One of the things that defined the early D&D artwork of the AD&D period was off handed humor. This was reflected in the occasionally cartoonish additions to the visual aids that popped up every now and then. Several are well known from the DMG, but these two show that the whimsical wink and nod of those first years of the hobby were quite alive and well before the DMG. The interesting thing about these is that part of the set piece in each picture is quite good, quality sketch with attention to detail. And then a cartoon is dropped in to change the entire feel of the picture. Sort of like the game itself - never take it too seriously.
The thief class gets its own illustration in this one. Not one of the better pictures to be honest. The poses are bulky and awkward. The atmosphere is there, but the overall detail not up to what it is in some other pieces. I've always thought the thief looked a bit like Tony Curtis.
The poses and the basic quality of this picture, in fairness, aren't much better than the above thief. The look of the people is somewhat stiff, not quite there. I can't say why, but the detail just doesn't rise to some of the other pieces, even for those that were done in this 'nitty-gritty' style. Still, the overall picture somehow manages to capture a feeling, especially given its place in the book. Kicking off the section on adventuring, it manages to get that 'feel', and since that's the job of these illustrations, I could say this succeeds.
Another in the 'nitty-gritty' realism series. This one works, and does so wonderfully. Mostly because there is nothing fantasy about it. It could be an illustration in some historic reenactment village. This is for the spell Enchant an Item. The spell itself shows the differences between the early incarnations of D&D and later versions. The description of the spell attempts to take the reader into a real world where enchanting an item is actually a long, arduous task. That fellow is hard at work. This was the 70s. The decade of "realism" after all. The spells reflected that. And this picture does so nicely.
Almost whimsical in its presentation, nonetheless it is one of the best 'feeling of the game' pieces in the early books. This is the game. This is riding off the field on the teams' shoulders after the victory. Sack of gold over shoulder, comrades raising a triumphant ax in the day's sunlight, victory is won! What was behind? Who didn't make it? Are there others? After a long, dark and dangerous journey in utter blackness, light - beautiful, wonderful, hug it light - greet the exuberant adventurers. A pithy picture, but one that packs quite a wallop.
One of the master works of the D&D canon. The great Tolkien Debates (how much was Tolkien an influence on D&D?) gets a nudge in one direction with this one. That could be Bilbo with Thorin and Company fast on his heals. Of course the scene doesn't happen in Tolkien's universe. And likely wouldn't. A Magic Mouth in Middle Earth? Perhaps. Think the Watchers of Cirith Ungol. Nonetheless, it's not straight from any Tolkien publication. Yet it is awesome in every way. Like so much "Old School" art, it tells a story, and does so based on the characters and descriptions from the text. Hafling? Check. Dwarves? Check. Magic Mouth? Check.
It also tells a story while leaving much out. Another hallmark of early D&D art. Those dwarves and that halfling (oh heck, that Hobbit), came from somewhere. They are going somewhere. Torchlight. Again that the wonderful use of pend and ink to give a dark and dank appearance that won't appear in later versions of the game. And look at those eyes at the bottom of that dreary stair. It took a long time for me to realize those weren't just glitches in the print. What are those? Smaug? A dragon? Something else? Do the explorers notice? Is the Magic Mouth warning them or egging them on? A story is being told. And that's the essence of the game. And not just a story, but a game story based on a rich and deep heritage of culture, literature, myth, folklore and legend.
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