Elmore cover art for final issue of Dragon

[w_earle_wheeler]

I know I'm in the minority here but I can't stand Elmore's art.

I'm a part of this minority.

I have no problem with Elmore being used for the final issue, since so many people like his art. But I never have.

I'd rather have seen an Erol Otus cover for the last issue, or a similar artist from the very early D&D days.

However, I think this piece accurately reflects the "feel" that this is the last print issue of Dragon.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

I know I'm in the minority here but I can't stand Elmore's art.

I like his art. It's a shame he's only done about three paintings.

 

[Odnasept]

They also serve, who only stand and wait.

I don't mind Elmore; his work has an elder feel to it which speaks to D&D/AD&D as a whole rather than the more specifically '3rd/3.5th Edition' cover art we've usually gotten in the last seven years. The poses may be static, but I think that's entirely appropriate for the final issue of Dragon Magazine. It shouldn't be some guy screaming amidst a roaring conflagration whilst disemboweling a Half-Fiend Dracotaur; this tacit union of human and dragon gazing upon a sunset realm at once familiar and fantastic is essentially a perfect choice for the final issue of Dragon.

Also, I like how the title of the piece is a play on 'the last Dragon Mag'....

 

[Glyfair]

I don't know why, but it just doesn't look like a Dragon Magazine cover to me.

I feel the opposite. This feels like a Dragon magazine cover to me (or, perhaps like a cover for The Dragon), unlike the covers in the fast few years.

Now, I admit Elmore wouldn't have been my first choice for a cover. I personally would have liked to see a Robin Wood cover or a Hildebrandt cover, but this isn't something I object to.

 

[Sundragon2012]

I grew up with Elmore's art since I was a kid, really noticing it for the Dragonlance books and modules I played through/read in my late teens and early 20s. Loved the stuff then and love the stuff now. I think that Larry's attention to detail is great, his skies, scenery, and women are beautiful. His dragons, well I never liked his dragons, thought they didn't have the same depth and realness as his scenery and human (eld, dwarf, humanoid) figures. He isn't my favorite of all time, but he is a great talent.

All in all a lovely cover for the end of an age. Man, I know things change but it's sad.

That said, I dislike Wane Reynold's style....good for action, preposterous proportions and too comic book in regards to the action poses and loathe Otus...that is art that is good only for nostalgia purposes IMNSHO.

My current favorite is Todd Lockwood his skill is phenomenal. He is able to do action and static work with equal skill and in all cases nothing is lost in regards to detail and versimilitude.


Starlion

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Like some others, I've never been a big fan of Elmore's art, but his presence on the last print issue of Dragon is very appropriate. Too bad they didn't get Roger Raupp for one of the last few issues.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Can anyone tell me what it is she's holding? The handle looks like a "Highlander katana," but the rest of it... Wand? Energy rifle? Laser sword?

 

[Kurotowa]

Can anyone tell me what it is she's holding? The handle looks like a "Highlander katana," but the rest of it... Wand? Energy rifle? Laser sword?

It does look like one of those dragon head hilts, with the rest looking more like a rifle, and there's an electric arc between the tip and the ground. Magic rifle or strange staff is my guess.

 

[Infernal Teddy]

I know I'm in the minority here but I can't stand Elmore's art.

Same here

 

[johnnype]

I know I'm in the minority here but I can't stand Elmore's art.

I'm with you.

Time to move on and look to the future. I'm done with the past.