Really love this picture. Just like a book cover or movie poster for Star Fox.
Having read/seen John Carter of Mars, I definitely see the similarities between Star Fox: Adventures and A Princess of Mars.

Two different worlds, cultures, and people.
The dashing Fox McCloud comes in, saves the planet and Princess Krystal. No need for blasters, Arwings, or that fancy tech.
The beginning of a powerful duo.

Look forward to seeing more of your art! ^^

Thanks. That was exactly the vibe I was going for. Adventures was an undercooked game in many ways but I felt the premise they went with was pure pulp sci-fi of a bygone age.

Looking forward to doing more Star Fox stuff in future now I’ve rediscovered my love for it.

I would have retconned Krystal being a damsel in distress. Nice cover, though.

Krystal’s not a native to Sauria. Also, why didn’t you just change her being a damsel in distress?

She doesn't look that distressed to me... and yes she isn't a Saurian native, nor is she ever confirmed to be a Cerinian princess either, but the point of this whole piece is it's meant to evoke some pulpy sci-fi novel from the early 20th century (a little bit like what Star Fox Adventures tried to do). As a consequence the cover artist took some artistic liberties to make an exciting image to grab the attention of potential readers. Hence why Scales lies defeated, Fox is shirtless and Krystal is posed like an underwear model.

I imagine the writer (being my interpretation of Peppy's Grand-daughter, Piper) would take lengths to make sure the telling of the Sauria Incident was done as accurately as possible even though her publisher just wants to make sure they sell. And since I am being accurate to Adventures then Krystal being 'damselled' is unfortunately just how the events went down.

Believe me, I would love it if that wasn't the case and might well reimagine it differently one of these days, but that isn't this picture.

I think that Peppy’s granddaughter needs to be corrected by Krystal. Krystal doesn’t HAVE to be a damsel-in-distress.

"Thank you for your astute observation. Indeed the last word I would ever use for Major Krystal McCloud PhD. is 'Damsel' (if it were not the fact that many other demeaning terms have been used for her down the years as well.)

She is a survivor, a warrior, a woman of great interllect and singular psychic power who has proven herself time and time again to be both willing and able to aid and protect others. However, as a mercenary team-member myself, it is an undisputable fact that sometimes even a great warrior can find themselves in need of help in the course of their missions.

That is the situation the young Krystal of Cerinia found herself in when she was blind-sided by the psychic ghost of Doctor Andross on Sauria. Fortunately for her a certain Fox McCloud of team Star Fox happened upon a particular magical staff that was imbued with the psychic muscle memories of its owner and gave Krystal a telepathic link to the goings-on beyond her crystalline prison. As revealed to me in extensive interviews I've had with Major McCloud and her family, it was partly this influence that allowed Fox to wield the staff so effectively in the course of his mission and allow her physical form to be released. You could say she was with him *in spirit* in more than just the figurative sense.

Of course all this should be clear to anyone who has actually read the book rather than merely judging it by its cover.

Yours sincerely,

Piper Hare-Burrows - Team Nova Fox"

Why are you giving Peppy’s granddaughter the same surname as the guy who wrote the John Carter books?

Both as a sci-fi reference and a rabbit pun (also because Adventures clearly has a huge John Carter of Mars influence) I basically made her the biographer of the Star Fox team in my fanfic setting. Since she wouldn't retain the 'Hare' surname unless Lucy double-barrelled it with her husband, it sorta came together.

How the hell does Star Fox Adventures have influence from John Carter?

The 'modern man' on an alien mystical world conquering forces much larger than him through a combination of grit and a martial weapon. The beautiful scantily-clad love interest. The service of a loyal alien native. The defeat of some terrible tyrant. It hits a number of these story beats common to the Swords and Planets genre which was started by the John Carter books.

There was an interview with people at Nintendo saying that Krystal's design was inspired by Frank Frazetta's art: the guy who did a lot of the covers for Conan and for John Carter.

Ugh, Adventures wasn’t MEANT to be a Star Fox game in the first place.

No but that's what it became. If it didn't then Krystal, Kyte, Tricky and Sabre would have had their own game/s and be owned by Microsoft right now and she certainly wouldn't look much like the vixen that has become one of the furry fandom's favourite characters.

We can write fanfic about what they could have been or could well be in the future but I like to write stuff based on what we got, at least for the moment.

Well, that being said, I still hate how you didn’t have Krystal as a warrior on the poster.

Well I plan on doing one based on Assault at some point that has her hefting a gatling gun like a badass. So maybe that will be more to your preference.

I really wouldn't take *this* piece too seriously. It was supposed to be a direct pasiche of this piece of cover art, so she really couldn't have any other pose but this to stay accurate. https://dyn1.heritagestatic.com/lf?.....oduct.chain%5D

I don’t think so, considering what you’ve done here.

Krystal still could’ve been a warrior on this picture!