Lethal Xcess cover art - was it ripped off?

[Mug UK]

I found this on the site that I try (when time permits) to upload my manual scans etc. Well, the following news items plopped into my RSS feed today ..

http://www.replacementdocs.com/news.php?item.149.1

The owner of the site felt he recognised something about the cover artwork for Lethal Xcess as coming from a Dragonflight book as drawn by Michael Whelan.

Learn something new every day and I'm just posting the link, so no shooting of the messenger

[bullis1]

I wasn't familiar with Dragonflight back then. I assume that book was published before Lethal Xcess?

Anyway, It's just a video game cover and whether it's a slight ripoff or not it's leagues ahead of most other western game covers from the era. Even as a kid I was usually disgusted by the shoddy or unintentionally hilarious "artwork" on game packaging. I will admit that home computers often had better package art than consoles did however.

Anyway, assuming the Dragonflight image is the earlier one, it's quite obvious that Celal had seen that image before when painting the Lethal Xcess cover. The Dragon's head and hind legs are nearly identical. Otherwise the painting is totally different. I'm going to say that this is more a case of "sampling" than plagiarism.

Also, in my opinion neither cover is creative anyway. "Warrior riding dragon in space/on other planet" is the most cliched book/game/record cover concept I can think of.

[simonsunnyboy]

So what?
It is different enough to be inspired from that Dragonflight one but certainly not a direct copy. No problem IMHO.

[Stefan jL]

This happens all the time... check out the following "Amiga look-a-like" webpage http://recordedamigagames.ath.cx/modules/tinycontent/index.php?id=101

[Mug UK]

Nice link .. some more for the pot!

[Marakatti]

Hmmm... If that is how the dragon flies, then it flies that way. No matter if it was made of steel and piece of circuitry. Artists have been using models for centuries for their drawings (animals, humans, clouds, flowers etc for inspiration)

[Stefan jL]

You can check out the Bob Wakelin page at Exotica: http://www.exotica.org.uk/wiki/Bob_Wakelin
He has some comments on what he used as "inspiration"
Also i found the picture he used for the "Athena" artwork: http://www.ym2149.com/lisa_lyon_1982.jpg
Athena advert from Lemon64: http://www.lemon64.com/adverts/full/athena_01.jpg

[bullis1]

You can check out the Bob Wakelin page at Exotica: http://www.exotica.org.uk/wiki/Bob_Wakelin
He has some comments on what he used as "inspiration"
Also i found the picture he used for the "Athena" artwork: http://www.ym2149.com/lisa_lyon_1982.jpg
Athena advert from Lemon64: http://www.lemon64.com/adverts/full/athena_01.jpg

Lol he increased her chest size.

[Mug UK]

The guy who I bought a few (OK, 120+) Atari games from at Retro North was there selling his official Bob Wakelin reproduction posters .. couldn't find a Wizball one though but I think I made up for that lost sale with the other stuff I bought

[Stefan jL]

You can buy reproductions from Wakelin himself... check out Pelle's page with info: http://www.lysator.liu.se/~wizkid/art/wakelin/

[Mug UK]

Saw the same list at the event - Wizball is on the "not available" list

But Mutants is available .. one weird and fun game from the old days

[Stefan jL]

It is available... Pelle bought one

[Greyfox™]

this is amazing...and all those years I thought they original pieces of art...well the few that don't really look like the person there based on..until they are side by side..a bunch of sneaks!...interesting stuff...

Greyfox™

[darklight]

Saw the same list at the event - Wizball is on the "not available" list

But Mutants is available .. one weird and fun game from the old days

On this page:

Prints (Wizball not listed but available)

[Stefan jL]

Just found this site: http://www.bobwakelin.com/

[Mug UK]

Yep .. same guy (Dave Moore) who I bought all the Atari ST stuff off at Retro Fusion.