Pauline Accepts Her Fate

In conjunction with the March 19 screening of 8 Bit — a documentary about art and video games — at the Austin's Alamo Drafthouse, Ain't It Cool News sponsored an i am 8 bit-style art contest. Five submissions were honored, among them one that smartly focused on the plight of the forgotten female lead from the original Donkey Kong.

May I please present "Pauline Accepts Her Fate," by Terrence Molnar.

kindly click the image for a larger, more glorious version

I love this. Not just for its technical prowess — the ape man himself looks downright real — but for giving dimension to Pauline, who despite initial prominence during Mario's arcade days has tragically become one of the more obscure characters in the extended Marioverse. How clever: to re-imagine Pauline as someone who has resigned herself to the fact that she's Kong property as long as Mario keeps getting plowed over by barrels.