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I am once again posting Slagar art. He's invaded my head somewhat while I was sick the past week. Besides wanting an excuse to draw Slagar some more, I also just wanted to experiment/practice a little with how I draw heads.

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I like this perspective a lot. I very quickly found Slagar choice to conceal his face and body in that checkered pattern really compelling but didn't necessarily know at first how to describe why.

Besides the theatricality of it, I love the idea that Slagar is 'otherizing' himself by hiding his fox face and turning himself into a 'creature' of its own kind. He isn't just a fox wearing a disguise, he's that 'monster with the checkered face'. Psychologically, I would imagine it would help him embrace his wickedness by identifying with the persona of the cloaked checkered villain 'Slagar' and not the fox 'Chickenhound' underneath.

Thoughts on Slagar

I was talking with my lovely partner about Slagar the Cruel. He hasn't read the books, but he's absorbed enough from my ramblings and things to form his own thoughts (:)). Slagar always seems to be a fan favorite of those who only know just some about Redwall, which I think is great. Slagar is great (awful).

The conversation started with me saying "Do you remember Chickenhound/Slagar?"

He says "Of course. He's the one with the cool checkered mask right?"

"Yes he's the one with the mask. So, same dude [Chickenhound and Slagar (spoilers, haha)], right? I HATE Chickenhound, but I think Slagar is so great I love him."

So that's point one, I think it's kind of funny about me. Slagar is so fun and evil and camp, but I will just never ever forgive Chickenhound for being stupid and the worst.

Then, boyfriend had some really interesting thoughts that I'd like to share! Thoughts from a new audience, if you will.

"The checkered mask and cape is so cool because it completely conceals the very defining features of a fox, like the shape of the head and the bright orange color, but it does it by replacing it with such a striking pattern that it also erases the shape of him. But it’s so unique and so bold, even more so than a fox. He stands out so much yet is so mysterious and anonymous. Very fey." I said, "AND it conceals his broken face. So it replaces something he hates with something recognizably scary but also costumey. I don't know how to explain, but it’s powerful and monstrous because it’s so fun but at the same time he’s so cruel." Boyfriend says: "It does more than that, it makes him a new kind of beautiful. (I’m just projecting and romanticizing though it’s your book you know more.)"

I wanted to share because I thought this was so interesting! Thank you, goodbeasts all!

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Art of Slagar, a villain I find highly compelling. When starting to watch season 2 of Redwall for the first time, there was a temptation to sympathize with Slagar due to his tragic past but he truly does make himself an irredeemable bastard and I do honestly enjoy him as a villain for that. That being said, I decided to make this art based on the cycle of violence and hostility that exists in the Redwall universe and how Slagar's life seemed defined by it.

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I'm midday through watching Redwall season 2 and my god it's intense. I like Slagar as a villain because of how much he is unambiguously a bastard, as a contrast to the trend of more sympathetic villains today. I still enjoy sympathetic villains but it's a different emotion experience to truly hate a villains actions. At the same time, he's a fun villain with "pizzazz". Great stuff~

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Two portraits I did for a project that I didn't end up finishing but liked the art of anyway~

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I have awoken to the idea that I can just write stuff on my blog and don't need to always post art...

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A mock-up of my fursona as a con artist fox instead of his usual badger form~.

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30 minute sketch of a squirrel~ Just wanted to draw something quick to relax.

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Happy Easter~!

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In a few days, I'll be playing my new characters in D&D. This is the custom character sheet I've made for it, featuring my character Antpax!

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I started this on impulse while waiting for the doctor, ended up going further with it than I expected :))

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I present my new detective duo: The Opossum is Lowry O'Gealach (he/him) and the raccoon is Billie Ringtail (she/they). It was fairly fun to play around with such funky colours~.

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I've updated the look of my fursona Osbert! I really like the combination of purple, pink and yellow together~.

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I've finally managed to finish this~! Introducing Herb and Henry, a pair of freelance puzzle solvers!

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Petey the cat! When I was young I read the Captain Underpants books but I only discovered the existence of Dogman recently when I stumbled upon fan art of Petey. Since then, the art that has come out recently (especially since the movie came out) is really cool.

Anyway, here's my contribution to that.

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OKAY, so let me explain this unhinged thing that my imagination has spawned. I’ve created not just a bunch of headcanon Riddlers as animals but I’ve imagined an alternative universe populated by animals in which Batman as a franchise developed on its own. The Batman shows listed above are shows that exist in this alternative universe I’ve imagined. As such, I’ve included not just details about each of the Riddlers but also the backstory about all of the actors who play them and their relationships to each other.

Quick! Call Batman! - Clive Mortenson (1966-1970)

‘Quick! Call Batman!’ was your typical corny 60s television affair with onomatopoeia flashing on the screen and cheesy acting.

The Riddler in the initial version of the show was hammed up and would tell simple riddles as the clues. This version of the Riddler was mostly motivated by riches and power, and used riddles as a gimmick.

Clive Mortenson was a popular actor during the golden age of Hollywood. Due to his athleticism, he was often hired to do roles requiring the actor to do challenging acrobatics. In fact, he started his career as a stunt double in cowboy movies! His talent for acrobatics allowed him to play the Riddler as energetic and bouncy.

BATMAN: Brave and Brazen – Peter Trot (1984-1988)

This version of Batman was taken far more seriously and allowed for a more contemplative Batman. This show began to explore the themes of being a vigilante hero and established arcs over the course of its different seasons.

Unlike the previous Riddler (Mortenson) who would tell simple unrelated riddles, Trot’s Riddler produced riddles that were related to each other and built off each other to build to a greater theme for each episode featuring him. This version of Riddler was deeply obsessed with proving himself more intelligent than Batman, setting a precedent for the ‘quintessential’ Riddler. All future Riddlers would be obsessed with proving their superiority over Batman to some extent.

Peter Trot was an English superstar actor who rose to stardom in the 70s by playing of roles of James Bond, Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood. In the 80s, he was intent on not being typecast strictly as a heroic leading man and proving he had range as an actor. Hence, he took on the role of the Riddler to prove he could play a villain. He received much critical acclaim for this role and would go on to act in both blockbuster and ‘artsy’ movies in the latter half of his career.

The Batman Files – Nadia Reddy (1993-1997)

The third show version of Batman leaned more into gritty and neo-noir aesthetics, attempting to make the Batman series more ‘edgy’ for the new youth. The show experimented with presentation, choosing to dress the Riddler as a ‘detective’ looking figure with a light green dyed trench coat.

The show experimented with having a female Riddler was well as a Riddler who would go beyond riddles and wordplay, to ciphers and codes. Unlike the previous Riddler (Trot) who dressed relatively elegant and acted sophisticated, this version of Riddler was far more sleezy, cheap and a bit rough and tumble. This Riddler’s motivations are played as more mysterious with the show never fully revealing the Riddler’s motivations.

Nadia Reddy become popular in the 90s for being a tomboyish and butch female actor, willing to take on roles that subverted typical gender roles, with the Riddler being her early breakout role. Nadia tended to pick the movies she found more ‘interesting’ and sometimes art-house projects throughout her career. Nadia, later in life, began to identity as non-binary and gender-fluid in the 2010s when the term became more well known to the general public.

BATMAN – Daniel DeCoetzee (2005-2009)

The 2000s version of Batman was the most self-serious, intent of exploring themes of society and the ethics of vigilantism. Episodes were extended to an hour as opposed to the previous shows which were half an hour per episode.

DeCoetzee version of the Riddler was very cold and unfeeling, a calculating mastermind who’s riddles came in the form of codes and complicated puzzles. This version of the Riddler was a technocrat intent on manipulating the powers of Gotham behind the scenes to create a new technocracy out of the government.

The writers of this version of Batman were intent on having actors method-act. That’s why they sought Daniel DeCoetzee, a former child science prodigy turned scientist and celebrity science communicator. The writers thought his background as an intelligent academic and his strength in public speaking might make him suitable. He turned out to be the perfect choice as in his bitter teenager years, he was briefly a technocrat but grew out of it. Daniel, thus, used the role of Riddler to explore a version of himself where he never grew out of that mindset.

Batman Adventures – Ian Blum (2013-2015)

Batman Adventures was a neo-retro version of Batman that took the inspiration to be corny and hammy from the first Batman show ‘Quick! Call Batman!’, but was still interested in exploring themes like the later shows.

Blum’s version of the Riddler is over-the-top and flamboyant, taking inspiration from Mortenson’s Riddler, but his motivations are clearly focused on proving that he is smarter than Batman like Trot’s Riddler. This version of the Riddler, instead of focusing on riddles or ciphers on their own, would focus on elaborate (and theatrical!) escape rooms littered with puzzles and riddles.

Ian Blum works mainly as a TV presenter, musician and singer. He was quickly identified by writers for his lively personality and high energy, which made him ideal for the role. Ian managed to convince the writers of Batman Adventures to allow him to write and sing some musical numbers for the show, villain songs of course. This later turned out to be a standout element of the show. Since finishing with the show, he has continued to present on TV and is working on writing a musical.

Batman & Gotham – Austin Tao (2023-)

‘Batman & Gotham’ is the current version of Batman. The show makes an effort to try and incorporate modern day affairs and issues, trying to channel the social commentary of Batman (2000s) while going for a gritty angle like The Batman Files.

Tao’s version of Riddler is a failed tech mogul from silicon valley who blames those in society for their ‘lack of intelligence’ and ‘poor foresight’ as the reason who his failed startups. In reality, his projects failed because he’s an egoistical narcissist who’s impossible to work with. Nevertheless, this version of the Riddler is intent on taking out his revenge on the world that he feels has wrong him. He decides to ‘prove his intelligence’ by setting out riddles, codes and puzzles onto the public and triggering terrorist-like bomb attacks in public locations if no one solves them in time.

Austin Tao is a bright young actor and long-time comic book fan intent on doing the role justice. He’s still only 22 and playing the Riddler has been his breakout role for him. Despite his inexperience, he has taken to the role well. Austin has even taken it upon himself to do ‘soft’ versions of what his version of Riddler does on the show and poses riddles, codes and puzzles to social media for the fans to engage with, something that has proven very popular.

Bonus!

All the actors who played the Riddler has a strong culture of mentorship where the older actors will often make time to work with the younger actors to ‘pass on the baton’ for the character that they all care a lot about.

All the actors are bisexual! It’s not just coincidence: Clive Mortenson was closeted when he took on the role of Riddler but Peter Trot was open about his sexuality during the 80s and pushed for his version of the Riddler to be bisexual like he was. When Mortenson did eventually come out in 1989, the Riddler become a quasi-bi-represention-symbol since both actors who had played him were bisexual. As a result, next generation writers decided to write all future versions of the Riddler as bisexual and hire specially bisexual actors.

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge gl1tchr (@gl1tchr) whose depiction of the Riddler as various animals, inspired this. (Their art is great!) Here’s a link to the art I’m referring to: https://www.tumblr.com/gl1tchr/764054301549215744/what-animal-do-you-think-each-of-the-riddles-are