Alou has changed a lot over the years. His ears have grown, and his ear tips have rounded. His eye has grown bigger. He's gotten chubbier (In the best way)! But his insatiable spirit of optimism and curiosity are the same as ever! When I was creating the new diorama, I elected to draw a new Alou for the scene, instead of using the one from the original 2017 artwork; and it really highlighted how very much our Martian has morphed.
In 2018 to 2020 I remember the occasional double-takes some visitors to my booth would have when seeing him on the cover of my first edition of Alou: The Martian Agent (ha ha). Originally, no one was quite sure if he was funny or frightening. Happily, no one is confused anymore! His now chibi-like cuteness has endeared him to countless children, and I'm so honored and thrilled that his stories are capturing their imaginations!
So much has changed and so much has stayed the same. But, through it all, he's still Alou!
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