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The picture that started it all. This image was floating around AOL in early 1995, and as more folks saw it, Craig's reputation grew. The detail is astounding, though you'll need to grab the large version (2200x1800, 1292k) to appreciate the full richness. Craig's signature 'large-brushstrokes' style is visible even in this early piece.
Okay, it's true - this gun doesn't exist in Marathon. It's pretty amazing, anyway - and it shows some of the incredible detail Craig puts into his work. The large version (2000x1887, 1017k) lets you see things like the "Emergency Destruction System" label on the equipment behind the Marine, and the fact that the green text is actually just snipped from an email (which probably dates the picture's creation nicely). On his personal website, he's included these two 'in-progress' images (slightly larger versions available by clicking):
This dark, brooding image of the marine holding a stylized Assault Rifle captured the mood of of the original Marathon perfectly. A larger version (955x980, 213k) is available.
The catacombs of the Marathon, and a standoff - the Marine stares down a Compiler. This picture has always struck me as a little strange; the Marine's proportions look out of whack - his wide stance and long legs don't really match up with his shorter torso, and his helmet looks a lot like a welder's helmet. The compiler, on the other hand, looks singularly deadly. A larger version (549x691, 113k) shows the detail a bit more clearly.
This was my favorite of the early Mullins pics - it's just so VISCERAL. The fires in the background, the goop dripping from multiple wounds - you can almost hear the roar of anguish as the Hulk falls. A larger version (837x617, 219K) is available.
During the making of the Marathon 1 version of Devil in a Blue Dress, I wrote and asked Craig if he would be willing to create any artwork for our chapter screens. He was pretty busy, but sent along this sketch, and a note: "I hope this is generic enough." It fit perfectly as a final screen. Unfortunately, the original is lost - this modified version is all that's left.
Another bonus Mullins creation - with a typically humble self-description. A year after Devil in a Blue Dress was finished, we were ready to release the Marathon 2 version - I wrote to all the big-name Marathon artists I knew, and asked if they could contribute to the project. There'd been no response from Craig, so I assumed he didn't have time... but less than a week before the final release, this image popped into my mailbox, with the following note: "I did this file pretty fast, and if it's not good enough, feel free to trash
it or modify it. Things have been pretty busy." It became the splash screen of the scenario. (Craig's "fast" work is better than an awful lot of careful stuff.) A larger version (with the original, charming title of 'bumkin', 772x712, 82k) is available.
This image has been used many times - the left edge appeared in the Despair chapter screen from Marathon Infinity, again for the Envy chapter screen (also known as Aftermath), and it seems that it was also used, modified, in a concept drawing for a proposed film of the book 'Snowcrash'.
James Pillar, aka RuGGeR, got his hands on this full-sized image (2500x1536, 369k) in late 1998 - and suggested the odd symbol on the building in the foreground as a potential logo for the nascent bungie.org. Craig said sure (he hadn't even remembered it), it fit with our goals, and the rest is history. As far as I know, this is the first time this picture has seen wide distribution.
The opening chapter screen in Marathon 2, this powerful image shows the Marine holding the skeleton of... something. A S'pht? Something we've never seen before? The deep blues add to the eeriness of the vision.
An enforcer, about to be backhanded across the back of the head by a pfhorstaff-wielding marine. Craig drew this image before he realized that the level it was associated with ("What about Bob?") had no Enforcers in it. Ambrosia Software tipped its virtual hat to Craig in their game 'Ferazel's Wand' with this promo pic - the layouts are very similar. (This is one of at least three nods in this game.)
Pfhor Trooper meets Cyborg with Assault Rifle - Guess who wins?
In Craig's words, "The Marathon Marine exploring the catacombs of an alien world." As in several of his drawings, the Marine is carrying a Pfhor staff - an in-game option that wasn't available until the release of the third-party Marathon: EVIL scenario. Looks pretty cool, though. Ambrosia Software paid homage to this picture (along with several other Mullins' images) in their game 'Ferazel's Wand'. A larger (though more degraded, due to the high jpeg compression) version (640x972, 116k) is available.
Tsk, tsk - what to do about that pile of junk? This screen comes just before the M2 level "If I Had a Rocket Launcher, I'd Make Somebody Pay", and is titled 'Durandal' in-game. That mess is what's left of Durandal's ship, stranded on Lh'owon's second moon. This is another picture Ambrosia recognized in their game 'Ferazel's Wand'.
This screen is the lead-in to 'The Big House', a Marathon 2 level in which the player finds himself alone, in prison, stripped of weapons and health, able only to watch a fight between Pfhor and BoBs. It's a fantastic example of Craig's style - close up, the image looks almost unfinished; details are created with blobs and splotches of color, with no precise detail. However, as a whole, the picture is spectacularly complicated, with the S'pht arrayed around a room simply dripping with wires, equipment, and who-knows-what. The larger version (2000x1003, 1052k) shows the apparent paradox (crude-looking brushstrokes leading to a finely-detailed product) clearly.
Robert Blake was a mechanical engineer on Tau Ceti, and has found himself in charge of the remaining non-Pfhor soldiers on Lh'owon. This screen introduces the man, who frees you from the prison you found yourself in in 'The Big House'.
The Marine, in conference with some BoBs - the chapter title (Simulacrums) hints at the fact that assimilated BoBs play a large role in the next level ('Where the Twist Flops'). The dark tone to the whole image lends a sinister air to the frontmost BoB's ocular implant - even though he's probably on your side. A larger version (928x480, 47K) is available.
The deadly (but helpful) S'pht'Kr, in attack mode. This image can be found at the bottom of the Bungie Webcam page, and the S'pht'Kr there are regularly confused for Halo aliens. A larger (and reversed) version (811x480, 97K) is available.
One of several chapter screens to utilize portions of a Mullins' landscape piece.
Another concept piece - the Marine, standing atop an unfamiliar piece of architecture, holding a stylized gun and a pfhor staff captured from his enemies. This image does a good job of expressing the anger felt by a cyborg, used by all sides, with very little control of his individual destiny, despite huge personal strength.
Another Infinity chapter screen that utilizes this background image. Craig's description of this piece:"The player is doing something to a fallen comrade/enemy, either helping or scavenging. It is more interesting to allow the viewer to read into an image somewhat." The fallen entity is probably a S'pht'Kr.
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