Homage: 1981
Here's your exclusive advance look at the cartoon homage drawn during Episode 9.
While I was chatting with Richard Baker and Dale Donovan during Episode 9, I was working on an homage to one of the most memorable covers not only of 1981, but in the whole publishing history of D&D. Whether it’s the feral snarly of the githyanki, the eeriness of the electric blue twilight backdrop, or the unique style of cover artist Emanuel (who, as far as I know, never did another piece of D&D art, cover or interior), you KNOW you’re talking about Dungeons & Dragons when you see a picture of the Fiend Folio.
One of the fun things about doing these cartoon homages is that I notice things in the original art that I just kind of glossed over for years. In this case, Rich, Dale, and I had an in depth discussion about what the heck is up with the githyanki’s elbows? What ARE those nodules? None of us knew … but I sure as heck included them in my drawing.
I really hope the blues in this drawing POP in the physical prints—something that’s available ONLY to subscribers, y’know. And paid subscribers get discounts when buying prints and other merch. (Just sayin’.)
As a subscriber of ANY sort, you’re seeing this image three days before the general public. So you can lord that over your friends … OR you could recommend that they subscribe to the newsletter too. Go on … be a pal!