It’s been a decade since Cowboy Bebop. Whether the show will be resurrected or left to rest, one thing is for sure: the crew looks great in a realistic context.
Thanks to artist Shilesque, we now have a better idea what Spike, Jet Black, Faye, and Ed would look like if they were real people. And it is far from disappointing. I can already hear the jazz opening looking at these images:
Spike Spiegel 
If there’s one thing that can be said about Shilesque’s work, it’s her ability to capture the subtle expressions of each character. The faint hint of a grin, the eyes; I keep expecting Spike to light a cigarette at any moment.
Faye Valentine 
Her face oozes sultry seduction without being too overt. The shape of her lips, the over the shoulder glance; there’s a misleading innocence to her. I feel like at any moment she’ll rob me blind and I’ll be too busy thinking about how pretty her hair is.
Jet Black 
Probably the hardest of the four to capture, this is the second version Shilesque came out with. The original can be viewed here. As you can see between the two, the face and expression has improved vastly in this version. His face is harder compared to the former, which was softer, kinder. The facial hair is also more believable Exactly what I would expect a grizzled bounty-hunting ship captain to look like.
Edward 
The best of the bunch in my humble opinion, Edward’s portrait is by far my favorite. Between the colorization, lighting, the way the eyes pop, the feminized yet gender-less expression, and the goggles–all of it captures Ed’s personality perfectly. I half expect him to bound into another picture.
For a complete gallery of Shilesque’s work, you can take a gander here. If you liked this post, stay awhile and check out Paintings of 3D Toys Jumping Out of Comic Books and Alternative Artistic Takes on Famous Fairy Tales
