Here’s a photo of me a man, which looks like it was taken using iOS portrait mode in a Sydney hotel room a couple of years ago. I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a strong image, which gives little away.
Who is this man, and why has he inspired so many artists over the years? Let’s find out…
Here he is reinterpreted in black and red pen, a style we used for our postcard contest two years hence. The theme then was horror: would this guy have fit the category?
A depiction in the style of a legendary sword & sorcery artist. A powerful physique reveals itself, yet hidden by robes typical of a mage.
This is the famous image of him painted by Van Gogh. Is he a monk? A penitent?
Here he is drawn by an iconic 1980s portrait artist. Perhaps he’s a performer, or a pop idol?
He also inspired a commercial landscape painter, who used light to illuminate his darkness. Could he be a holy man?
He’s even made his way into anime, in this still from an upcoming production. But what is the genre?
And then there’s the famous version of him done by the grandmaster of biomechanical art. Could this be the purest glimpse into this man’s nature? Is he a monster? A beast?
Even sculptors have been influenced by his appearance, such as the felt creation above, or even…
…this whimsical balloon-art depiction.
Who is this man? Why has he inspired so many creators? What’s his story?
Some of you have may know already, but he is indeed the immortal sorceror from the best-selling fantasy series The Wizard’s Quest. Bold Brogar the warrior thought he was just saving Princess Mayumi from a band of goblins, but in time he learns the kidnapping was a decoy and his true quest was to save the world from the evil machinations of Azrukel Soulbinder.
Perhaps you’ve read it. Perhaps you even saw the film? Here’s one of the behind the scenes outtakes shot during filming:
Of course that shows Azrukel’s actor (who shall remain nameless), and you can see he apparently doesn’t share the villainy of his character by the way he’s making his cast mates chuckle.
The leads were all smiles on the convention circuit when promoting the film but dark rumours followed the cast about goings-on on set, many of which made their way into the various scandal magazines:
Only the director of the film knows the truth, and he’s not saying anything:
Evilness aside, Azrukel is a charismatic enough fellow that he has a wild fanbase, as the images on this post attest. Indeed, he’s probably reached the same heights of fame as Darth Vader or Voldemort. And just like them he’s been heavily merchandised as well, such as in action figure form:
I don’t own one myself, but I’d love to. However I’m trying to find a carded copy, which are fabulously rare:
If you’ve got one you want to sell, please let me know 😉
(The only ‘real’ image in this post was the first one. Everything else – including the character names – was the creation of AI.)
