Ho-Oh and Lugia, guardians of the skies and the seas. Two Pokémon that epitomize the legendary designation. Ho-Oh made its first appearance in enigmatic fashion at the end of the Indigo League’s very first episode. Gen I Pokémon were just starting to be introduced and we got a glimpse of a mysterious flying Pokémon draped in gold. Lugia got its big introduction in Pokémon the Movie 2000. A powerful sea-dweller with the ability of flight. Lugia’s known for strength and intelligence, and typically only appears during storms.
Lugia is my favorite of the two. Silver Version was my cartridge of choice when I was a kid. I think that early decision drew me closer to Lugia than Ho-Oh. Perhaps it had something to do with my brother owning Gold Version
Ok a muk and pulp binder update in one day? My heart is pounding out of my chest.
How do you somehow manage to keep the incredible pace up? You set the bar really high and you keep it with this wonderful layouts and just picking such special Pokemon to showcase.
The rainbow energy in the middle representing the union of divinity? Who woulda thought of that!? ONLY PULPYFAN. Brilliant!
haha I wish I could say I was being that clever. I mulled over what to put in that middle slot. I wanted something that was representative of both Lugia and Ho-Oh. A little rainbow with a side silver, you know? A Tag Team Ho-Oh & Lugia would have been perfect. I even considered Ash’s Pikachu I Choose You! promo. But it leaned too heavily toward Ho-Oh. In the end, Rainbow Energy felt right. I get some of Ho-Oh’s color and a little of Lugia’s Elemental Blast.
Amazing update as always! Once again you managed to extract the very best artworks for your Pokemon! I’m a big simp for the clean looking GB Lugia and the savage Revelation Ho-oh. But even I have to admit that the PLAY promos are close second at the very least. Their price explosion in the last year was certainly well deserved. If anything, it’s suprising that they’re as affordable as they are.
The Crystals and Legend card artworks are certainly up there, too. I just wish they’d made the latter into singular card Full Arts!
Full Arts to commemorate the Legend Illustrations would be a great way to pay respect to the artwork and the artists. I like that the Pokémon Company was experimenting with the card frame and style. I can appreciate the history. But it would be nice to give such incredible illustrations a more deserving resting place.
Agree with you here. GB Lugia is the best! An artwork so iconic it made its way onto the Ace of Spades.
The Legendary Birds of Gen I soared through the air and conquered the skies. Three icons of the franchise. Gen II brought us something new and re-envisioned the legendary trio. Enter the Legendary Beasts, champions of the earth! The threesome proved to be a wonderful counterpart to the original trio with a strong back story and great design.
Suicune, Raikou and Entei made their introduction on the GameBoy’s Gold, Silver and Crystal versions. Legend has it that Ho-Oh revived the beasts after the Brass Tower burned. According to Bulbapedia, “they are said to embody the three events that happened to the tower: the lightning that struck the tower, the fire that burned in the tower, and the winds and rain that put it out.” A fitting way to attribute the energy typing to the legendary trio. In the games, they are known for roaming the regions of Johto. They are exceedingly enigmatic creatures. But along your travels from route to route, if you’re patient and persistent enough, you may encounter one of the Legendary Beasts. Best come prepared though, as they’ll flee almost upon first sight.
While officially known as beasts, I’ve always preferred the ‘Legendary Dog’ moniker. The dogs have been honored with some amazing artwork over the years. It’s been a joy collecting them. It’s hard not to love a good trio.
I’ve decided to start scanning my cards rather than taking photos, the results are night and day. Thanks for inspiring me to update my collection @brendantheclayboy. Your work on Indexing the Elite Forum Collections was quite the feat.
Amazing update dude (as usual…)!! Good lord. Is there a single release of any of them that isn’t amazing? No. Some of them I’ve never even seen before! VS and Neo on the same page, opposite one another…nice touch. Also those EX’s are so sick. The classic Neo are so good I see you (rightfully) decided you needed 2 of each
I agree with your appreciation of the lore, them juxtaposed with the birds. And I’d say Raikou VS is my favorite of them all, looking at these pages.
And of course… love the new direction of design/aesthetic! You are now through the roof in quality, showing no signs of coming back to earth! Love it, dude!
lol I’ll concede that one. In fact, I think they all have more feline features than canine. For some reason, “Legendary Dog” always seemed to be the name of choice in my circles. I don’t bat an eye when I hear Legendary Dog, but I think I’d have a second look if I heard Legendary Cat.
A mythical onion. One that comes in both the green and red variety. A defender and guardian of the forest. Celebi is perfectly anthropomorphised to the Pokémon universe. A tender creature with a maternal disposition, Celebi heals and protects. In many ways Celebi reminds me of Mew, whimsical in nature but wields powerful psychic time traveling abilities. I have much adoration for Johto’s final Pokédex addition.
My favorite art of Celebi is Arita’s Skyridge depiction. I love how gentle and inviting the scene is. I’ve always found myself returning to this art. There is something magical about it.
Some incredible Celebi art has recently been released. Looks like I’ll need to make some room.
A powerful armored dinosaur, Tyranitar slots nicely into Gen II’s sudo-legendary spot. Like Dragonite before him, Tyranitar emerged onto the scene as an instant hit. But rather than borne to the air, Tyranitar is earth bound and ready for battle.
Or at least I thought… Playing Pokemon Silver taught me that this great beast can also surf the seas! That’s right, turns out Tyranitar is more Godzilla than T-Rex.
DUDE. What an iconic page series for a demigod of Pokemon. Tyran never has any bad releases, ever. The last page is utterly dreamy. God this Pulp post made my day. It’s raining where I am, and this seems like a rainy day post to me, the scroll of the Tyrant, gettig darker and darker as you drift downward. Awesome drawing up top. Where does he keep getting these?
Masago and Kimura have both depicted him, so therefore it is impossible to pick a favorite, I’m afraid.
