For my first character I choose Manny Calavera, agent of the Department of Death, bar owner, ship’s captain and loveable hero of Grim Fandango. Like all the departed souls in the Land of the Dead, Manny is a calaca skeleton, and is most often pictured in his iconic reaper garb, though in the game he does have a variety of costumes.
Grim Fandango was Lucasart’s first 3D rendered game, and was pioneering in it’s visual style.
First up is this image by Lasse Partanen. I love to see realistic renditions of cartoon characters, and the look of Grim Fandango makes it particularly difficult to reinterpret them. I like the hand drawn look of this, and it certainly shows Manny’s dark side.
Next up is another semi-realistic interpretation of Manny, from Jannik Bjarnov Lind,with tons of detail and a beautiful background. Skilfully painted, I like the distinction between the bone and the cloth of his suit – he genuinely looks like a skeleton. Love it!
Something a bit different for my third choice, this 3D render from Edrice Waliyar shows us how different the game could have looked in a different 3D style. Manny is still fun and cartoonish, but a little bit sinister, as he should be!
And now, a very different style, this T-shirt design from Fleros remains true to the original look of the game, but looks like a handmade litho-print. It also includes a sprout gun and the flower and crossbones logo, so bonus points from me!
I’ve saved the best for last! This beautiful illustration from Colin Panetta is easily as good as the frankly awesome concept art from the game. I love the muted colours and again, bonus points for realistic skeleton and sprouting! This image has been featured on Kotaku and is available to buy as a poster.
If you have any suggestions for a characters you would like to see featured here please comment below, or send us a message!
