For me, the cover artwork of a game was always part of the experience. It's partly why I never really engaged with the industrial level of piracy that was rife in my school; I saw games as a complete package. I wanted to enjoy that ritual of choosing a game, taking it home, then studying the cover and the inlay while it was loading.
It's a lost joy; nowadays games either feature dull, identikit, photorealistic covers, or don't even have a cover because you've downloaded them from an online "shop".
Admittedly, it's fair to say that there were a lot of terrible games covers back in the day, but the truth is I'd still take one bad 1980s cover over 90% of modern ones.
Roger Tissyman - ha ha, funny name - worked on somewhere between 20 and 30 game covers back in the 1980s, yet his name is barely known. This is despite the fact he was responsible for one of the most iconic game covers of all time; Jet Set Willy.
Sadly, Roger is no longer with us, having passed away in 1991, but his artwork lives on. Here is a brief celebration of the idiosyncratic work he did as house artist for Software Projects.
It's a lost joy; nowadays games either feature dull, identikit, photorealistic covers, or don't even have a cover because you've downloaded them from an online "shop".
Admittedly, it's fair to say that there were a lot of terrible games covers back in the day, but the truth is I'd still take one bad 1980s cover over 90% of modern ones.
Roger Tissyman - ha ha, funny name - worked on somewhere between 20 and 30 game covers back in the 1980s, yet his name is barely known. This is despite the fact he was responsible for one of the most iconic game covers of all time; Jet Set Willy.
Sadly, Roger is no longer with us, having passed away in 1991, but his artwork lives on. Here is a brief celebration of the idiosyncratic work he did as house artist for Software Projects.
JET SET WILLY
For me, the Jet Set Willy cover is the perfect confluence of game and art. It's not a literal representation - but it perfectly captures the feel of Matthew Smith's opus. Reportedly, Tissyman was - like Smith - a Monty Python fan, and you can see the Terry Gilliam influence in his chunky figures and airbrushing.
I also love the mundane detail of the newspaper toilet paper, and general lack of good taste; Tissyman always kept Miner Willy's face hidden, and here chooses to have the character's head shoved down a toilet bowl, presumably "doing a Ralph".
I'd always believed that the penguin and the heavy work boots were a reference to the game... but no; in researching Tissyman, they're something of a hallmark of the artist, appearing again and again on his covers.
I also love the mundane detail of the newspaper toilet paper, and general lack of good taste; Tissyman always kept Miner Willy's face hidden, and here chooses to have the character's head shoved down a toilet bowl, presumably "doing a Ralph".
I'd always believed that the penguin and the heavy work boots were a reference to the game... but no; in researching Tissyman, they're something of a hallmark of the artist, appearing again and again on his covers.
JET SET WILLY 2
I loved that Tissyman's work was a mix of mediums; a combination of airbrushing, and thick brush work. There was something brilliantly gonzo about it - a feel of underground comics, which gave the games an edgy feel.
THE PERILS OF WILLY
There was also a brilliant sense of humour at play with Tissyman's covers. The Perils of Willy might not be the greatest game in the series, but I love wit on the cover; especially the mouse popping out of the champagne bottle, giving its own toast.
Mice often appeared on Tissyman's covers. He never signed his work, but there were always these little overt clues as to who was responsible.
According to his daughter Susan: "Nearly all his artwork would have been copyrighted, I suppose, so he couldn’t sign it. But if you look closely you might find his trade mark of a mouse. For example in ‘Lode Runner’ the mouse is in the satchel round the penguins neck, in ‘Hunchback At The Olympics’ he’s in a cup being thrown from the crowd."
Mice often appeared on Tissyman's covers. He never signed his work, but there were always these little overt clues as to who was responsible.
According to his daughter Susan: "Nearly all his artwork would have been copyrighted, I suppose, so he couldn’t sign it. But if you look closely you might find his trade mark of a mouse. For example in ‘Lode Runner’ the mouse is in the satchel round the penguins neck, in ‘Hunchback At The Olympics’ he’s in a cup being thrown from the crowd."
DINKY DOO
Note the boots: they're the same ones Miner Willy was wearing on the Jet Set Willy cover. Get used to them. The Dinky Doo cover also showcases another of Tissyman's obsessions; weird creatures who look like giant germs. You know: like Michael Gove.
TRIBBLE TRUBBLE
Tissyman didn't only work for Software Projects. He was a self-employed graphic artist, who joined an advertising agency after art college, before setting up on his own. It's unknown whether he insisted on placing penguins, mice, and workman's boots into his other commercial work...
Nevertheless, there's a distinct R.Crumb influence at work on the lawsuit-baiting Tribble Trubble cover.
Nevertheless, there's a distinct R.Crumb influence at work on the lawsuit-baiting Tribble Trubble cover.
LODE RUNNER
Boots: check. Penguin: check. What I love most about this cover is that despite clearly having been based upon the image below, Tissyman chose to go his own way:
GALACTIC GARDENER
It didn't matter to Roger Tissyman whether a game featured a work boots-wearing penguin or not: he was going to draw one on the cover regardless. The Galactic Gardener cover also showcased another of his obsessions; monsters with vaguely phallic eyes on stalks.
PUSH OFF
A rare Roger Tissyman cover which features neither penguins nor workman's boots. The design for the daredevil rollerskating ladybird is glorious however.
PROJECT GRAPHICS LANGUAGE
Even when called upon to illustrate something as dull as a graphics program, Tissyman still deployed his trademark boot-wearing penguin. It's a bit weird now I come to think of it. Can you imagine him in meetings for his other work?
"Roger, thanks for illustrating our advert for our new women's underwear range. We'd like to suggest a few changes, however."
"Sure. No problem."
"We'd like you to do it again, but without the penguin."
"...Can I leave the work boots in?"
"No, Roger. Just want a picture of a bra and some knickers, like we asked."
"What if the penguin was wearing a bra?"
"Roger, thanks for illustrating our advert for our new women's underwear range. We'd like to suggest a few changes, however."
"Sure. No problem."
"We'd like you to do it again, but without the penguin."
"...Can I leave the work boots in?"
"No, Roger. Just want a picture of a bra and some knickers, like we asked."
"What if the penguin was wearing a bra?"
MCKENSIE
It's worth noting that beyond the Miner Willy games, most Software Projects titles have been lost and forgotten. A good example of this is McKensie - a straight-laced text adventure starring a space explorer called Vito. So, of course the game was called McKensie, and the cover featured a whimsical Scottish astronaut.
Indeed, according to reviews at the time, there is no reference to a "McKensie" anywhere in the game - and I've just sat through an entire YouTube walkthrough to confirm this fact.
You have to wonder whether Software Projects just had the Tissyman artwork lying around and decided to make use of it, regardless of whether it was appropriate or not. Still, nice cover.
Indeed, according to reviews at the time, there is no reference to a "McKensie" anywhere in the game - and I've just sat through an entire YouTube walkthrough to confirm this fact.
You have to wonder whether Software Projects just had the Tissyman artwork lying around and decided to make use of it, regardless of whether it was appropriate or not. Still, nice cover.
RSS Feed
