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Considering Studio MDHR designed Cuphead to look and sound like a 1930s-era cartoon, the 2017 breakout hit basically screamed: "Adapt me into a real animated show." Less than two years later, Netflix announced The Cuphead Show. In 2022, just months before the long-awaited Cuphead DLC arrived, Season 1 debuted on Netflix. Two more seasons quickly followed, with all 36 episodes airing within a nine-month span. It lived up to its name, giving Cuphead and Mugman the endearing throwback cartoon they deserved. Creating The Cuphead Show was clearly a labor of love, and on September 3, Cuphead fans can get a behind-the-scenes look at how it all came together in The Art of The Cuphead Show. Written by The Cuphead Show scribe Deeki Deke, the book takes fans on a journey detailing the process of adapting the game's beloved art design for TV. Throughout the book, members of the team provide commentary to accompany the concept art and animatics. Dark Horse's art book for Studio MDHR's game was awesome, and the early look at The Cuphead Show art book we can share with fans today has made GameSpot's diehard Cuphead fans (it's me) very excited to read it next month. The Art of The Cuphead Show will be published by Dark Horse Books on September 3. The 256-page book is available in hardcover ($50) and Kindle ebook ($30) formats. Though The Cuphead Show was never officially canceled by Netflix, given how Season 3 ended and the time that's passed since, it seems unlikely to return--unless, of course, Studio MDHR decides to make Cuphead 2. Here's a look at three full-page spreads from The Art of The Cuphead Show, followed by a look at the latest entry in Dark Horse's Cuphead graphic-novel series and The Art of Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, which Dark Horse is publishing on November 5.
Introducing Cuphead and Mugman
These pages show off character designs for the brothers with drinkware for heads. One cool thing to notice here is that the show's developer and executive producer, Dave Wasson, talks with Jared Moldenhauer, the co-creator of the game.
Background Design and Color Theory
These pages begin the process of outlining the team's philosophy and approach to creating the backgrounds as well as how colors are chosen.
Screen Novelties Presents... The Cottage in 3D
Part of the design process for The Cuphead Show involved making clay sculptures, such as the cottage that's home to Cuphead, Mugman, and Elder Kettle.
The Art of Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
Though we haven't had the chance to peek inside the upcoming art book centered on the superb Delicious Last Course (DLC), it's worth keeping on your radar if you enjoyed the first Cuphead art book. The 272-page book chronicles the design process of Inkwell Isle Four and its collection of boss fights. Cuphead's DLC has as many frames of animation as the entire base game, so it should be interesting to see how Studio MDHR brought it to life. It includes frame-by-frame animation, concept art, ideas that stayed on the cutting room floor, and more. The Art of Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course will be published by Dark Horse Books on November 5. Two physical editions are available to preorder: a $40 hardcover and a $100 Deluxe version with a mint-green foil slipcase, ribbon bookmark, and foldout portfolio with artwork on three acetate cells.
Cuphead Vol. 3: Colorful Crack-Ups & Chaos
Cuphead has also been turned into a graphic novel (and regular novel) series for young readers. The third volume in Dark Horse's graphic novel series released earlier this week. You can take a look at a handful of pages from Cuphead Volume 3: Colorful Crack-Ups & Chaos below. All three volumes are available at Amazon. We'd also recommend checking out the Cuphead novels published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Each book contains 20 exclusive illustrations from Studio MDHR and a treasure hunt.
The Whole Gang: Board Game Blunder
The board game is actually a portal, don't go through it.
Ms. Chalice, Cuphead, Mugman, and Elder Kettle all went through the portal.
King Dice miniboss Phear Lap greets them on the other side.
Phear Lap doesn't seem to be playing fair.
Cuphead still wins.
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