Working on someone else’s creation is always a tricky proposition. You want to be respectful of their vision but, you want to claim it as your own (as an illustrator, if you’re not trying to claim it as your own then you’re doing it wrong).
When Chetan asked me to illustrate an image for an upcoming Temptation project, I decided to try and co-opt a Patrick Pautler creation, Max Mooncrater.
I’ve always been kind of intrigued by this character. I’m not generally a fan of throwbacks and homages to the past but, this character makes me smile. Nostalgia is a funny thing. At a glance it’s all warm and fuzzy but scratch the surface and there’s usually something awful just below the surface that makes you cringe. But with Max, I kind of get where Patrick is coming from. It’s about a more pure time of storytelling. A time when you could be a ten year old kid and just let a story take you away.
So with this in mind, I’ve agreed to tackle a small project for our Great Leader. I’ll be doing the pencils and inks, and Chetan will be handling the colouring.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how it all ends up. And I’m looking forward to seeing what Patrick thinks, now that he’s been co-opted.
Paul Marhue
Max Mooncrater created by Patrick Pautler & Chetan Patel
