Bored Panda reached out to Ed Harrington to ask him some new questions, specifically about the series of illustrations featuring He-Man and his Battle Cat. The artist told us what inspired him to depict their daily lives together: “I like to draw the mundane daily lives of characters from popular culture. I find it humorous how someone like He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe, still has to scoop the litterbox when he gets home from defeating Skeletor. Not only is it funny, it shows just how ‘ordinary’ the lives of these extraordinary characters can be.”
When asked if the way he reimagined the situations between these two characters was purely an exploration of the exaggerated aspects of their relationship or if he drew inspiration from his own experiences with pets, Ed responded: “Definitely relying on my own experiences. I've had cats most of my life, and my wife and I keep taking in strays so our house is currently overrun with them!”
We were also curious how Harrington balances humor and nostalgia when reimagining iconic characters like He-Man. The artist shared with us that he’s not concerned about disappointing fans who hold these characters dear: “I tend to only draw things from my childhood that I was (and still am) a fan of, so I am never really worried about crossing a line. I am trying to just keep everything in good fun - nothing too gross, crass or vulgar. These characters are also important to me too.”
Pop culture characters are constantly being reinterpreted by various artists and fans. Ed explained how he keeps his versions of illustrations fresh and unique in such a saturated field: “I just draw what I find humorous. If an idea or joke has been done before, there is no humor in that because people have already seen it and there is no ‘surprise.’ The only way to stay funny is to stay fresh and unique!”
