The Man Who Drew Konami('s covers from 1988 to 1994)

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Specineff
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The Man Who Drew Konami('s covers from 1988 to 1994)

Post by Specineff »

Found this recent video by My Life In Gaming about the guy who made those kickass American Konami covers, Tom Dubois, and thought of sharing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw-SPY4n0s8

Enjoy.
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FinalBaton
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Re: The Man Who Drew Konami('s covers from 1988 to 1994)

Post by FinalBaton »

Yep that docu is dope. The guy is part of so many of our child gaming memories, I especially like his manly-actiony/Conan take on Castlevania art. (3 and 4 are legit).

Funny thing is, when I saw the Metal Gear weapon list-with-drawings from a mag, a couple months back on here, I had a feeling it was him. And sure enough, it was

That ad with multiple characters (Green Beret, Jackal, Contra etc) is a standout too for me.

The guy seems genuinely touched by the docu, he doesn't play games but in recent years he tried to watch some gameplay and get in touch with gaming fans, and he seems super appreciative of his impact. His comment on the MLIG vid is superb.
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soprano1
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Re: The Man Who Drew Konami('s covers from 1988 to 1994)

Post by soprano1 »

Nice doc, thanks.
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Durandal
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Re: The Man Who Drew Konami('s covers from 1988 to 1994)

Post by Durandal »

The Contra III cover is my desktop wallpaper; the guy has skills. Nice to see this documentary.
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Sly Cherry Chunks
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Re: The Man Who Drew Konami('s covers from 1988 to 1994)

Post by Sly Cherry Chunks »

Great doc, watched this a few days ago. I bet everyone on this forum owns at least one of his covers. Sure beats taking a random piece by Tim White or Roger Dean and making it "fit" your game somehow.
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DJ Incompetent
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Re: The Man Who Drew Konami('s covers from 1988 to 1994)

Post by DJ Incompetent »

It was shocking so many titles were art by one American. The consistency makes so much sense now.

I want the 50 second documentary on the guy who decided on the NES grey border bezel template
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__SKYe
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Re: The Man Who Drew Konami('s covers from 1988 to 1994)

Post by __SKYe »

Great documentary.
Such a genuinely affable guy, and an artist through and through; Not only is his art amazing, but that he completely changed his process, from physical to digital art, to continue to work as an artist after going through such an ilness, is absolutely remarkable.
A real shame about not receiving his original paintings back. :(

Really loved his comment on the video too; I guess he finally realized just how esteemed his art is, and how much of an impact it had on an awful lot of people. :)
As for his name, I really expected it to be pronounced as in French (du-bwa).

---

Unrelated to this video, but in the same category of Famicom era interviews/documentaries.

I don't recall where/when I came across this, and it may have been on this very forum, in which case I apologise for reposting, but I found it to be quite interesting and worth sharing.
It is a 9-page story about an employee of Nintendo of America, who worked on the editorial staff of Nintendo Power, and can be found here.
bigbadboaz
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Re: The Man Who Drew Konami('s covers from 1988 to 1994)

Post by bigbadboaz »

The early Konami NES covers are the absolute best, and it's a combination of his art with that silver box template. There's no better design, and nothing with greater sentimental impact for me.
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NYN
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Post by NYN »

Just something I found. An interview with Mr duBois on ArcadeAttack. What a pleasant man. Enjoy.

https://www.arcadeattack.co.uk/tom-dubois-cover-artist/
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Re: The Man Who Drew Konami('s covers from 1988 to 1994)

Post by evil_ash_xero »

This guy was great. Really loved his Disney painting in that doc. Would LOVE an artbook. I'd probably have morel luck finding an online gallery.

I think this may be one of the only times where the Western covers weren't a downgrade. Compare Castlevania IV's cover to it's Japanese counterpart, for instance.
He has a pretty damn good style. I always wondered why we had such awful box art, when (as a comic book fan) know that we have so many amazing artists here.

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NYN
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mad artist

Post by NYN »

The latest piece that I know of is the classic edition box art for Curse of the Moon 2 by Limited Run Games.
Still got that rad touch.
His Contra: Rouge Corps piece is spreadshootin' it, too.
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Re: The Man Who Drew Konami('s covers from 1988 to 1994)

Post by neorichieb1971 »

Excellent stuff. One of my favourite videos, I almost shed a tear with the guy.
This industry has become 2 dimensional as it transcended into a 3D world.
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