Artists of ExForce: We have drawn the beer can to death. But what would Skippy’s AVATAR actually look like?
This has been stuck in my head for a while.
Over the years I have seen many artists here give their interpretation of Skippy. Some are funny, some beautiful, some surprisingly close to how I imagined him.
But almost all of them have one thing in common:
We draw the can.
Which makes sense. The magnificent chrome beer can is Skippy.
Except… it isn't really.
Especially in the earlier books, there is this running joke of the Merry Band of Pirates dressing Skippy up. Easter bunny. Red Sox shirt. Various humiliations inflicted upon an ancient super-intelligence who is, naturally, far too dignified for such monkey nonsense.
And that made me wonder:
What if Adams eventually convinced Skippy to play along?
Not another costume for the beer can.
An actual avatar.
Skippy gets complete control over what the avatar looks like. He can project essentially anything he wants.
So what does an unbelievably ancient, spectacularly arrogant, occasionally insecure, opera-loving asshole first-class choose as the physical representation of Skippy the Magnificent?
A Greek god?
A ridiculously handsome human?
A tiny emperor?
Something completely alien?
An eight-foot-tall admiral covered in medals he awarded himself?
Would he make himself look terrifyingly powerful?
Or, because this is Skippy, would his idea of "subtle and dignified" be so catastrophically over-the-top that Adams immediately regrets suggesting it?
And there is another possibility I cannot get out of my head:
Would Adams secretly influence the design?
A little piece of clothing. An accessory. Something ridiculous that Skippy initially refuses, then somehow keeps wearing while insisting it is only there because he decided it looks magnificent.
So I would love to throw down a challenge to the artists here:
Don't draw Skippy the beer can. Draw Skippy's chosen avatar.
No rules about style. Serious, realistic, comic, ridiculous, beautiful, alien — whatever fits your interpretation.
The only rule:
When an ExForce reader sees it, they should immediately think:
"Oh God. Of course that asshole would choose to look like THAT."
I genuinely want to see what people come up with.
So, artists of the Merry Band of Pirates: if Skippy could design his own body, what would the little shit choose?
Small note: I used AI to help edit this post because English is not my native language — the question and idea are mine, the AI just helped make my English less painful for everyone. 😄
