Author
Michael Swain (The-Swain)
Date Submitted
10/08/2009 | 11:50PM EST
Category & Size
Illustration | 751 x 794 px
Tags
mastermind | swain | comic | evil
Current Score
4.29 / 5.00
89 votes | 2,919 views
More by This Artist
Author's Comments
Mastermind and Femme Fatality v2.0, practice only! Not sure if I'll take the series in a new stylistic direction (although I have every time already anyway).
Simplified anatomy is always what I've aimed for, but you have to learn the rules before you can break them. I'm not done learning the rules yet, but I thought I'd give breaking them a shot for a change.
-Swain
The People Have Spoken
Average Score: 9.0 / 10
In my opinion this mastermind looks way to muscular and fighter like. His name says "mind" after all. This guy could be current mastermind's bodyguard. Main point here would be the the sixpack and his chest.
The girl looks promising though.
For the most part, I agree with kreal-84. As for being less intimidating, it's probably because he actually shows facial emotion. Can't say I dislike the new design, but MM3 is the one that convinced me to buy the shirt.
What if this guy was one of Mastermind's generals though? If his appearance is anything like his personality, I would love to see this guy and the original Mastermind interact.
I've been leaving and coming back to this for over half an hour now, and the more I see it, the more I think the new design looks more like an evil boss/general, but not a Mastermind styled character. He actually looks like he might get up and do something himself.
I only one or two things to say about Femme Fatality. 1: She reminds me of the stereotypical evil Russian chick. 2: She doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of the Mastermind art style. Maybe it's because she's not red enough? Maybe it's just the white outline. I don't know, I'm artistically ignorant.
-" Pfft, you fight him then and see who wins :( "
Your reaction is funny as hell
is that masterminds semi retarded brother or something
cant say much since im a too big fan of M.M. its funny to see the over -the-top megalomaniac getting toonified, though i miss the old realistic look
*suggestion* :add an army of Minions all lined up in the background that would rock!
If it doesn't go -too- over the top it could maintain the stylish feel with a bit more humoristic art style. I approve
but no way does this deserve only a 5. It's at the very least a 9 and that's only because I like your previous rendition of Mastermind better. He looks so menacing yet he says all of this stupid and inane stuff. Fucking hilarious man!! When do you plan on releasing another episode anyway?
Author's Response:
It's just a doodle (though finished), if for nothing else I'd give it a five on effort <3
very cartoony and alive.
Author's Response:
THANKS CHAMBUH
This mastermind looks too cartoonish. He lacks the intimidation the original had and changes find impressions from fear to laughing.
Author's Response:
Pfft, you fight him then and see who wins :(
I love the way this looks, but as the series goes I think you should continue doing it how you've been doing it. As a previous poster said that the great thing about Mastermind was that he looked evil, and serious, and generally a well mastermind, but you actually find out he's really stupid. So matching an appearance to his personality would be a little predictable and not as funny.
The picture itself is wonderful and I love it. :]
It would look good in an animation, but in this design, Mastermind design has become his character. What made his personality seem so funny was how serious, evil, and devious he looked, then, when you actual heard him, he was a complete idiot. Here, you have his design matching his personality, making it somewhat predictable.
This kind of reminds of what they did to (Crash Bandicoot) Tiny the Tiger (not exactly but similar). His name said Tiny, but he looked like a rabid tiger, ferocious, and evil, completely contradicting his name, then from "Crash of the Titans" onward, Tiny's design now looks like a tiger, wearing an army outfit, with a prissy little voice, making him one of those homosexual army men, therefore destroying him, nobody likes the new tiny, nobody.
So in this case, instead of contradicting the name with the appearance, leaving some humor, (for Tiny) this new design of mastermind completely destroys the mystery within his appearance, which makes him funny.
I personally think you should keep it the way it is, I actually find it more funny that since the characters look so damn serious.
Don't get me wrong the design is good, but it wouldn't the best idea to change it with the current, more familiar one.
Awesome Job,
its always good to dick with perfection, as long as you return to it at some point. i think the mastermind art has really benefitted from its sharp angularity, looked alot slicker, like comics of olde wished they could be with vector's fresh colours. you could probably get away with simplifying their designs if you lost the curves in this one. on the picture's own though, its pretty cool.
Femme Fatality looks acceptably stylized to me, but that iteration of The Mastermind seems a little too much. I guess that I'm kind of a stickler for the rules, and I happen to think that your Mastermind style circa MM 4 is right where I like it. I shouldn't tell you not to experiment, though. Actually, the legs are really where I draw the line, and from the waste up I like it well enough. Impeccable in the execution, as always.
I want to make this the background on my phone, but i must say Masterminds form is total out of proportion, it might be the reason he so wants to kill everyone cause at any moment his knee's will buckle and he is jealous over it.
Author's Response:
I agree that he's top-heavy, but I thought that was his brain.
Love the new direction of style. And the red rules!