JANUARY ART COMP - RESULTS THREAD

[CrazyFoxMachine]

THIRD PLACE - AMINES2058 INSPIRED BY THE LEGENDARY SHARK

"Pure bred, pure bred, pure bred!" The vicious chant rang in Johnny Alpha's ears as a hard fist crashed into his kidney. His knees buckled. The rabid mob around the shallow pit howled gleefully, then booed as Johnny pivoted, schyting out one leg. One of his three norm assailants squealed as Johnny's foot slammed into the side of his knee. The norm's leg bent inwards and he collapsed. Before the others could react, Johnny drove an elbow into his throat.

A hand grabbed Johnny's hair, dragging him off the corpse. The mob cheered as Johnny took blows to his battered face. Ignoring the pain, he gripped the arm above his head with both hands. More punches thundered into his head and chest but Johnny concentrated on the norm holding his hair. He planted his feet and threw this man into the other. The action unbalanced them both and Alpha lashed out. His first blow crushed one norm's solar plexus, rupturing his heart. The second smashed the other's nose and Johnny followed up with half a dozen rapid, savage punches.

The three norms lay dead or dying in the bloodstained, stinking earth of the rough pit. Johnny sucked in deep breaths. How many was that? Eight? Ten? His fuzzy mind, more concerned with broken ribs, cracked teeth and trembling muscles, couldn't remember. It was hard to focus through the exhaustion and pain. Not much longer. Be over soon.

Idris Jones, skin glistening under the lanterns illuminating the interior of this remote barn, raised his arms until the mob quietened. He laughed. "Quite the savage, aren't you?"

Johnny spat blood into the dirt, striking as defiant a pose as his abused body would allow.

"Kept us here longer than usual. Stupid mutie, why not just die like the rest of your inferior litter?" He waved his own question away and nodded to the far side of the arena, where a huge man stirred in the shadows. "Still, die you will. A freak can't survive against pure humans." Jones pointed to The Race's bloodsatined flag. "The Race will prevail."

The mob cheered as the big man dropped into the arena like a boulder.

Wulf, stripped to the waist, muscles bulging, stepped forward and placed a massive hand around Johnny's throat. Wulf moved his face close to Johnny's, his words inaudible to the baying mob. "Ach, Johnny," he said. "Dese plans off yours, alvays so risky."

"Everyone in place?"

Wulf nodded. "Ja, you bought us der time. Middenface and der rest are ready to roll."

Johnny nodded. Wulf let go of his throat and scowled at the mob, which was beginning to sense danger.

"What is this?" Jones said. "Kill it!"

Explosions tore into the barn and a dozen Search/Destroy agents poured in, guns blazing.

Idris Jones ran but Wulf drove him to the ground. "Not so fast," Wulf said. "For you, Old Cucumber, der Race is finished."


SECOND PLACE - ANDY LAMBERT INSPIRED BY LOBO BAGGINS
She landed on her knees as the cop shoved her thoughtlessly into the cell, the barred door slamming loudly behind her.  The sound echoed, reverberating around and around for an inordinately long time... no, that was just in her head, she decided.  She carefully picked herself up and sat heavily on the hard bunk that occupied the corner of the tiny room.  It was pretty much the same as every other cell she'd been in, they rarely had much variation.  She'd seen quite a lot of them in her life.  This particular one was a drunk tank, so it had a bucket as well as a bunk.  She sighed.  She'd had so many dreams, once upon a time.  How had it come to this?

She looked up, taking a vague disinterest as a group of cops made their way along the corridor outside.  One, a tall woman, paused outside.  She found herself frowning, the profile looked familiar... her breath caught in her throat as she gasped as recognition finally filtered through her alchohol addled synapses.  She was a lot older, naturally, and had much less hair and rather more clothes than the last time she'd seen her, but it was her, it was!  She glanced down at her identifying badge and all doubt fled – it read 'Olsun'.

'Rodice!' Halo Jones screamed, leaping to her feet, a long forgotten smile breaking out, 'Oh, Rodice!  I thought you were dead!' she said, stumbling forwards to grasp at the bars of the cell door.

Rodice turned towards her.  No smile, no sign of recognition... there was only half a face.  A crude, jagged scar surrounded a too large cybernetic eye that glowed balefully at her.  There was a light on, but Rodice wasn't home any more.  She'd been leucotomized, the ultimate fate of someone from the Hoop who wouldn't conform and behave themselves.  'Move away from the bars', she intoned in an emotionless parody of her oldest friend's voice.

Halo stifled a sob as she backed away, once again slumping back onto the bunk as what was left of her friend turned and began to walk away.  Halo watched her go.  There was nothing of her left, nothing.  She'd thought they'd get away, they'd once agreed to race to the other side of the galaxy.  Halo had thought she'd won, but Rodice never left the starting block, never left the Hoop.  She thought she'd been killed in a terrible massacre, but this was actually worse.  Much worse.

A tear rolled down Halo Jones' cheek as she lay back on the bunk.  She had a lot to think about.


FIRST PLACE - UWE DE WITT INSPIRED BY EAMONN CLARKE
Hotdog

As soon as he saw the blip on his radar he knew it was going to be touch and go. Swan was far left of a wide formation as Judge Giant led the cadets on a sweep. After clearing a nest of Dune Sharks they were hunting for survivors. They had passed a mutant convoy heading for the Coney Island township two kilometres back, and now there was an ominous green dot on the extreme edge of the bike screen that only he could see.

He turned the Lawmaster and accelerated hard.

"Swan here, sir. Fast moving signal at edge of scanner, probable Shark on the convoy's tail. Moving to intercept."

Giant's response was brief, "Roger that, Swan. Cadets, left wheel."

He stepped the bike up a gear and concentrated on the green dot. A faint ping at top of his screen indicated the rear of the mutant convoy. Thirty seconds to visual range, he transferred the radar to his visor and scanned the horizon. It was going to be damned close.

The green dot resolved into an image which his visor magnified and threw up to the top left of his HUD. Shark alright, big one, 200 kilos of flying muscle and teeth, kept aloft by a huge gas filled stomach chamber. Skin like plasteel, hi-ex could penetrate it but only if you hit soft spots. The bike had spitfire missiles to pick them off at range, he thumbed another switch and targeting confirmed what he already suspected, the shark was too close to the convoy. Any collateral damage and Giant would bust him back to the admin corps.

"Have to be the hard way. Bike, auto steer, same course."

He pulled his knife and cut through the palm of his glove. Blood flowed freely as he popped a grenade from his belt. He shook his head to clear the HUD, he could see the Shark and the convoy now, the wagons were making their way through a narrow gully with high sandy walls. No time for computers, this was going to be gut, and gut alone.

He gunned the bike to higher ground on full turbo and hit the edge at max speed. A brief glimpse of surprised faces in the last wagon and he was airborne. The grenade was slick with blood as he tossed it into the air.

"Hey, Fido. Catch!"

The shark's response was instinctive, attuned to the smallest trace of blood, it swooped away from the convoy and snatched the device from the air.

Swan's landing was rough but he held it together and the bike slewed to a halt on the far side of the gulley. Behind him there was a satisfying, muffled thump and the crash of the shark hitting the ground, its wings flapping uselessly against the sand.

Giant rode up close.

"Unconventional approach, Swan...."

"Sir"

"...but effective, now field dress that hand. Cadet Ajax, execute the creature. Snow, you've got point. Fun's over, get ready to move out, people."




THARG'S CHOICE goes to ECHIDNA INSPIRED BY EAMONN CLARKE



...and our smashingly glorious DROID'S CHOICE this month comes from colour-king and artsordinaire DYLAN TEAGUE whose thoughts will be added to this thread the second I have 'em!

[Eamonn Clarke]

Congratulations to all for fantastic work. Glad to see the cross-over did generate some great artwork

[Theblazeuk]

And a full on comic! But good stuff for what I think is a slightly more challenging brief than the usual art-comp (which has a lot more leeway for personal stuff given it's all for the love anyway)

[The Legendary Shark]

Excellent work, everyone, a really enjoyable collaborative comp!

[james newell]

well done UWE DE WITT, excellent job.

james

[Andy Lambert]

Well earned wins! Congratulations!

[amines2058]

Thank you all for the votes and congratulations to Uwe and Andy. My best result yet!!

[Rogue Judge]

Congrats to the winners! Im looking forward to February's competition, hopefully there are a lot of entries to celebrate 40 years of thrill power.

[Echidna]

Wow! I'm delighted I managed to tickle the Mighty One's funny bone. I didn't expect my silly doodle to get a mention - in fact I'm a little embarrassed to see it alongside such illustrious company. With that in mind, here's a slightly more polished version:



Well done everyone, and good luck with the next comp!

[Bad City Blue]

Impressive work all round

[mightybren]

Congrats to the winners, well deserved all round. Some amazing artwork coming out of this competition!

[CrazyFoxMachine]

aaaaaand here be Dylan Teague's choice:

"I'll go for Andy Lambert's "Rodice". I like the mood and the lighting. There's a nice use of texture on it too."

[Andy Lambert]

aaaaaand here be Dylan Teague's choice:

"I'll go for Andy Lambert's "Rodice". I like the mood and the lighting. There's a nice use of texture on it too."

Ah that's brilliant - my humble thanks to Dylan and CFM...!

[Echidna]

Came home today to find a copy of the 40th anniversary collection The Galaxy's Greatest waiting for me. Many, many thanks to CFM and Tharg the Generous