Cover Art Comparisons Seventh Heaven
"Did you ever have to make up your mind? You pick up on one and leave the other behind. It's not often easy and not often kind. Did you ever have to make up your mind?" - The Lovin' Spoonful, Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?
Welcome back to another exciting installment of Cover Art Comparisons! This one comes to you less than a month after our previous entry and with a new number-related title to boot. Wow, we're really breaking records today, huh? Remember, to read my redacted picks, simply hover your cursor over them and highlight the text. We've got a combination of covers, posters, and architecture to get through, so without further ado!
Conker's Bad Fur Day, 2001, and Conker: Live & Reloaded, 2005, N64 vs. Xbox Video Game Covers
First, we have Conker's Bad Fur Day, a video game starring an adorable pair of Disneyesque rodents. While initially intended to be a family-friendly experience, the game was later reenvisioned with mature audiences in mind. Thus, the Disneyesque rodents became Bakshian ones. The N64 cover depicts said rodents, Conker the Squirrel and Berri the Chipmunk, leaning against the game's neon-lit logo within a black void. Conker appears ready to down a refreshing, ice-cold pint of beer while Berri approvingly looks on, a subtle indication that these cute cartoon critters aren't Chip 'n' Dale. If this visual reference to alcohol consumption isn't enough childproofing for parents, the warning labels on the packaging should make it crystal clear that Conker's Bad Fur Day is for mature audiences only.
Embracing the game's Bakshian elements more than its Disneyesque ones, the cover for the Xbox remake, Conker: Live & Reloaded, tones down the cuteness and amps up the grittiness with its depiction of a war between cartoony ursids and rodents, from which a much scruffier, battle-hardened Conker smokes a cigar whilst suggestively straddling a tank's gun barrel. Adding to this innuendo is, not Berri, but rather a Chipette lookalike stroking said gun barrel. If this crude visual gag, coupled with the tobacco reference and war theme, fails to alert parents that Conker: Live & Reloaded isn't suitable for the kiddies, the warning labels on the packaging should, once again, hammer this point home.
My Pick: While the Bakshian aesthetic of Conker: Live & Reloaded is more reflective of the game's raunchiness and violence, there's a certain charm to the Disneyesque design of Conker's Bad Fur Day, which I find more appealing in its simplicity, depicting two animated rodents enjoying each other's company over some beer.
Fun Fact: Conker and Berri did appear in one family-friendly game together, 1999's Conker's Pocket Tales. However, while Conker's appearance remains the same in both Conker games (and 1997's Diddy Kong Racing), Berri receives a complete makeover in Conker's Bad Fur Day, changing her clothes, dying her fur and hair, wearing coloured contacts, and undergoing a growth spurt making her taller than Conker.
Fievel Goes West, 1992, Theatrical vs. Concept Movie Posters
Second, we have Fievel Goes West, the Bluthless sequel to 1986's An American Tail, which sees Fievel Mousekewitz and his family relocate from 19th century New York City to the American Old West. The theatrical poster depicts Fievel in the midst of a high noon showdown against a gunslinging cat on the main street of a frontier town, with the unseen feline's presence represented by an imposing shadow. Despite the imminent threat to his life, Fievel exudes a devil-may-care attitude as he draws a harmless pair of pop guns at his adversary (hopefully, the cat is packing water guns instead of six shooters). Each of the four corners of the poster's border feature the film's supporting cast: Wylie Burp, Tiger, Tanya Mousekewitz, and T.R. Chula.
The concept poster harkens back to the theatrical poster of An American Tail, with the young Fievel Mousekewitz arriving in the American Old West alongside a pair of human settlers. The desolate frontier town and distant buttes of Monument Valley are bathed in the orange glow of a fiery sunset. On one side of the town's main street, Felonius Poultroon, Cat R. Waul, and T.R. Chula wait to eat Fievel, while on the other side of said street, Tanya Mousekewitz, Wylie Burp, and Tiger wait to greet him.
My Pick: Given that the theatrical poster for An American Tail is one of my all-time favourites, I'm going with the concept poster for Fievel Goes West, which I feel is the perfect companion piece for the poster of the original Bluth film.
Fun Fact: As with Conker and Berri, Fievel's appearance remains the same in both Fievel flicks, while Tanya receives a complete makeover in Fievel Goes West, changing her clothes, ditching her babushka, and aging from a child into a teenager overnight. There's even a crude blink-and-you-miss-it visual gag involving Tanya hidden at the end of the Dreams to Dream sequence of Fievel Goes West. Perhaps such tropes are common in works about animated rodents?
Super Mario Bros., 1985, Famicom vs. NES Video Game Covers
Third, we have Super Mario Bros., the video game that transported Mario and Luigi from Brooklyn, New York to the Mushroom Kingdom. The Famicom cover art depicts Super Mario leaping into the air and punching out a Goomba and a Cheep-Cheep, much to the delight of a pair of imprisoned Mushroom Retainers and the sheer outrage of King Bowser, who clutches Princess Peach in his claws. Each of Mario's remaining adversaries react to his violent act with a mix of confusion, fear, and anger. Unfortunately for all of them, Mario already possesses a Super Mushroom and isn't far from a Fire Flower.
As with the other 17 launch titles from 1985, the NES cover of Super Mario Bros. forgoes traditional artwork in favour of 8-bit spritework, depicting a pixelated Fire Mario leaping over a pool of lava within one of the game's many castles, while shooting a fireball at an unseen enemy. This minimalistic in-game imagery is juxtaposed over a starry night sky.
My Pick: Europe went with the more colourful and cartoony Famicom cover art when releasing Super Mario Bros. in their region, a decision I whole-heartedly agree with. No contest.
Batman Returns, 1992, Theatrical vs. Teaser Movie Posters
Fourth, we have Batman Returns, a movie set during the Christmas season yet released in the summer months, as with Gremlins, Die Hard, and Eyes Wide Shut. Whether such films are truly "Christmas movies" or not has long been a topic of heated debate, but that's not what we're focusing on today. The theatrical poster depicts a wintery nightscape with Batman, Catwoman, and the Penguin stacked one atop the other, like a totem pole, below which an army of real penguins are congregated in the snow with freaking rockets strapped to their backs.
The teaser poster for Batman Returns harkens back to the theatrical poster of 1989's Batman, though with the iconic Bat-Symbol now frosted over and blasted with wind and snow from an intense blizzard.
My Pick: As with Fievel Goes West, I feel the teaser poster for Batman Returns is the perfect companion piece for the original Batman poster. Also, how do you ever top the pop cultural impact of the Bat-Symbol? Snow contest.
World Trade Center, 1975 and 2015, Twin Towers vs. One World Trade Center Architectural Landmarks
Appearing on countless posters and covers across all forms of pop cultural media, both the original and current World Trade Center are as iconic in fiction as they are in reality. My younger cousin recently told me that she finds it eerie whenever she sees the Twin Towers in pre-9/11 media. I was intrigued by this revelation, as being a child and teenager in the pre-9/11 world, I find the same imagery of the Twin Towers to be nostalgic, as seeing them again transports me back to a more innocent time when the world still felt normal and safe (flying was a completely different experience back then). While the Twin Towers are now mostly associated with tragedy, in happier times, they simply represented New York City in the same way that the Space Needle represents Seattle, or the Sears Tower represents Chicago. The Twin Towers were visible from great distances and were home to one of the finest restaurants in New York City and the greatest outdoor observation deck in the world. Their lobbies and the vast plaza between them were also adorned with various works of art and sculptures by renowned artists and sculptors like Alexander Calder, Fritz Koenig, Joan Miró, Masayuki Nagare, Louise Nevelson, James Rosati, Josep Royo, and Elyn Zimmerman.
I often find myself wondering what it must be like for all those born in the post-9/11 world, with the drastic changes to everyday life being the only version of everyday life they know, and the pre-9/11 world being something they observe in old media and history lessons. Anyway, as with the Twin Towers, One World Trade Center is visible from the same great distances and is also home to a smaller restaurant and indoor-only observation deck. The plaza where the Twin Towers once stood now serves as the 9/11 Memorial, where the names of 9/11 victims are engraved around a pair of waterfalls, a sombre place of remembrance.
My Pick: While I'm glad the World Trade Center complex was rebuilt and that One World Trade Center continues making pop cultural appearances across all forms of media, the Twin Towers were my favourite New York City landmarks since childhood and always will be, connecting me to a bygone world I miss dearly.
Personal Fact: In the summer of 2001, my parents and I saw the Twin Towers through airport windows while transferring flights in Newark. Regrettably, we didn't snap a photo of them, believing we'd get to visit the original World Trade Center someday.
And on that philosophical note, we're done for now. As always, thanks so much for reading! Do you have any thoughts on this post? If so, feel free to reach out by leaving a comment, dropping me a line, or signing my guestbook to share your opinions on this or any other topic. To receive the latest updates on my work or to directly interact with my content ("likes" or comments), follow me on Neocities. Also, feel free to press the "like" button if you enjoyed this post, as "likes" help me gauge audience interest in the content I post. After all, I don't want to bore anyone, ha-ha. Until next time, love, peace, and chicken grease!
Posted in "Random Encounters" on Sunday, November 23, 2025.