Vote on the new Tarman design!
Ok, I need your help… A few months ago I started working on a new designs based on everyone’s favorite dripping dead guy, Tarman. I get requests for him all the time and I finally decided it was time to do one. But now I have two to choose from… Keep reading and help me decide what to print!When I first started this, I had an artist friend of mine (Mr. Bones – responsible for such designs as Pumpkinhead, American Werewolf, Nightbreed) draft up a sketch. He loves zombies and I knew he would be perfect at depicting Tarman’s look in the film. The original sketch he sent over had more of his body in the design. But after thinking about it for some time, I felt it might have more impact to just show Tarman’s face. Let’s face it, aside from Bub (Day of the Dead) he’s got to be one of the most iconic zombies every to limp across the big screen. When it was done, I felt the chunky, thick lines of the design captured Tarman’s ghastly expression perfectly. All I needed was to color it and get it ready for print. Or so I thought…
Part of the process of doing this design was also getting permission from the O’Bannon Company to put Tarman on a shirt. I already license the rights for the Party Time shirt from them and wanted to make sure it would be possible to do a Tarman design as well. In talking with Diane O’Bannon, she thought it would be appropriate to contact William Stout for permission to use the Tarman character. For those of you who aren’t familiar with William Stout, he is a production designer who has worked on numerous feature films (including Conan, First Blood, and more recently The Mist and Pan’s Labyrinth). He is also responsible for set design on Return of the Living Dead and, you guessed it, the design of the infamous Tarman. When I told William of my idea, he thought it would be fun to do his own rendition of Tarman, since he was the original creator of it. Although we had already finished the design, I was interested in seeing what he could come up with, so I decided to wait until he was able to work on a design. A few weeks later, he sent a black and white drawing of his idea. Even though it did not look like the Tarman from the movie, I really liked the new look of the old zombie…and it almost reminded me of an EC Comics type creature, but somehow modernized.
So now I’m left with a dilemma…which design should I print? And rather than make some executive decision myself, I thought it would be a much better idea to let YOU decide. After all, you asked for a Tarman design, so it’s only fair that you get to choose what design you want! So take a look at the two designs below (you can click on the image to enlarge it – it will open in a new window) and think about what you wold rather see on a shirt. Keep in mind that whichever design is chosen will be colored for the final shirt. These are just black and white sketches.
Which one do you like? Is it the classic look of Tarman from the film (IMAGE A), or is it a stylized look designed by Tarman’s creator William Stout (IMAGE B)? Once you have made your decision, vote using the poll below. Then, share your comments on either or both designs below!
Which Tarman design do you like better?
- Image B (58%, 844 Votes)
- Image A (42%, 610 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,454
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B. looks like some cheesy Rob Zombie art. A is much more true to the Tar Man look from the movie. Come on people…vote A!!!
I like A personally, the classic look of tar man was the best. B, looks a bit too cartoony but on a good note it kinda reminds me of a zombie one would see in the old CREEPY or ERIE comics from the late 60′s to the early 80′s
Got to go with B, like the sharper detail.
Gotta admit, lil’ brother, they both ARE cool. Any Tarman shirt you make, I’ll definitely be getting one ‘coz the movie rules!!. But, for the record, I do like B a bit better. Nothing against the other dude, but Stout DID draw this one up and it rocks!
Hope your fans can help with the vote…thanks for including us!!!
If there is no text then A hands down. without text I would never guess that B was an image of tarman, just some EC-ish character. However with text I’d vote B hands down.
B…………he just looks so cute
haha
They are both super cool !! what A hard choice but I think I will go with B,Keep up the awesome work.
I like them both, but I picked B.
A…I can’t believe B is winning, image A is the better of the two. But both are kick ass!!
Well I’d want them both! >;-)}
B. is more like what Stout originally designed and is a slick version of the first design.
A. I do like because it’s more like something you’d see in an E.C. comic from the 50′s.
Type A looks more like Tarman from rotld but the graphics is cool on type b.
any way you can use type b graphics with type a tarman?
It looks like you have a lot of votes for both, Ben.
I Voted A because it actually resembles the film best. If I saw B I wouldn’t necessarily think it was Tarman from Return.. unless there was a logo. Just my opinion
Image B is definitely a great design, but it’s not Tarman. If I were to see that shirt, I’d think “Hey, that’s a neat looking zombie” but I could see Image A on a shirt with absolutely no text at all — just the image — and immediately identify it with Tarman and ROTLD.
A for sure, B doesn’t give the viewer a chance to recognize the character without needing a “Return of the Living Dead” logo on the shirt.
I love them both, but A is closer to how he looks in the film. Part of his charm is how rough he looked. B is cool and clean, but A is Tarman!! Drip!!
B is definitely the choice. the design is clearer and has just the right amount of gore to the head. A is a bit sloppy and not as clean. B is the perfect choice for this design concept.
I had to vote for ‘B’ – although the first one looks more like the actual Tarman from the movie, as it turned out, ‘B’ is not only aesthetically the better artistic piece, but it represents what Tarman looks like in the mind of THE CREATOR OF TARMAN! I would hesitate however to put ‘Tarman’ on the shirt as a logo. MORE BRAINS might be ok, but “Tarman’ might be badly misunderstood in today’s sensitive environment. I actually wasn’t sure who ‘Tarman’ was at first, until I read and realized “Oh, you mean that freaking awesome zombie from RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD!” I’d recommend either MORE BRAINS or RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD as logo things with that image, colored in black and red like the actual Tarman!
gotta go with the classic A; B is nice, but a bit too “clean” and symmetrical for my taste. good designs on both, though. thanks for sharing
While its cool the original creator sent in his old school looking version… If I was spending money on a shirt, it would be for the more detailed “B” version.
It was tough, but I think A looks more like him, B looks to “cartoony”.
While I respect the original designer for the revammped design, I loved the film version of Tarman and that’s what I want on a shirt. B would just look like any other zombie. I hope you plan on putting Tarman’s whole body on the shirt cause just the head won’t cut it for me.
Well being somewhat of a horror purist I have to select the design by the man who conceived the tarman from the get go. Thus my selection of “B”
maybe you can combine the two designs. A + B = C (I would choose C).
I like B cause the eyes are bulging and it brings out a creepy vibe.But if i was you i would go with the popular vote.
Number 2 has the crazy eyes that I always associate with Tarman. Once the shirt comes out, you bet my beau and I are getting matching shirts!
I went for B, but only because I had to.
If you ask me I’d have them both on a tshirt with “A or B?” text underneath… like some internal joke or whatever.
On a tshirt ,designwise, in general I do think b would be better, but as Tarmen go a is a little more gory….
Argh, its like asking me to choose between my mom and my dad, who dies…
wel…
Definitely B!
It’s a toughie…. I am a huge Stout Fan. and I LOVE his comic work.
But I still voted A for the plain fact of the Grungy-ness of the piece.
I’d rather have B as a poster.
-Baker
had to go for a. B design is great, but for me it’s abit to clean. The eyes are too big and cartoony. Maybe you could superimpose both together and come up with c.
Proper difficult as they are both awesome. Design-wise, one is not better than the other but I went with “A” because it’s a Tarman design and “A” is classic Tarman.
Although “B” doesn’t look like a typical Tarman it’s an awesome vision of him and would make a killer shirt.
This is like asking what side of the head you’d like to be shot in.
Maybe one for the T-shirt and one for the hooded top?
No?
B Dead.
B looks like what I remember from the movie. Start printin’.
Well, this looks like quite the heated debate. I voted for B. Not to denigrate your artist who does amazing work and his design is great as usual. However, B for me has a sense of wacky menace that just feels more ROTLD to me. Just look at those eyes! Either way, they are both excellent, I just think B is bit more excellent.
B.
it is more refined and just looks cooler in my opinion.
B for sure. There’s just so much more great detail, and the comic book look (which I entirely agree, it looks like)is impossible to pass up.
B is mad wicked!
Ben A is the best. B looks like a cheesy flash tattoo no offense! You asked for my opinion and you got it Later
Its gotta be A. B is an ok design, but if your making a tarman shirt it doesnt look like em. Go old school, Go with A.
Tarman B is soooo awesome. I can’t wait to get that shirt!
A looks more like the original tarman but I have to say I prefer B looks wise and would rather wear a T-shirt with B on rather than A
I voted for B while A does look like tarman it’s hard to distinguish his features. B looks like when he groans brains but maybe a combo of the two. Make B a little more drippy little less happy. He’s my favorite zombie of all times so this was a hard one. Good luck!!
How can you not go with the image illustrated by William Stout? Do yourselves a favor and find out more about William Stout. He did the character designs for Return of the Living Dead movie.
A looks like the movie B looks like a standard zombie so it’s A for me
B. Definately…I don’t know what A is suppose to be.
B is the choice for me! It looks retro, like a 1950′s EC comic…..Love it. A is good, but it does look a lot like all the other Tarman designs out there already, accurate as it may be.
B.
A!!!
A IS Tarman!
COME ON PEOPLE!!
they look to happy
B for sure!! with the caption “BRAINS!!!!!!!!”
Love it!!
Dan
Every person that’s commented has made great points. I voted for A. because it is the original Tarman and it’s got that kick ass, original, trademark F-R look it. Tarman B. is equally awesome but it’s more campy than the movie’s depiction; although, fact that it’s a rendition from the creator compensates for this considerably.
I’d sugget printing A. in black & white – conventional to the “old-school” F-R style – and B. in the new-school contemporary F-R look with bright-ass technicolor detail.
Both should have a caption alluding to brains, of course. Perhaps one would say simply “Brains!” and the other “More brains!” or “Live brains!” ?
The Stout design! hand down!!
i think u should have both tshirts, or make just one shirt but with both drawings on it, like one on the front and one on the back. this was a hard vote, i kinda liked them both. i voted for 1 though, only b.c it looks like from the movie, but i think u should add some touches to it , so it shows more of his zombie face , so people from afar can see what it is. ohh and that would be hella cool if u put a caption underneath it saying “brains”.