Do you like the "edgy" 3e art style?

[kenjib]

I don't understand your correlation logic here. Can you please explain? Does 3rd edition art look comic book-style to you? I don't know if I necessarily agree if you see some of the more "photographic" look of the illustrations out there (see Tempest in MM2-- awesome!)

I wasn't asserting a correlation yet. I just wanted to see. To me, subjectively it does look pretty comic book-ish and I'm seeing if there's anything to it or if I'm just misperceiving.

I suppose I was thinking more along the lines of pics like the goblin, or most of the Wayne Reynolds art. The proportions of the creatures are intentionally distorted to increase dramatic effect, which is a pretty classic technique in comic books. I'm not a comic book expert though so I could be off in my assertion here though. Feel free to set me straight!

For what it's worth, I think a slight correlation is starting to emerge (please correct me statisticians ). Here is the current breakdown:

Likes the 3e style:
no comics: 11/27 = 40.741%
some comics: 14/27 = 51.852%
lots of comics: 2/27 = 7.407%

Doesn't like the 3e style:
no comics: 14/19 = 73.684%
some comics: 5/19 = 26.316%
lots of comics: 1/19 = 5.263%

There is not a big enough sampling though, so maybe we can see when there is more data. There is also the problem of establishing causality, which this poll will not accomplish. Among countless other possibilities, comic book readers might just appreciate artwork more in general, for example. Perhaps a second poll of whether comic book readers/non-readers liked 1e or 2e art might help a bit in this regard?

 

[Sir Edgar]

Hmmm, those are interesting results.

I guess if you're trying to compare only the "realistic" drawings of the late 70's/early 80's with only the "fantastic/post-modern/anime/mixed genre" drawings now, then you may have a point.

But you have to understand that many of the artists then and today are also comic book artists. And when it comes down to it, any kind of drawing could be considered "comic book". There are differences between, for example, Snoopy vs. Spiderman vs. Dragonball Z.

 

[Davelozzi]

I checked that I didn't like the art and read comic books sporadically, but just to clarify, that would be real sporadically. I might read a comic every two years, if even. I haven't read any regularly since the heyday of G.I. Joe and Transformers.

I guess I do prefer more realistic fantasy art, although it's the punk stylings that bother me more than the exaggerated details.

 

[Sulimo]

Ditto. Some titles/publishers have piqued my interest of late (such as CrossGen and SoulSaga), but alas, that would compete with RPGs for my budget, and you can't have that!

Thats why, at least with Crossgen, you read the online versions which costs only 1 US$/month. Check it out here . Some are even FREE

 

[Desdichado]

Dislike the art and am a rabid comic book reader. Although the art in 3e does not look like comic book art.

Well, that's a subjective statement, to say the least. Wayne Reynolds -- who is quite likely the most prolific 3e artist -- not only looks comic book like, I can tell you exactly which comic book artist he looks like he patterned his artwork after! If you can honestly tell me that looking at a Wayne Reynolds piece doesn't look like it was done by Marc Silvestri...

 

[belegost]

I like a lot but not all of the 3rd edition art. Some of it, just like some of the old 2nd edition art, just doesn't appeal to me.

As for a correlation to comic books, I used to be an avid reader and comic art itself is as diverse as 1st edition to 3rd edition D&D illustrations.

Even when looking at the books I used to read the difference in artist styles is amazing. David Mack's Kabuki vs. Dave Sim's Cerebus vs. Martin Wagner's Hepcats vs. Manga vs. Art Spiegelman's Maus is a pretty incredible range from primitive to edgy to classic art.

I guess one of the issues I have with 3rd edition art is that is the ONLY style we are getting right now in WOTC books. Perhaps mixing in some of the other styles would make it more enjoyable. After all, the vision of the game is very different for each individual.

 

[LostSoul]

I do read some graphic novels. I read anything I can get by Moebius (Jean Giraud) or by Jodorowski (except for the Metabarons). My wife and I are both Jodo junkies.

I haven't read anything except for Metabarons. Is it sub-par for these guys? I rather liked it.

 

[beta-ray]

Well I checked that I liked the art and read comics.

However, I don't consider the art in DnD3e "edgy" nor do I like it for that reason. I like Lockwood's and Foster's stuff and some of the other artists in 3e, but I by no means like all of the art. Same for 1e & 2e and every product I know of so far...

... nor do I like all of the art in the comics I read. *shrug*

 

[MaxKaladin]

I don't like the art and I put that I don't read comics. The latter is not completely true, but I only read Knights of the Dinner Table, Nodwick and Dork Tower and I suspect the poll author meant non-gaming comics.

 

[Oni]

I haven't voted in the poll because I wasn't really enthused with any of the answers, the question covers too much for the answers provided.


For the most part I like the artwork in 3E, the quality seems to be much higher over all than previous editions, and while I'm not completely enthused about some of their design choices when it comes to the fashion of default dnd (primarily armour and weapons) I really like at lot of the stuff. I am very fond of Wayne Reynolds, I especially like strong black and white artwork, and his is crisp, clean, and dynamic. Some of my favorite colour stuff since 3e has come out has been in the FRCS, some of the portraits in there are simply stunning (I especially like the two women in the section on Cormyr).

I wouldn' t refer to 3e as comic booky, I'd say the artwork is more diverse than previous editions and that is most definately a good thing.