carloszeldagorey.jpg OK look, let's set aside -- if you would -- the whole "it's actually Link, not Zelda" thing and just appreciate how nice animator Carlos Ramos's Gashlycrumb-Tinies-inspired drawing turned out, and think about how desperately he needs to expand it to the other 25 letters. 'Z is for Zelda' by: me a million years ago. [Carlos Ramos]

  • Anonymous

    OK look, let’s set aside — if you would — the whole “it’s actually Link, not Zelda” thing…

    Ok, ok, I’ll try…after all, you can type in whatever name you want at the beginning of the game. But man, this guy must have lost control of his Wii remote or something.

  • bruhinb

    The concept is brilliant. The style is dead on. +1000 bonus points for understanding the art being parodied!

    -10000 points for not understanding the game being parodied.

  • Anonymous

    Definitely Gorey-esque but definitely not Gorey. Poorer drawing skills and the composition is crappy. (Let’s place the object of interest smack in the middle because that’s easy!)

    And the code word for this small waste of time is the dawdles.

  • MrsBug

    Huh, I like it.

    • Gloria

      Ditto. I think it’s a cute homage.

      Nitpicking on the artist’s skill = so magnanimous.

  • Theismisacrime

    This is an uber-fail. It almost seems fake, like he doesn’t know anything about the game at all except that there is a dude who wears a tunic and carries a sword.

  • Anonymous

    “(and yes, I know it’s Link but ‘L is for Link’ wasn’t as catchy)”

    Source: ‘Z is for Zelda’ by: me a million years ago. [Carlos Ramos]

  • mrvelocipede

    Here I would like to plug the lovely but lesser-known Hogwarts Tinies: http://www.strangehours.com/portfolio/papergashlyindex.html

    I’m particularly fond of poor Neville.

  • saru

    Zelda is a cool guy. Eh fights octorocks, and doesn’t afraid of anything.

    Gloria, I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or think that magnanimous means the exact opposite of what it actually means.

    • Gloria

      I think the sarcasm is fairly clear, but this is the internet, after all.

  • brinylon

    Just joining the chorus, I love the idea but the fail is huge. I could not face having that in my home and going every time: that’s not Zelda!

  • Daemon

    I don’t know, I tend to think that if you’re doing a homage in some way, the least you can do is get the bloody name right.

  • Anonymous

    This is pretty great.
    However, this is the triumph of Gorey-meets-nerds art: http://shaenon.livejournal.com/48834.html

  • barnaby

    How could you put so much time into illustrating a concept without putting a modicum of effort into researching what you’re illustrating? I’m not talking about esoteric game trivia here. The protagonist of all of the Zelda games is Link! Zelda is the princess and could also be comically rendered with a sword in her abdomen.

  • Anonymous

    I sense a disturbance in the force, as though a million nerds cried out in horror and were suddenly silenced.

    Literature has Frankenstein and his monster, apparently video games have Zelda and Link.

  • KeithIrwin

    For an actual video game with Gorey-inspired art, see Corpse Craft.

  • Powerphail

    I can’t let the Zelda/Link thing go, I’m afraid. It’s the most basic mistake you could make.

    • Lobster

      Yeah, but if he did one of Master Chief and referred to him as “HALO” it would just be funny.

  • hdon

    Has anyone considered the possibility that the mistake is either deliberate or in itself a bit of off-color nostalgia? I can remember a time when I was not clear to me that Zelda was not the hero’s name. If Carlos Ramos can come up with 25 other common misconceptions of 8-bit era video games, I would hope you could all appreciate it.

  • Scypher

    Actually, I’d thoroughly appreciate it if Ramos expands the series with other Mom-league character name misconceptions.

    M is for Metroid rolled into a jar

    C is for Contra missing his jump

  • Birdseed

    In chorus with every other comment being typed about now, surely:

    Dude, that’s Link!

  • seyo

    Sorry, I can’t set it aside. I like the concept, but this is a fail.

    • lolbrandon

      Agreed, it’s fail. I mean, even if he got the name right, nobody wants to see Link or Zelda impaled by a sword. He’s the hero!

  • Contrasoma

    S is for Sonic, bankrupted of rings
    T is for Turok, eaten by tyrant kings