The Tale of Loki Rabbit
Behold my silly creation!
<img class=”alignnone wp-image-1390″ title=”The Tale of Loki Rabbit at the Library: a silly mashup cover of a fun story that deserves contemplation (or not). ” src=”http://hafuboti.wpcomstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lokirabbithlo.jpg?w=584″ alt=”My fake cover illustration of The Tale of Loki Rabbit at the Library – riffing on Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit.” width=”584″ height=”755″>
If you’re not interested in how I came up with this and the process of its creation, then go ahead and stop reading now. I’m going to blather on for awhile in case anyone’s interested.
How do I even begin to describe the thought processes that led to my creation of a comic/bunny/library mashup? Well, it began with a not-super-serious challenge from an online friend who loves bunnies. We were joking about how I should jump on the seemingly sudden popularity of bunnies on <em>Tumblr.</em> Ultimately I said “maybe I should combine bunnies, libraries, and super heroes next ::begins plotting::.”
And plot I did.
It actually came together quickly in my head. I thought “who’s a famous literary bunny? Peter Rabbit.” I looked at a cover of <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19321.The_Tale_of_Peter_Rabbit” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”><em>The Tale of Peter Rabbit</em></a> and realized that his ears could sort of hook forward. So I messed around in <em>Photoshop</em> and did a very subtle version of this cover with his ears flipped forward with a more yellowish hue. I then lengthened his coat and made it green.
Well, it definitely was too subtle (which both my friend, and Bruce agreed upon when I shared it with them):
<img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-1393″ title=”My first version of Loki Rabbit. Yep. Too subtle.” src=”http://hafuboti.wpcomstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lokibunny.jpg” alt=”My first attempt at a silly mash-up of Peter Rabbit, Loki, and with a nod to libraries.” width=”290″ height=”334″>
The next day I decided to instead draw the thing with colored pencils. I’d be able to enlarge it and get more detail. I went sort of nuts with the costume. I also realized that his little ears could be mushed down and flipped to mimic Tom Hiddleston’s hair. Heh.
In my original creation (in a size too small) I made the book he was carrying <em>The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin </em>that Loki Rabbit had defaced and made it into <em>The Tale of Thor Nutkin</em>. He also had drawn flowing hair on the squirrel’s picture and wrote “Dur. Look at my pretty hair and I’m dumb.” Again, that silly detail was lost in its small size. Plus it was almost a blatant ripoff of the brilliant book <em><a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16702384-battle-bunny” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Battle Bunny</a>.</em>
So in this larger version I went simple and made the library book (notice the tiny spine label) a book on adoption. I mean, could you imagine the story of a young Loki Rabbit going to the library to gain information about adoption? He would, of course, be crazy-mischievous while there – but the proper information he might be able to handle the shock of learning he was adopted. <em>Spoiler alert? </em>And then maybe he wouldn’t go off the deep end and be such a bad guy.
Or not.
