Tom duBois

Interviewed by Adam Gidney in July 2016
Tom duBois (dew-BOYSS; not the French pronunciation d-OO-b-w-aa) is an American illustrator responsible for nearly all of Konami’s advertising and box art between 1988 and 1994. Tom worked on some of the biggest franchises in the industry, including Castlevania, Contra, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Tom was prolific, carried a bold, dynamic style, and is widely regarded as one of the premier illustrators for home console video game box artwork.
Tom’s unique style made his body of work perhaps the most recognizable of any video game illustrator. In addition to working largely for one critically acclaimed publisher (see: The Man Who Drew Konami, ahem, 'painted'), Tom painted with far more traditional brush work than featured in most contemporary box art and injected into his characters an unmistakable edge and verve. Tom's version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles didn't look like the fun-