Joe Vriens is an artist whose name you should remember and look forward to seeing next to pieces done if you’re a video gamer. I met Joe back in E3 2005 in Capcom’s meetings room when my friend Taki Enomoto introduced me to the Udon crew responsible for putting me in the back of Street Fighter Issue #7.

E3 2005: Joe Vriens and Paul Gale

After thanking Erik Ko (from Udon) for putting me in the issue, both him and Joe began to show me a sneak peak of some of their artwork for upcoming projects. This was secret information as it revealed story arcs in their Street Fighter and DarkStalkers comics, promotional happenings with oher Capcom related media, etc.

DarkStalers Issue #5

Joe was also kind enough to give me a signed copy of one of his favorite works: DarkStalkers Issue #5 with Victor and Donovan on the cover. I also found out that we had some similarities, including our great liking for the Super Mario and Street Fighter series, as well as for Nintendo and Capcom, and how both companies are powerhouses when it comes to a varied lineup of franchises.

If you’d like to support my friend and see much more of his work (and trust me, he’s had a lot of involvement with Udon over the last 5 years), I strongly encourage you visit his site at JoeVriens.Blogspot.com. Thanks Joe for continuing to create such great pieces of art. Keep it up and here’s to many more.