26

Can you identify this hero? Has a cape and a sword.

I only have this terrible-quality picture from Secret Service, a computer games magazine, from 1993, and would like to know what hero it is.

https://archive.org/details/secretservicemagazine-1993-01/page/n21/mode/1up

enter image description here

Tom
  • 1,407
  • 9
  • 19
  • 2
    Is there any reason to expect this is a science fictional or fantastical character rather than just a warrior or some such? – TheLethalCarrot Mar 27 '21 at 21:43
  • 3
    @TheLethalCarrot - It looks pretty fantasy-esque. I'm minded to give it the benefit of the doubt. – Valorum Mar 27 '21 at 21:44
  • @TheLethalCarrot Looks fantasy to me but you might be right and perhaps it's just a warrior. – Tom Mar 27 '21 at 21:44
  • 2
    Here’s the same image in color on a kids collectible: https://colnect.com/en/kids_meal_toys/kids_meal_toy/12885-Capeman-Rondos-FlipposPogsTazos-Belgium – Spc_555 Mar 28 '21 at 09:53
  • @Spc_555 Thanks! I used Tineye and Images.google.com on your image and got this: https://i.imgur.com/LiSexPp.jpg – Tom Mar 28 '21 at 10:36
  • 1
    @Spc_555 - Those pogs appear to have crudely copied (and presumably unlicensed) characters from a range of sources including Ming the Merciless; https://www.milkcapmania.co.uk/386-Rondos.html – Valorum Mar 28 '21 at 11:49
  • 1
    @Tom, I used to own this magazine as a kid. I always assumed it was Thorgal Aegirsson. – Kao Mar 28 '21 at 19:08

3 Answers3

37

I found the original picture! It's a clipart from Corel Draw 3 called "Capeman.tif".

enter image description here

All images from the "LIBRARY\PHTPAINT\FANTASY" folder:

enter image description here

Tom
  • 1,407
  • 9
  • 19
  • 2
    How did you find it? – Valorum Apr 27 '21 at 10:34
  • 18
    @Valorum I checked on Wikipedia what DTP and DTP-alike programs were popular in 1993 and then I downloaded them from sites like archive.org. I checked: Aldus PageMaker 5, QuarkXPress 3, Ventura Publisher 3, Micrografx Picture Publisher 3 and CorelDRAW 3. I also downloaded ClickArt CDs. And I just checked all of the files. I found the Capeman in LIBRARY\PHTPAINT\FANTASY with a few other fantasy characters. – Tom Apr 27 '21 at 11:22
  • CorelDraw 3 was released on 15 May 1992; I'm guessing the magazine used the image (modified) for its May '93 release. – TylerH Apr 28 '21 at 15:22
35

This image is used by Secret Service Magazine (May, 1993) to illustrate the 'barbarian' character from the Amiga game Times of Lore. It's not clear whether this was an original illustration by the makers of the magazine or culled from elsewhere.

You may wish to note that this image has appeared elsewhere in this form, for example on these (copyright infringing) Rondo milk caps where he's described as "Capeman".

enter image description here

Valorum
  • 689,072
  • 162
  • 4,636
  • 4,873
  • OK, I got it. Secret Service 5/93 – Tom Mar 27 '21 at 22:08
  • 1
    @Tom - Secret Service Magazine - May 1993 page 7 – Valorum Mar 27 '21 at 22:09
  • 3
    Actually, I don't think this image ever appeared in the Times of Lore ads, manual, game box, etc. I think it was an image from somewhere else that Secret Service slapped in place near descriptions of fantasy games). – Buzz Mar 28 '21 at 00:54
  • 1
    @Buzz You might be right. He kinds looks like Conan the Barbarian (2 golden bracelets on both hands just like Conan.) – Tom Mar 28 '21 at 01:00
  • 7
    @Tom It is definitely reminiscent of Frazetta's famous cover for Conan the Adventurer. – Buzz Mar 28 '21 at 01:10
  • 2
    @Tom I think you should remove the accepted answer checkmark here, there’s no evidence this image has anything to do with the Times of Lore game – Spc_555 Mar 28 '21 at 11:06
  • @Spc_555 - The only place I've found it is next to the Time of Lore game. Can you give another example where it's used elsewhere? – Valorum Mar 28 '21 at 11:33
  • @Valorum Spc_555 found this image on a Belgian collectible https://i.imgur.com/LiSexPp.jpg – Tom Mar 28 '21 at 11:37
  • @Tom - That picture appears to be a fan-creation based on the picture above. – Valorum Mar 28 '21 at 11:42
  • 4
    @Valorum yes, please see my comment to the question. Seems like this was a widely available image in the 90s and this magazine just used it to illustrate games. Also I’ve looked through all Times of Lore manuals/packaging/marketing materials I could find on the Internet and this image is nowhere to be seen. Also it seems that the original version is indeed with a cape, you can find a lot of “caped” copies being used as avatars etc and none without a cape. – Spc_555 Mar 28 '21 at 11:44
  • 1
    @Spc_555 - Hmm. Is it more likely that this is the original (noting that it's much higher quality) and someone crudely added batman's cape or that this is a copy and that someone painstakingly removed the cape? – Valorum Mar 28 '21 at 11:46
  • 2
    @Spc_555 - I've been through about twenty issues of Secret Service and can't find any other uses of the picture. Additionally, all of the pictures used in the magazine appear to relate directly to the game being shown, with no common illustrations for game type (e.g. Barbarian doesn't have this same picture, nor does Doman, although both are 'barbarian versus baddies' type games) – Valorum Mar 28 '21 at 11:53
  • 1
    @Valorum I think you should agree that the caped version I found ( https://colnect.com/en/kids_meal_toys/kids_meal_toy/12885-Capeman-Rondos-FlipposPogsTazos-Belgium ) is the same as in the original question, but in color. Which means the magazine got it somewhere (with a cape!) and removed colors. – Spc_555 Mar 28 '21 at 11:54
  • @Valorum thanks for the edit, upvoted your answer – Spc_555 Mar 28 '21 at 11:59
  • 1
    @Spc_555 - I think it's far more likely that photocopied the original, added a cape (by photocopying one image on top of the other) and then colourised it, hence the shitty image quality in the repro. I should stress that that's absolutely Batman's cape. – Valorum Mar 28 '21 at 11:59
  • @Valorum actually yes I believe it’s Conan with Batman’s cape. But there are so many Conan imagery that finding the source is really difficult – Spc_555 Mar 28 '21 at 12:01
  • 2
    @Spc_555 - I think it might be original to the magazine. Almost all of their artwork seems to have been hand-drawn or copied from box-art. – Valorum Mar 28 '21 at 12:02
  • @Valorum I just found out Conan did have cape! https://comicvine.gamespot.com/conn/4005-31148/ – Tom Mar 28 '21 at 12:13
4

The original image has been already found and the resemblance with Conan has already been mentioned in the comments. Also it has been stated that it's pretty difficult to find the "inspiration" for the clipart but it doesn't look like Frazetta inspired to me but taken from the great John Buscema.

Following it's an image from Conan by Buscema with a similar outfit and pose. According to this site, it's taken from Savage Sword of Conan Vol 1 222 (June, 1994)

Conan by John Buscema

lfurini
  • 7,772
  • 3
  • 40
  • 61
RubioRic
  • 1,829
  • 16
  • 23