A quick review of history shows that fiction ain't got nothin' on real life. We've had our fair share of disturbingly diabolical cold-blooded killers, whether they be a dictator, an elusive serial killer lurking around the corner, or a scheming white collar criminal. Recognizing the role these figures play in our imaginations and nightmares, Brazilian graphic designer and illustrator Bily Mariano da Luz ("Butcher Billy") has merged our reality with fiction, matching some of history's most heinous figures with those of comic lore. The result is, perhaps not surprisingly, something that still feels uncomfortably real.
All illustrations by Bily Mariano Da Luz.
Galactus is a cosmic entity from Marvel Comics known as The Word Eater, or The World Devourer. Hitler wanted to establish a New Order in continental Europe, but I bet if he was not stopped he would sure try to make that a New World Order. And with all the heavy propaganda, charismatic oratory and firepower, I can see he was the only dictator that actually could "eat the world". Plus I needed someone that could be easily recognizable inside the Galactus Helmet. It's interesting how you can totally see it's him just by his eyes and moustache. But the real appeal for this one is sure the detail in Galactus helmet, a simple reshape in the original and it turned into a swastika.
I've been getting a lot of criticism because of that choice, but let's not forget that when you mash real people with comic books characters from the 60's, it's supposed to be silly and humourous. I'm not trying to be political by choosing sides or parties here, and I wasn't the first one to portray Bush as a villain for a laugh. My first choice for him would be Lex Luthor, because the character actually became the president of the United States modeled by Bush a few years ago in DC Comics. But the choice was so obvious to the point that wasn't very interesting, not even visually. So Two-Face fit better, I guess, both phisically and contextually.
The twisted version of Superman from the parallel universe known as The Bizarro World has a creepy square-shaped face, and I couldn't think of another man that matches him more than the truly "bizarre" former ruler of Libya.
If you have a lot of weird imagination, you can think Bin Laden creepy looks is very similar to Green Goblin's mask, but if you don't, just check the mash-up and you can confirm that. Plus the fact the archnemesis of Spiderman flies around in a glider throwing bombs, so I saw a connection there.
Probably this is the most controversial of them all. Some people get the joke right away and find the irony there, while others seem to be so annoyed to see Zuckerberg portrayed as a villain among people like Hitler and Bin Laden. But what they seem to forget is that a true mob gang needs all kinds of criminals, not just the bully type. How great would it be if in the middle of all the declared wackos and psychos there's an unsuspected tech-geek, who never killed anyone, but does the hacker work by gathering personal information from people all over the world through an unsuspected network? That would be the quintessential evil genius plan. My first choice for Zuckerberg was going to be Batman Forever's Riddler, because that is basically what he does in the film, but with a kitchen blender helmet instead of a social network. But because of all the controverse background Mark has, in the end I decide "The God of Mischief" would fit better and say it all.
Check out more at Butcher Billy's website, including animated gifs and t-shirts.