The Town of Odyssey

...wow, the artwork just keeps annoying me more and more. Has there ever been a concentrated effort by fans to get a new art style instilled for AIO products?

If there hasn't been any real effort in the past, maybe we should start an angry mob or something. Petitions and the whole bit. I mean, I hate to force someone over at Focus to lose their job, but, it would be really great if they had more respectable work done. It makes it hard to introduce people to AIO because you show them your CDs or whatever, and they look scary.

I agree! Down with the artwork! Bring back the GOOD artwork!

What to heck I like a good war and dislike the artwork so it sounds like a win win plan. This is how the war will go with smileys! First we come as a angry mob. Then we have a duel with them. The an dectective and an cop come. Then when the bad artwork is gone then we will all be happy. And if that happens this will come true.

Come on... is it really worth beating up AIO over that?

...you should start with Shadowpaw, cos this very site displays the new artwork.

-shasta

(Yeah, I'm the one who thinks this is silly. The 'Eugene Returns' artwork is actually pretty cool, shows that perhaps it's getting better. Mouths not as big, for instance.)

In a word, YES.

The quality AIO's artwork design has gradually declined with each year--with exception to the "Eugene Returns" design Shasta posted above. Stuff we're seeing now is artwork a child would be impressed with. Oops, I ended a sentence with a preposition.

Well that one there isn't too bad. Eugene looks kinda scary, though. The others are all okay...

I would really like a complete overhaul and totally new designs, like a more realistic look. I know that probably won't happen, but they can improve on the current designs, at least.

Personally, while the other characters were iffy, I liked Whit best on the older album designs, when it was a completely different style... when he always had a flannel shirt on, and was somewhat thinner... some of you probably remember those days...

I do, and good days they were.

Before the dark times...

...before the Empire.

Is the Empire also known as Tommy Nelson is some cirlces?

I dislike a lot of the new artwork as well. It's too fake-y and over the top. The newest art work for the Eugene Returns set isn't too bad, but the cover for the Eugene Sings CD looks terrible! Eugene's hair on both of these sets looks terrible! I don't know who these sets are supposed to appeal to, but it sure doesn't seem to be most of the people on the ToO or TH!

I prefer a Whit that isn't overweight but his old hairstyle wasn't much to write home about.
I usually have my own pictures for characters anyway but Whit and Eugene are permanently ruined from viewing the video versions of them.
I actually picture Connie like she is on album 8... with short curly blond hair. None of this dark hair on Connie for me thank you.

Wow, I expected EB to start something like this, not Top.

shasta wrote:...you should start with Shadowpaw, cos this very site displays the new artwork.

A silly proposition. He only shows it to us, he doesn't draw it.

Chandler wrote: Come on... is it really worth beating up AIO over that?

Yes. It is one of many things over the past few years that has been seemingly designed to alienate the older crowd and make the show more 'kid' targeted. Needless to say, I'm not impressed. Although 44 is better.

Nathan Hoobler (I think it was him, maybe it was Xhan) wrote during the 99-00 season that it's (and I'm paraphrasing) a dumb move to only target the kids, to make it fluff. After all, the kids don't have the money to buy the albums, the parents and older listeners do.

The art, along with the very kiddish and maturity lacking episodes (preceding the last few) is a good example at trying to make it seem as though the show is only targeting the people it says it is, 8-12 year olds. It's another attempt to do what they did in the 99-00 season, but this has been much more subtle and more drawn out. As a result, the older crowd (which includes a lot of us here) either feels alienated or annoyed. Some of the realism is lost. The show no longer reaches to all ages with each episode.

Just some thoughts. Keep in mind, I still hold the show in very high regard, and probably always will. I also hold in high regard the men and women who work on it. I just fear it's losing some of it's timelessness.

-Jonathan

Yes! Down with the current artwork!

We must show them we won't stand for this kind of artwork! We want classic art that will last for years.

So yeah Top, what's next.

~OrigamiKid

OrigamiKid wrote: So yeah Top, what's next.

Well, we could try petitions and a letter writing campaign... or storm their headquarters angrily with signs.

That's a long way to go!

shasta wrote:...you should start with Shadowpaw, cos this very site displays the new artwork.

-shasta

(Yeah, I'm the one who thinks this is silly. The 'Eugene Returns' artwork is actually pretty cool, shows that perhaps it's getting better. Mouths not as big, for instance.)

that ones not too bad, but whit looks like hes saying "now kids, stand back"
connie is way to small, toms hair looks like two white snakes, and eugene looks like an action figure, the way hes sitting..
anyway that's my opinion

I have hated the art work since album 40, mostly because of the way they have Connie pictured. While the art work for album 44 is not great, it is better than the others. At least they do not have Connie in some awful pose, like they have on past covers. I am more interested in the CDs anyway.

I personally don't have a problem with the artwork. I even like it. And, also, I could care less what the artwork looks like, the show is what matters to me.

I must concur with Jonathan. The artwork almost seems like an attempt to appeal only to little kids. I would even go so far as to say 4 year olds. In trying to be "cool," the show is losing part of its greatness.