Sly Cooper Nostalgia

Nostalgic thoughts about the art of a goofy twenty-year old Ps2 platformer trilogy! (May be slowly returning from a six year hiatus? Don’t look at my old posts. Except the gifsets, those are fun.) my main is @secretmellowblog and I’m drawing some sly cooper comics over on #@secretmellowart

[psychedelic-lemur]

guards

[f-g-p]

Sly Cooper Model Sheet Project - 3/8 (Sly 2)

[rockoyu]

love of the game

been meaning for a WHILE to draw some sly cooper fanart after binging the games with a friend x)

[z0mbieraptor]

-Chibi Bently- Fanart Friday~!

Here it is like I promised~! Next one is Murray.

Sly Cooper here—> -chibi-sly

[designraccoon]

The Sly 1 racing minigames are funny in hindsight, because I’m pretty sure they’re only time the Cooper Gang competes in contests without cheating. In Sly 2 & 3, Bentley always just has the gang sabotage their competitors [the lumberjack games, the holland plane competition, etc.]

Crack Headcanon: this is because the van minigames are planned solely between Sly and Murray, who are both too honorable.

Murray: “These dogs want me to race them three times around a track for a key :(.”

Sly: “here’s my strategy: get in there and drive your best! It's all you man. Drive the van with the left analog stick, and if you manage to pick up any nitro power-ups, you can get a boost by pressing the square button. Go get 'em! I’m sure you can win this and prove you’re truly and fairly the better driver.”

Bentley if he were involved: “slash their tires”

[xanraygun]

Bentley in Sly 1: "Get close and hit the circle button to cut the brake line. Don't get caught!"

Bentley in Sly 2: "Pickpocket the keys to the cars, then I'll get to work on removing the engine block."

Bentley in Sly 3: "I've already planted several bombs and a rabid crocodile in each of their trunks."

[inspector-montoya-fox]

I watched this video last week, which among other things discusses how the term "scimitar" is a Western generalisation that fails to directly reference a specific type of sword, and then I thought about Salim al-Kupar's cane. After seeing the different examples of swords brought up in the video as well as looking up some more, it seems as if Salim's cane was primarily modelled after the khopesh.

Although the khopesh is largely linked to Ancient Egypt, it's thought to have been brought there by the Levantine kings that ruled over the lower half of the country post 18th century BC (so basically not Ancient Arabia). I'm aware that (a) Egypt experienced an Arabisation in the 7th century following the spread of Islam, which would be super useful to consider if we knew when exactly Salim lived; and (b) Salim's cane isn't a direct replica, but I'm getting there.

Then, there's also the discrepancy between the cane shown in Salim's original artwork and the one in the Vault (he's not the only one who suffers from this inconsistency. Henriette originally had a dagger cane but in the Vault is shown using a hook cane, which is maddening considering both iterations of her are used in the same game). In the original artwork, Salim's freakishly big cane (🫦) seems to be an amalgamation between the khopesh and the Zulfiqar. The latter, although originally straight, is believed to have been 100 centimetres long while its later iterations, some of them fantastical, were also serrated (pictured below) and even 3 metres long.

Salim's cane in the Vault however, has a bit of a curve to it (🫦) similar to the shamsir and the kilij (of Persian and Turkish origins, respectively) and is, more notably, a bit smaller than the one from his original artwork. Despite the fact that it retains the khopesh's shape, its smaller size and curvier hilt drag more real-life inspirations into the mix and, as such, justify it being labeled as a "scimitar" (as established above, a generalisation). I don't want to be the big bad wolf who spent 50 minutes online researching this stuff in order to inflict the same skepticism from the video onto Sly Cooper, but it should be stated that, whereas most of the other ancestors got canes that are a direct reference to something (lance, pirate hook, revolver, etc.), the Middle Eastern one got stuck with a Franken-cane. Granted, we also got a white dude who stuck two canes onto his plane's propeller and called it a day, but still.

[slycooperrotlt]

Hello hello! I’m excited for this project and to see your new different take on the Sly Cooper story! :D This kind of fanmade transformative work is so fun, and everything you’ve shared looks so well-done!

It’s possible you’ve shared this on other sites, but I’m curious—- what draws you to the Sly Cooper characters/world specifically?

I would love to know more about your opinions on the original games! The biggest things you liked about them, the biggest things you didn’t like or want to change, your favorite characters, your favorite episodes, and the things that you’re most excited to explore in your own work.

That’s uhhhhhhhh, a lot of questions at once haha. but I guess I’m just so curious what things about the games grabbed you enough to spend so much effort on a giant transformative fan project like this! It tends to be so different for each person who loves the games, I’ve noticed.

I really love this question, so I wanted to take my time answer it to give a candid response. Thank you for asking! I’ll do my best to explain succinctly.

Similar to Sonic, I always knew about the existence of Sly Cooper. I would see TV commercials, ads in magazines, promotions I would frequent (Webkinz, Disney, Cartoon Network/Toonami, the works). I was instantly hooked on the idea of the protag being a thief. Not a hero, not a villain, but had a clear motive. That was metal asf to me. At a time where games were very politically driven post 9/11 and moving away from platformer games, Sly Cooper stood out to me artistically and thematically. However, unlike Sonic, I didn't get a chance to play the games when I was LITTLE little..But around '09 ish, I started off playing the third game, then played it backwards, but opted for watching gameplays on YouTube and learning about any sort of Sly-scraps I could find on the web at the time.

So my introduction to the franchise was different, therefore, my perspectives on the franchise as a whole, are different. To start off seeing how Sly, Bentley, and Murray expand their team throughout the course of the game including Penelope, Panda King, The Guru, Dimitri, among other allies, their camaraderie felt sincere..Playing 2 then 1 respectively solidified that for me.

What always reigned true was that the Cooper gang was a family first and thieves second, something that the Cooper Clan also had. Their thieving days were legendary (pun entirely intended hehe), but there was still love and kinship amongst all of them. Their signature memento, the Cane, is an heirloom, and that is something Sly carries with him; as evident from how much he values his teammates, his friends, his family! Those are the key themes I intend to adopt into RotLT, the emphasis of family and when push comes to shoves, knowing who shows up for you in your darkest moments.

Besides Sly, my favorite characters are Carmelita, Neyla, The Murray, Dimitri and Penelope (Sly 3). In that order. They're part of the reason why I'm so excited to work on RotLT. A lot of the mini arcs they went through were executed so well, or didn't have a chance to be fully developed. So I'm looking forward to expanding on those things, or at least remixing/adding some layers to the foundation of their character.

The grand operations at the end of 2 and 3's chapters, which really make you feel like you’re a part of the action. The best ones are the ones that made you feel like you were part of some major James Bond esque, Mission Impossible kind of adventure!

A Starry Eyed Encounter from Sly 2 is my favorite, you'll see a little nod to it in the animated intro--and Honor Among Thieves (Sly 3) was so fierce and the pay off post episode was just as good.

What I didn't like was the borderline to severe racial stereotypes and depiction of different nations. Carmelita Fox being portrayed as just the spicy, and sexy Latina who gets mad--there's more to her character in the game, of course. But it's overshadowed by how she's oversexualized. (Because why is she wearing a crop top on the job? Let's be fr.)

Especially with Mz. Ruby, it's actually why she ended up being cut from this Sly Cooper iteration. Instead, she has been replaced with Krystal, who is a psychic scam artist part of the KLAWW Society (more on that another day). It's why I have been more intentional about doing my research on different cultures. I have a pal who studied art history, and collaborated with somebody with an extensive background in studying Greek Mythology, Alchemy, etc. for FUN to help inform my series. Likewise, I do like to put time aside on the weekends to so my own research about crime history, mysteries and folklore. If not for RotLT, it's got my own personal interest. I do hope this novel of rambling answered your questions and gave you more insight into why this project means the world to me. Thank you so much for your question.

-Gabe

[designraccoon]

.

[slightly-gay-pogohammer]

the thing with sly is that i keep remembering how sly 2 is one of the best games out there because. i cant really see the trilogy as anything but such? like if i go back and replay kingdom hearts, or any game in the series rarely i have the need to replay any other one; if i wanna get some rayman i just replay either one between redemption 2 or 3, rarely jumping on the next, and same goes with tomb raider if i play angel of darkness i dont really feel like going back to 3, per se

but no if i wanna replay sly 2 id feel like skipping 1 or straight up be done with it and not immediately go for 3 would feel??? unfinished???? and not even in a "im going to just get through the plot" like no i need to see the thievious raccoonus ending in 1 and just then go into 2 and jump in 3 only when i get the go outside credits i NEED the complete package!!!

[slightly-gay-pogohammer]

finally listening to safehouse chats so funny neyla moment

[for-red]

Just a quick Sly drawing

[slycooperrotlt]

Anybody home?👀

[designraccoon]

Super rough doodles of Constable Neyla as a kitty cat. I like the idea of Neyla initially appearing to be a naive, bright-eyed New Recruit-- a cute kitten whose biggest flaw seems to be that she's too idealistic and impulsive [compared to cold standoffish Carmelita.] I might clean these redesigns up in the future!

[arpeggio-the-parrot]

I actually originally saw her as a tabby cat (I didn’t know she was supposed to be a ‘white’ bengal tiger until after my first playthrough LOL) and I’m a heretic who still sees her as a tabby to this day and she is such in my AU as well!

SHE’S SO CUTE we idealize tabby cat Neyla in this house!!

[designraccoon]

Thank you thank you.

Also “We idealize tabby cat Neyla in this house” does sound like something Arpeggio would say, a few moments before Neyla inevitably betrays him.

[designraccoon]

Some days you just feel like the Indian water bug from the “bug Rajan’s office” mission in Sly 2. And the pools of water…. That’s tumblr.com.

[designraccoon]

Super rough doodles of Constable Neyla as a kitty cat. I like the idea of Neyla initially appearing to be a naive, bright-eyed New Recruit-- a cute kitten whose biggest flaw seems to be that she's too idealistic and impulsive [compared to cold standoffish Carmelita.] I might clean these redesigns up in the future!

[designraccoon]

I’m making a lot of little progress on my Sly 1 prologue adaptation! To be shared over on @secretmellowart, soon.

[designraccoon]

Question for the Thievius Raccoons of tumblr:

How should I release my Sly 1 fancomic adaptation?

One page at a time [more frequent updates]

In big chunks of pages [less frequent updates]

Voting ended onMar 5

[designraccoon]

I will plan to release one page at a time! I’ve gotten pretty far, and I’ll start sharing pages soon. Keep an eye out >:3

[designraccoon]

The Sly 1 racing minigames are funny in hindsight, because I’m pretty sure they’re only time the Cooper Gang competes in contests without cheating. In Sly 2 & 3, Bentley always just has the gang sabotage their competitors [the lumberjack games, the holland plane competition, etc.]

Crack Headcanon: this is because the van minigames are planned solely between Sly and Murray, who are both too honorable.

Murray: “These dogs want me to race them three times around a track for a key :(.”

Sly: “here’s my strategy: get in there and drive your best! It's all you man. Drive the van with the left analog stick, and if you manage to pick up any nitro power-ups, you can get a boost by pressing the square button. Go get 'em! I’m sure you can win this and prove you’re truly and fairly the better driver.”

Bentley if he were involved: “slash their tires”

[designraccoon]

@galactic-dragoness So true, I forgot that it’s not truly a Bentley plan unless it’s extremely Unhinged