazing.

[i_was_like_you]

Compare Chest Compartment Captain America with Marcus and get back to me.

http://raydillonrandom.blogspot.com/2011/06/comics-rob-liefelds-captain-america.html

Edited August 5, 2013 by i_was_like_you

[Mister Shine]

I stand by my original statement

[Jonas Albrecht]

Alright, I'm not down for a "dick around with semantics of a made up term" argument, so I'll withdraw my Liefeld-esque statement.

[i_was_like_you]

I stand by my original statement

Aren't Space Marines genetically bred / created to be that size, much like the 13 foot tall Elementals of the Clans of Battletech?

[Mister Shine]

Marcus is a lost Primarch of the Burly-Man Marines

[thebarbalag]

Aren't Space Marines genetically bred / created to be that size, much like the 13 foot tall Elementals of the Clans of Battletech?

Yes. Similar (if in a more hyper-tech way) to how Marcus has used his beast magic to perfect his form. In addition to being huge, iirc, he's also very old, he was McMorning's professor back on earth. Magic has made him physically powerful. Makes sense he would be built like a Space Marine to me.

edit: fixed auto-correct mistakes

[Ratty]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14836[/ATTACH]

http://raydillonrandom.blogspot.com/2011/06/comics-rob-liefelds-captain-america.html

I always thought that image of Captain America was always held up as a supreme example of Liefeld art not because it was beefy, which is not uncommon in Comics, No-one would say that the Hulk, Thing, Bane etc weren't beefy.. But because the physiology was entirely out, not to mention the perspective. If you look at it his left shoulder is rolled back... yet his left pectoral muscle is miles in front of it's right. So it's not that he's well built it's the fact that he's practically triangular.

Leifeld-ism generally involves

• Inability to draw feet
  
• Impossibly thin waists on female characters.
  
• Broken Spinal Cords
  
• Impossible Perspective
  
• A bad understanding of muscle structure.
  
• Drawing random lines all over things too "make them gritty"
  

Examples include

Broken Spine and impossible waist.

[Linus Mcmold]

I stand by my original statement

I think this applies to Mr. Graves.

I'm not sure if the new Marcus will be as tall as a spacemarine and I don't see a HT increase on his stat card.

Those marine dudes supposedly have three hearts and some other additional organs besides rediculous mass increase.

I'm very curious on what will happen with Marcus when his art gets translated into a miniature.

[Ausplosions]

Ha.

[Ratty]

Ha.

Enigmatic Ha.. not even sure what it's in response too.

[i_was_like_you]

I always thought that image of Captain America was always held up as a supreme example of Liefeld art not because it was beefy, which is not uncommon in Comics, No-one would say that the Hulk, Thing, Bane etc weren't beefy.. But because the physiology was entirely out, not to mention the perspective. If you look at it his left shoulder is rolled back... yet his left pectoral muscle is miles in front of it's right. So it's not that he's well built it's the fact that he's practically triangular.

Leifeld-ism generally involves

• Inability to draw feet
  
• Impossibly thin waists on female characters.
  
• Broken Spinal Cords
  
• Impossible Perspective
  
• A bad understanding of muscle structure.
  
• Drawing random lines all over things too "make them gritty"
  
• Pouches
  
• More Pouches
  
• And even more Pouches
  

Examples include

Broken Spine and impossible waist.

Your example included plenty of pouches, you just forgot to list them. :-P

[Ratty]

Your example included plenty of pouches, you just forgot to list them. :-P

Er.. I didn't feel it was right to mention them... Because if you ever see me on the LARP field, I have far far more pouches.... I once outdid a Kender for amount of cool shiny stuff carried at a given time.

[edonil]

...are there pictures of that? Cause I wouldn't have believed until this moment that you could out-Kender a Kender.