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Published: 2012-05-31 20:31:18 +0000 UTC; Views: 11220; Favourites: 164; Downloads: 117
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...Weighing 450lbs, sporting black leather brawling accoutrements and just itching to pummel someone into the nearest concussion ward – the one, the only, Mad Moe McCaw!(And yes, the constituent parts of the turnbuckle behind him are quite obviously coloured black. But as far as Moe’s concerned, whatever corner he happens to be standing in automatically becomes the red corner, on account of his vibrant and voluminous plumage. Anybody want to argue with him?)
This feathered face-puncher was inspired in equal measure by the groovesome grappling characters of HoundGrey (in particular Nicolai , the big Russian raven) and a piccy I spotted a while ago by Featherbeard , depicting a jolly scarlet macaw in a Hawaiian shirt . Examining the pleasing pencil-shaded piece, it occurred to me that the lower, darker part of the beak resembled an unshaven chin; this, combined with his burly proportions, lent the character a robust, jovial gruffness that I found genuinely surprising. Struck by the revelation that a parrot could be characterised as something other than a tiny, cutesy wisecracking idiot, I determined to see if I could take things further and design a parrot who was a huge, boisterous badass – and a spot of pencil-and-pen scribbling and Photoshop colouring later, Moe emerged from the shadows and hit me over the head with a folding metal chair.
Personality-wise, Mr McCaw can be summed up as a maniacal loud-mouthed bruiser who’ll gleefully take the first opportunity to hurl himself into a bull-blooded no-holds-barred brawl, and whose furious ranting promos have been known to leave commentators suffering from acoustic trauma. He’s certainly not what you’d call a “face”, but he’s not exactly a “heel” either; Moe doesn’t care who he fights, just so long as he gets to fight someone. D&D players would probably describe him as “Chaotic Neutral”, and then run away very quickly before he twisted their spines into bony pretzels.
Outside the ring Moe is less mad, though only marginally; he’s the leader of a biker gang made up of other avians who got thoroughly sick of being stereotyped as cute ickle birdies (among them a robin, a budgie, a cockatiel, a flamingo and a blue tit with severe anger management issues) and decided to change their image with the aid of tattoos, beer-guzzling and staggeringly cacophonous engine noise, plus regular participation in cataclysmic bar fights. They’d get on well with Ogrokh and Mozgrog .
Rumours have circulated that Moe's real name is Maurice Featherington-Thomas McCaw, and that he took to the road and the wrestling ring to escape a life of tedious lordship on a country estate somewhere. It should be pointed out, however, that those rumours have circulated really very quietly indeed, and that any attempt to prove their veracity could be hazardous to your health. Just something to bear in mind.
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Comments: 75
superTULER [2015-06-29 19:35:27 +0000 UTC]
I never knew birds could be so good looking haha. I love this character so much, man!
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MatthewSmith In reply to superTULER [2015-06-30 01:21:53 +0000 UTC]
Heaps of gratitude for the kind words, sir! Tremendously happy that you like him so much.
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superTULER In reply to MatthewSmith [2015-07-03 16:26:06 +0000 UTC]
Yar! He is probably one of the very few bird characters I like haha.
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ZakThePoke-furry [2014-06-05 15:04:25 +0000 UTC]
Blue coner: I forfeit! You are just too epic!
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MatthewSmith In reply to ZakThePoke-furry [2015-06-30 01:20:47 +0000 UTC]
Oh crumbs, don't do that. He hates it when people forfeit, because it means he doesn't get to hit anyone, which puts him in a terribly bad mood. And then he hits everyone.
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ZakThePoke-furry In reply to MatthewSmith [2015-07-02 21:53:08 +0000 UTC]
Oh. Then, I guess I can take a few hits. X-)
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lifty4ever [2013-10-14 03:09:53 +0000 UTC]
Bucaramanga: hey fruitbreath I hear you think ur tough. Ur funny macaw. But im the toughest here. Im a dragon you never mess with. (proceeds to beat up moe). UNDERSTOOD!?!? Glad to see we are on level ground. Try not to fall down the steps. Hehe. Thats a job well done.
Moe: Oh that dragon is really gonna get whats comin. Ill teach him to call me fruitbreath.
Thats the good vibe I get by seeing this deviation.
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MatthewSmith In reply to lifty4ever [2014-04-03 13:27:51 +0000 UTC]
Glad you like the illo! Although Moe would, of course, have wrapped a ringpost round his neck and kneed him in the unpleasantness before he'd even finished speaking. He tends to react to insults quite abruptly, and exceedingly painfully.
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alexyorim [2013-05-29 14:28:01 +0000 UTC]
his blue wings make it look like wolverine's claws... <3
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MatthewSmith In reply to alexyorim [2014-04-03 13:22:48 +0000 UTC]
His feathers are altogether less likely to inflict grievous bodily harm. The body to which his feathers are attached, however, is another matter...
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Maselko98 [2013-03-10 18:08:52 +0000 UTC]
I fell in love with this pic. Wonderful job there, sir
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MercurytheWereWulff [2013-01-11 08:54:51 +0000 UTC]
Like how you made his feather ends into hands ^^
It'd be cool if he taunts people by repeating what they said back to them. XD
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MatthewSmith In reply to MercurytheWereWulff [2014-04-03 13:20:21 +0000 UTC]
Heh! I really like that idea. It'd be like a bewilderingly belligerent version of that mimicking thing that small children do to annoy grown-ups.
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MercurytheWereWulff In reply to MatthewSmith [2014-04-03 22:11:30 +0000 UTC]
well that'd certainly be intimidating, if not extremely annoying XD
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dondukesofdeviantart [2012-10-03 01:35:26 +0000 UTC]
Mad Moe McCaw's the coolest parrot I've ever seen...Looks almost like a BIGGER, STRONGER, AND MORE POWERFUL version of Iago from Aladdin (or who he wish he could be)...I honestly don't know where to even begin...I just love everything about this artwork...I love his ring gear from the chains to the boots...Love how you placed him in the center of the ring bringing him well-deserved attention & showcasing him...Cool all-around and I love it...Love it even more 'cause I can relate to it...In a sense if I were a wrestling bird, this would be me, hands down...LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT and hope you got more artwork on the way...Thanks for this and you just made yourself a new fan in me.
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MatthewSmith In reply to dondukesofdeviantart [2014-04-03 13:19:23 +0000 UTC]
Zounds! Cheers muchly for the incredibly kindly comments. I'm delighted you like the character, and you'll definitely be seeing more of the great goon, because I've become jolly fond of him too. Watch this space! Or one very much like it.
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Featherbeard [2012-06-14 14:29:42 +0000 UTC]
Oh this guy is just *incredible*!! You really captured something that I failed miserably at capturing and I absolutely *love* it! Black leather really suits a Scarlet Macaw, I must say. This is a guy you don't wanna hold peanuts back from!
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MatthewSmith In reply to Featherbeard [2012-08-18 11:18:54 +0000 UTC]
Many thanks for the kind words! And you're right - if peanuts or similar snack treats are in your possession when Moe's around, it's best to just hand him the bag and make your way quietly to the exit. He doesn't react well to all that "Polly wanna cracker?" malarkey.
I have to say, I don't think you failed in any respect with your piccy; I absolutely love that drawing. It's packed with good-humoured character, and I can imagine Skittles being someone that Moe would get on well with as a drinking buddy, though Skittles would probably have the good sense not to get embroiled in the inevitable fist (wing?) fight later in the evening...
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Featherbeard In reply to MatthewSmith [2012-08-19 09:07:15 +0000 UTC]
If anyone calls him "Fruitbreath", I think they'd find out just how much of a bad idea that was. Can you imagine the sales pitch by his manager? "He'll work for peanuts! Peanuts I tell you!" *snicker!*
D'awww.. *blush* I don't think I've ever had someone be so positive about a drawing of mine before! Thank you so much!! And yes, drinking would be fun, though I do suspect Skittles drunk would be like Jackie Chan's lovable, drunken and oafish sidekick in one of his movies!
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MatthewSmith In reply to Featherbeard [2012-08-25 08:38:22 +0000 UTC]
You're most welcome! And that's a really appealing idea; I can just picture Skittles sitting back with a cheerful, slightly sozzled grin and continuing to drink his beer as a riotous brawl takes place around him, perhaps shouting encouragement as Moe wades into the fray. Of course, if someone were to inadvertently spill Skittles' pint in the fracas...well, we all know how Barney Gumble reacted when that happened to him. Perhaps Skittles might turn out to be a sort of feathery Sammo Hung?
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Featherbeard In reply to MatthewSmith [2012-08-26 04:39:24 +0000 UTC]
That reminds me of the fight scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. *Yoinks beer bottle out of thug's hand, chugs it, hands it back* HAH! That's a *fantastic* idea and spot on! "You...took...my...PEANUTS! RAWR!!" *Leaps*
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MatthewSmith In reply to MAUWORLD274 [2012-08-18 10:24:08 +0000 UTC]
You most certainly will. Stay tuned!
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Dermot [2012-06-08 18:42:30 +0000 UTC]
My gaydar is blipping on this bird. False positive? Faved, BTW.
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MatthewSmith In reply to Dermot [2012-08-18 10:23:39 +0000 UTC]
Ta very much! And it's perhaps better if I neither confirm nor deny your blip. I think people have a great deal more fun drawing their own conclusions in this particular regard.
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MatthewSmith In reply to Crosslock2 [2012-06-04 15:27:56 +0000 UTC]
There's a fair few fighters he'd like to go up against; if any footage can be salvaged from the resulting carnage, you'll get to see it here!
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Crosslock2 In reply to MatthewSmith [2012-06-04 15:59:50 +0000 UTC]
oooooo that will be good for me
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MatthewSmith In reply to thefailmaster [2012-06-04 15:24:24 +0000 UTC]
My thought precisely.
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Ultra-Gor [2012-06-02 06:34:48 +0000 UTC]
Superb, as usual, but you KNOW what I keep looking for from you!
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MatthewSmith In reply to Ultra-Gor [2012-06-04 15:24:08 +0000 UTC]
Funnily enough, Moe here may yet have a role to play in the Apeman and Monkeyboy universe; Larry and I have given some thought to making him an ally of the Dynamic Duckoid . Any developments in this regard will, of course, be related hereabouts. And thanks for the compliment!
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falconman97 [2012-06-01 18:50:47 +0000 UTC]
seriously, this is way too cool! awsome avian fighter!
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HoundGrey [2012-06-01 10:39:06 +0000 UTC]
Haha! now I can't stop thinking of McCaw in a fancy mansion, wearing a bath robe and drinking fine whine while being surrounded by butlers, Rumors I tell you, they're evil.
Great work as always! I like his colors, never thought about his lower beak resembling a scruffy chin! that's an interesting way to see how anthropic characters can be translated into humans!
I can't help but think that sir McCaw and Pudge would argue and gloat about who has the better looking Skull, Pudge's skull tattoo or McCaw's Skull buckle, one thing I'm sure about, though, Pudge will be making the grave mistake of making fun of the big Parrot's colors, that won't be pretty...
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MatthewSmith In reply to HoundGrey [2012-06-04 11:35:36 +0000 UTC]
It would be most assuredly un-pretty, and would probably run along these lines:
"You dissin' the plumage!? NOBODY DISSES THE PLUMAGE!" *KER-BLAMM!*
Of course, it's a certain Russian raven that Moe's *really* itching to tangle with. As far as Mr McCaw's concerned, the wrestling ring is his turf; and when there's another big brawling bird on his turf, that can mean only one thing – a big brawling wrestling match! On his turf! Which is the wrestling ring!
(Moe's promos may be loud, but they're not always particularly imaginative or coherent.)
And it's funny you should mention a fancy mansion. Every December, around Christmas, Moe bids his fellow bikers farewell and disappears for a couple of weeks. Nobody knows where he goes, but there's a manor house somewhere in the Scottish Highlands that always ends up with a large motorbike parked outside it for the duration of the holidays...
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MatthewSmith In reply to Crytus [2012-06-04 11:18:39 +0000 UTC]
You'd better believe it. Nobody makes jokes about playing with miniature bells when *this* parrot's around.
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CatchShiro [2012-06-01 01:11:59 +0000 UTC]
Heh, this Polly wants a crackin' head to beat to! I really love how simple, but detailed it looks! And really, to see an avian to show such toughness is one feat you managed to captivate so well!
Awesome work!
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MatthewSmith In reply to CatchShiro [2012-06-04 11:17:27 +0000 UTC]
Many thanks indeed! And I love that opening line; I can just imagine something like that happening if Moe was confronted by an unwisely cocky opponent.
"Aw, polly wanna cracker?"
*Seethes.* "Nope. Polly wanna CRACK SOME SKULLS!" *WHAMMO!*
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CatchShiro In reply to MatthewSmith [2012-06-09 09:38:56 +0000 UTC]
Oh yeah! Totally loving Moe even more!
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Opa2 [2012-06-01 00:43:08 +0000 UTC]
Hmm~ he's quite the badass guy I see.
He's definitly one bird I'd fear for my life if I ever met. Although he looks cheery he's quite intimidating.
Welp, at least he seems to be happy with it. Nice job on the guy. And glad to see you posting something new again
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MatthewSmith In reply to Opa2 [2012-06-04 11:13:52 +0000 UTC]
Cheers! And you're right, Moe does have a certain cheerfulness about him; he's always happy when an opportunity for fighting turns up, which is pretty much all the time with him.
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