aCoS Cover Comments
the_knobs
I'm looking forward to comments on the new cover. In short I hate the
muscle man pose from Rand. At least we get a trolloc with an animal head
instead of just an animal helmet. Any other comments?
Bought the book at but haven't had time to read it yet. I start tonight!!!
Matt Stabile
the Knobs wrote:
Doh! I just posted a message about this, only to see that you just
posted a message about this. Anyway, here is what I had said in my
posting:
Has anyone seen the cover art yet? I know how much people have argued
over the past covers, so I thought I'd get this one started.
Anyway, is that supposed to be Rand on the cover? From the size of
the guy's arm, I'd say it was Perrin. The upper arm just looks huge;
I realize that if you hold your arm in close to your body like that,
you can make the bicep/tricep area look bigger, but that seems way too
big for Rand. But, the face looked like Rand from the previous
covers.
Ah well.
kee...@cpcnet.com
the Knobs wrote:
>I'm looking forward to comments on the new cover. In short I hate the
>muscle man pose from Rand. At least we get a trolloc with an animal head
>instead of just an animal helmet. Any other comments?
I haven't read the book just yet either. Saving it for a bit.
But at any rate, I'm disappointed with the blurb in the book. Sounds
perilously close to a spoiler at some parts. I'm going to be slightly
miffed if I'm not spoiled by this group only to be done in by the
publisher!!
Leah Cole
who is really co...@alleg.edu
Dylan Flynn Alexander
In article <31B61F9C...@informatik.uni-kl.de>, Frank Hauptmann
<haup...@informatik.uni-kl.de> wrote:
}the Knobs wrote:
}
}> I'm looking forward to comments on the new cover. In short I hate the
}> muscle man pose from Rand. At least we get a trolloc with an animal head
}> instead of just an animal helmet. Any other comments?
}
}Hey, you're not a friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger?
This reminds me: did the Termin^H^H^H^H^Hgholam remind anyone of something
else?
--
Dylan Flynn Alexander
dy...@tamu.edu
Frank Hauptmann
the Knobs wrote:
> I'm looking forward to comments on the new cover. In short I hate the
> muscle man pose from Rand. At least we get a trolloc with an animal head
> instead of just an animal helmet. Any other comments?
Hey, you're not a friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger?
--
Frank Hauptmann * Riedstrasse 3 * D-67489 Kirrweiler * Germany
The last good thing written in C was
Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 9.
Evan P Langlinais
Matt Stabile (stab...@cps.msu.edu) wrote:
> the Knobs wrote:
> |I'm looking forward to comments on the new cover. In short I hate the
> |muscle man pose from Rand. At least we get a trolloc with an animal head
> |instead of just an animal helmet. Any other comments?
Yeah. What the heck was he doing in that pose anyway, The Mashed Potato?
The Cabbage Patch maybe?
ObDanQuayle: Potatoe.
> Anyway, is that supposed to be Rand on the cover? From the size of
> the guy's arm, I'd say it was Perrin. The upper arm just looks huge;
> I realize that if you hold your arm in close to your body like that,
> you can make the bicep/tricep area look bigger, but that seems way too
> big for Rand. But, the face looked like Rand from the previous
> covers.
Well I'd say that it was definitely supposed to be Rand, what with the
dragons on his wrists. DKS even got those wrong, for Light's sake! The
dragons are supposed to cover his entire forearms, be _red_ and gold, and
the dragons' heads are supposed to be on the lower backs of his hands.
Shadar Logoth is just plain silly looking, too. I presume the glowing mist
is supposed to be Mashadar, even though it's the wrong color, but what
is that thing rising out of the middle of the hole in the ground from which
Mashadar is oozing? And what kind of insane architect designed those
buildings, anyway?
One thing truly amazed me though. The Trollocs' armor is right. The weapons
are wrong, the shape of the head and the eyes are wrong, but the armor is
correct. Go fig.
Another example of DKS (Deep Kroc o' S**t)
--
| | |\ | | | ) Theudegisklos "Skwid" Swienbrothar of the order Teuthoidia
|/| |\ |/ | |X| ( SKWID, Vulture V4 pilot ( The Humblest
| | | | | | | ) Evan "Skwid" Langlinais ) Mollusc on
"Swine On!"--Lord Vitigis Sweinbrothar ( the Net
Gavin Doyle
hat the heck is the guy on the cover doing?!?!? he looks like he's making
choo-choo train motions with his arms. does it look dumb or what!!!
--
"Bow logic, fate, human kind, * "Evil is but a perspective, and
Is not my feeling of my mind? * good is seldom perceived."
Is not my love from deep inside? *
Is not my hope but human pride?" *
--DOYLE--
Thomas Howard
the, Knobs wrote:
>
> I'm looking forward to comments on the new cover. In short I hate the
> muscle man pose from Rand. At least we get a trolloc with an animal
>head instead of just an animal helmet. Any other comments?
>tonight!!!
Yeah. Gotta love Rand "The Dragon" Al'Thor
Thomas Howard
Mason Houtz
On 7 Jun 1996 07:47:32 GMT, sk...@utdallas.edu (Evan P Langlinais)
wrote:
>Well I'd say that it was definitely supposed to be Rand, what with the
>dragons on his wrists. DKS even got those wrong, for Light's sake! The
>dragons are supposed to cover his entire forearms, be _red_ and gold, and
>the dragons' heads are supposed to be on the lower backs of his hands.
>
>Shadar Logoth is just plain silly looking, too. I presume the glowing mist
>is supposed to be Mashadar, even though it's the wrong color, but what
>is that thing rising out of the middle of the hole in the ground from which
>Mashadar is oozing? And what kind of insane architect designed those
>buildings, anyway?
>
Why is everybody so damn bitter about the cover art?
The pose is a little goofy.
So?
Shadar Logoth doesn't look like you imagined it.
So?
I'd read these books if they printed a photocopy of Jordan's big hairy
ass on the covers. There's a big world of people out there who read
the words between the pretty pictures.
And anyway...
How can one artist be expected to envision a scene to please thousands
of different readers? I work in art myself, and it may or may not be a
testimony to my lack of ability, but I find it difficult to get a room
of only four or five people to agree on ridiculous little points like
the ones mentioned in these posts.
Every additional person with the authority to modify a work of art in
progress reduces its end-quality like some kind of lowest common
denominator of painting. If Sweet painted something that was
stone-cold guaranteed not to irk any of you... it would be a piece of
shit. I swear it's true. I've seen it happen before.
But have no fear. Anal retention can be cured!
Paint your own cover with everything the way you like it and paste it
to the outside of the book. But please quit your senseless bitching
until you understand all the constraints this guy's got to work with.
Overall, I don't like the painting much either. But, it's well done
and conveys a properly spooky mood, even if Rand is jerking off two of
his invisible giant friends.
That is all.
Evan P Langlinais
I posted this because it seemed more in the nature of a criticism of the
group than a personal criticism.
On Sat, 8 Jun 1996, Mason Houtz wrote:
<my cover art criticism masticated>
> Why is everybody so damn bitter about the cover art?
Because it's inconsistent with the story.
> The pose is a little goofy.
> So?
This is no big deal, but on top of the rest of the consistently silly
cover art it makes for something to comment over. If the rest of the
cover(s) were great, nobody would care.
> Shadar Logoth doesn't look like you imagined it.
> So?
Shadar Logoth doesn't look like any sane person with the slightest grasp
of architecture would envision it. Impossible architecture is fine in
paintings of fairy kingdoms and the like, but Shadar Logoth is a city
rotting in on itself, and none of the structures Sweet represents would
stand for more than a few years with all the decay that is evident.
> I'd read these books if they printed a photocopy of Jordan's big hairy
> ass on the covers. There's a big world of people out there who read
> the words between the pretty pictures.
Hmmm, who wants to bet they'd sell better if that was the cover art.
> And anyway...
> How can one artist be expected to envision a scene to please thousands
> of different readers? I work in art myself, and it may or may not be a
> testimony to my lack of ability, but I find it difficult to get a room
> of only four or five people to agree on ridiculous little points like
> the ones mentioned in these posts.
I'm an artist. My sister is a proffessional artist. My mother was a
proffessional artist. My father is an art professor. We all think the
covers are garbage.
And I made no ridiculous little points that could not readily be agreed upon
by anyone who had actually read the books, and expects realistic cover art.
1. Shadar Logoth (see above).
2. Rand's Dragons (see my post).
3. Rand's pose.
4. The Trolloc's eyes and weapons.
Of the 'plaints above, the only one I see as nitpicking is the Trolloc's
weapons, which I put in cause I'm a weapons freak and I would never paint
anything wearing three swords (count the scabbards and belts) who only
has an absurdly curved long knife drawn.
> Every additional person with the authority to modify a work of art in
> progress reduces its end-quality like some kind of lowest common
> denominator of painting.
So are you implying that the above complaints are the things which were
modified to look the way they are? As a guess, I'd say the things that
He was asked to modify were 1. Rand's hair color (which is finally
correct) and 2. The Trollocs head (which is still not quite right)
> If Sweet painted something that was
> stone-cold guaranteed not to irk any of you... it would be a piece of
> shit. I swear it's true. I've seen it happen before.
I never asked for this, and you're right about what the resultant product
would look like. All I ask for is a cover artist who has read the books,
and is logically consistent. I don't think that's asking too much.
> But have no fear. Anal retention can be cured!
Anal retention is a (outdated) Freudian psychosexual term indicating
that the subject has had some part of their psychosexual development held
back in the Anal stage, the second of Freud's stages in which all
pleasure is derived from the anus (defecation, cleaning by the mother,
and so on). The general idea is that the child in potty-training is told
when it defecates (according to Freud an important source of pleasure for
the child) that is filthy, and so the child develops a complex about
being filthy. This is Anal Retention and this discussion has nothing to
do with it. (ObPeeve: People who misuse terms)
> Paint your own cover with everything the way you like it and paste it
> to the outside of the book. But please quit your senseless bitching
> until you understand all the constraints this guy's got to work with.
> Overall, I don't like the painting much either. But, it's well done
> and conveys a properly spooky mood, even if Rand is jerking off two of
> his invisible giant friends.
Technically Sweet is a fine artist, and I have liked some of his cover
art on other books, but technical skill is only half to a third of what
makes a good artist, and even more is demanded of a cover artist. A
cover artist has two very important jobs. (S)He is supposed to convey
accurately an important scene in the books which appeals to both author
and reader (and if they're good, expands on the images the author has
given). Secondly (although I am sure this is primary in the publisher's
mind) the cover art is one of the single most important things which
attracts a new reader. For the first goal to be accomplished, it is
essential for the author to read the book(s), and I have never believed
DKS has done this for the Wheel of Time. As for the second, I'd say
Sweet does an excellent job. In fact, I'd say there are probably more
DKS covers on my shelves than any other artist. I frequently find this
frustrating, but they seem to consistently put his covers on books which
I like. He does a very attractive cover, as long as your primary
interest is not consistency with the story and characters. He uses
nicely contrasting colors which catch the eye, and just the right blend
of detail and vagueness to give it that well-painted feel, but his covers
are only skin deep. A good cover should be a part of the book, not just
an attractive binding, and that is what DKS has given us time after time.
How many cents does that add up to?
Alistair J. R. Young
In <31b9265c....@news.deltanet.com>, ma...@deltanet.com (Mason Houtz) writes:
>Overall, I don't like the painting much either. But, it's well done
>and conveys a properly spooky mood, even if Rand is jerking off two of
>his invisible giant friends.
Oh no! It's the Ogier and pedophilia thread again!
Alistair
--
Alistair Young - Arkane Systems Software Development & PC Consultancy
The opinions above ARE my company's, because I OWN it! [Team OS/2]
e-mail: ava...@arkane.demon.co.uk; Phone/Fax: +44 (1833) 638233 (24 hr.)
"This is my ceremonial bone-pit. It contains the bones of a member of each of
the sentient races I have personally exterminated." - Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah, SCII
Robin Maguire
ma...@deltanet.com (Mason Houtz) wrote:
>On 7 Jun 1996 07:47:32 GMT, sk...@utdallas.edu (Evan P Langlinais)
>wrote:
>>Well I'd say that it was definitely supposed to be Rand, what with the
>>dragons on his wrists. DKS even got those wrong, for Light's sake! The
>>dragons are supposed to cover his entire forearms, be _red_ and gold, and
>>the dragons' heads are supposed to be on the lower backs of his hands.
>>
>>Shadar Logoth is just plain silly looking, too. I presume the glowing mist
>>is supposed to be Mashadar, even though it's the wrong color, but what
>>is that thing rising out of the middle of the hole in the ground from which
>>Mashadar is oozing? And what kind of insane architect designed those
>>buildings, anyway?
>>
To my way of thinking, an appropriate cover for any fantasy would be an
indisputable symbol for the story--a plain gold ring for JRRT, the AS symbol
for WoT, or a dragon--and the title. Most of us who read this stuff hav pretty
well-developed imaginations, and the supplied pictures interfere. I take off
the dust jackets so I don't have to look at them. The covers for James
Clavell's books, or Leon Uris's are exactly right , if you know them.
Robin Maguire
Michel Forget
> ma...@deltanet.com (Mason Houtz) wrote in article
<31b9265c....@news.deltanet.com>...
> Why is everybody so damn bitter about the cover art?
>
> The pose is a little goofy.
> So?
A _little_ goofy? Please. If you tape a horses' ass to Rand, he would be
in exactly the correct pose for a centaur... :)
> Shadar Logoth doesn't look like you imagined it.
> So?
Shadar Logoth is a city, right? An architect would have to be on crack
to design a building that way, much less actually build it. I'm not an
architect, but it certainly does _not_ look stable.
> I'd read these books if they printed a photocopy of Jordan's big hairy
> ass on the covers. There's a big world of people out there who read
> the words between the pretty pictures.
That will be book number eight, titled _My Big Harry Ass (And How I REALLY
Won The Last Battle)_.
> And anyway...
> How can one artist be expected to envision a scene to please thousands
> of different readers? I work in art myself, and it may or may not be a
> testimony to my lack of ability, but I find it difficult to get a room
> of only four or five people to agree on ridiculous little points like
> the ones mentioned in these posts.
You make an excellent point, but points of fact should be rather simple to
represent. The tatoes on an arm are not unspecific details. Exactly how
muscular Rand's arm is, though, is something that is open to debate.
> Every additional person with the authority to modify a work of art in
> progress reduces its end-quality like some kind of lowest common
> denominator of painting. If Sweet painted something that was
> stone-cold guaranteed not to irk any of you... it would be a piece of
> shit. I swear it's true. I've seen it happen before.
Perhaps... If he could please even _one_ of us, though, it would be nice.
> Overall, I don't like the painting much either. But, it's well done
> and conveys a properly spooky mood, even if Rand is jerking off two of
> his invisible giant friends.
I disagree; the cover art conveys nothing to me other than this:
Rand is about to walk into a hole while playing choo-choo train in front
of an extremely badly painted picture of a city.
mhunter
On 08-Jun-96 12:52:34, Alistair J. R. Young (ava...@arkane.demon.co.uk) wrote in rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan:
>In <31b9265c....@news.deltanet.com>, ma...@deltanet.com (Mason Houtz)
>writes:
>>Overall, I don't like the painting much either. But, it's well done
>>and conveys a properly spooky mood, even if Rand is jerking off two of
>>his invisible giant friends.
>Oh no! It's the Ogier and pedophilia thread again!
ObJedBait: <shudder>
--
Matthew Hunter (mhun...@andrew.cmu.edu)
Amiga 4000/030/18/CyberVision64/Ariadne
Vote Libertarian -- Harry Browne in '96!
Paul Khangure
In an Age long past, an Age yet to come, Alistair J. R. Young wrote:
: In <31b9265c....@news.deltanet.com>, ma...@deltanet.com (Mason Houtz) writes:
: >Overall, I don't like the painting much either. But, it's well done
: >and conveys a properly spooky mood, even if Rand is jerking off two of
: >his invisible giant friends.
:
: Oh no! It's the Ogier and pedophilia thread again!
<Shudder>
Paul "Moridin" Khangure
--
If you aren't living on the edge, you're taking up too much space.
p...@tartarus.uwa.edu.au http://www.uwa.edu.au/student/prk/
It is unsporting to engage in a battle of wits against an unarmed opponent.
If you can lay on the floor without holding on then you're not drunk.
John S. Novak, III
>Why is everybody so damn bitter about the cover art?
Because it sucks.
I've been relatively ambivalent until now, but having seen the aCoS
cover in all its lurid glory, I can no longer in good conscience keep
silent.
>The pose is a little goofy.
The pose is more than a little goofy. It is completely and utterly
moronic. He's standing there buff and pumped, taunting Sammael by
making jerk-off motions with his fists.
And the most distinguishing characteristic about Rand, other than his
heigh and hair, are the Dragons on his arms. What is supposed to be a
pair of very large tattoos covering him all the way up to his elbows
are reduced to gold bracelets.
And worst of all, this is the seventh Rand we've had! He doesn't look
_anything_ like _any_ of the characters on previous book covers! Rand
is on every goddam cover of every goddam book, and every goddam
incarnation of Rand is distinct and different! They don't even
_resemble_ each other!
>I'd read these books if they printed a photocopy of Jordan's big hairy
>ass on the covers. There's a big world of people out there who read
>the words between the pretty pictures.
The point is, the art is as close to objectively bad as I've ever
seen. It's just _wrong_. When you do a cover, you'd like it to be
both aesthetically pleasing and accurate. If you can't get both, try
for at least _one_. These covers get none.
_God_ I wish Michael Whelan had been contracted for these.
>And anyway...
>How can one artist be expected to envision a scene to please thousands
>of different readers?
I'd be impressed (not to mention shocked) if he managed to please
dozens. I'd be surprised if he managed to please one.
>But have no fear. Anal retention can be cured!
>Paint your own cover with everything the way you like it and paste it
>to the outside of the book. But please quit your senseless bitching
>until you understand all the constraints this guy's got to work with.
No truce with the Shadow.
No excuses for crap.
--
John S. Novak, III j...@cegt201.bradley.edu
http://cegt201.bradley.edu/~jsn/index.html
The Humblest Man on the Net
P.T. Korda
In article <4pgij3$b...@tribune.concentric.net>,
John S. Novak, III <J...@cris.com> wrote:
>In <31b9265c....@news.deltanet.com> ma...@deltanet.com (Mason Houtz) writes:
>
>>Why is everybody so damn bitter about the cover art?
>Because it sucks.
Ah, finally, the Novak has seen the Light. :)
>The pose is more than a little goofy. It is completely and utterly
>moronic. He's standing there buff and pumped, taunting Sammael by
>making jerk-off motions with his fists.
What I love is that "Rand" has this Conanesque musculature on his arm,
and these teeny-weeny, skinny little legs.
And what is that glowing hole in the ground supposed to be?
I can usually respect Sweet's depiction of non-human things; he
usually does a decent job with landscapes and buildings. However, SL
on the COS cover looks like he recycled it from his cover art for
Asimov's _The Currents of Space_.
>And worst of all, this is the seventh Rand we've had! He doesn't look
>_anything_ like _any_ of the characters on previous book covers! Rand
Actually, the version on TDR comes close to what I imagine Rand looks
like, but that may just be that that pic isn't very detailed.
>is on every goddam cover of every goddam book, and every goddam
>incarnation of Rand is distinct and different! They don't even
>_resemble_ each other!
I have a theory about this. Each cover, RJ calls Sweet and says, "You
got him wrong AGAIN!" So, he gives it another try...
>The point is, the art is as close to objectively bad as I've ever
>seen. It's just _wrong_. When you do a cover, you'd like it to be
>both aesthetically pleasing and accurate. If you can't get both, try
>for at least _one_. These covers get none.
Exactly, Whelan, for example, can get away with being inaccurate
(e.g. _Assassin's Apprentice_ & _Royal Assassin_), bc he's so damn
good. Even if his depiction of the characters is inaccurate, it's
still nice to look at.
>_God_ I wish Michael Whelan had been contracted for these.
Or any one of a number of good artists. I've always thought that Tom
Canty (who did the original inside-the-cover map) would be a super
choice.
>>But have no fear. Anal retention can be cured!
>>Paint your own cover with everything the way you like it and paste it
>>to the outside of the book.
In all seriousness, I am actually considering doing this.
>>But please quit your senseless bitching
>>until you understand all the constraints this guy's got to work with.
>
There are many _fans_ who have done WOT artwork, and done a bettter
job then Sweet.
>No truce with the Shadow.
>No excuses for crap.
My sentiments exactly.
-pam
Nemayne
P.T. Korda wrote:
>
> In article <4pgij3$b...@tribune.concentric.net>,
> John S. Novak, III <J...@cris.com> wrote:
> >In <31b9265c....@news.deltanet.com> ma...@deltanet.com (Mason Houtz) writes:
> >
> >>Why is everybody so damn bitter about the cover art?
> >Because it sucks.
>
> Ah, finally, the Novak has seen the Light. :)
>
> >The pose is more than a little goofy. It is completely and utterly
> >moronic. He's standing there buff and pumped, taunting Sammael by
> >making jerk-off motions with his fists.
>
> What I love is that "Rand" has this Conanesque musculature on his arm,
> and these teeny-weeny, skinny little legs.
>
ROTFL. Thank you for cheering up my afternoon!
**************************************************
"The smart answer to that," said Lymond patiently,
"is that we are all mad."
Robert Mahoney - 2Rud Software
Gavin Doyle (gtd...@liberty.uc.wlu.edu) wrote:
: hat the heck is the guy on the cover doing?!?!? he looks like he's making
LOL! That was my impression, it sure looks stupid. To me it looks
like he is saying "Which way to muscle beach?".
Bob
Cal Lott
The cover art on every single book, including aCoS, is
unmitigated shit. (At least it's consistent in that respect.) I have
yet to find anyone who finds it appealing on any level. If a publisher
continued to put this cover art on my books, I would do everything in
my power to make it stop.
Perhaps Jordan is dissatisfied but contractually obligated to
accept whatever art Tor forces upon him for the next few books (I have
heard that is the case), but surely he has enough leverage to force a
change. If nothing else, surely Tor wants his contract for his next
series of books.
<Sigh>
Perhaps we will get new cover art in a few years for softcover
reprints. Or perhaps Tor will comission new cover art for a special
hardcover collector's edition of the entire series when and if
Jordan ever finishes it.
In any case, I'm not holding my breath.
Regards,
-Cal
P.S. Sorry to sound so snippy, but the cover art is a major peeve.
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Computers are useless. They can only give you answers." -- Pablo Picasso
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don HARLOW
J...@cris.com (John S. Novak, III) lastatempe skribis:
>In <31b9265c....@news.deltanet.com> ma...@deltanet.com (Mason Houtz) writes:
>>Why is everybody so damn bitter about the cover art?
>Because it sucks.
>I've been relatively ambivalent until now, but having seen the aCoS
>cover in all its lurid glory, I can no longer in good conscience keep
>silent.
> [Lots more stuff about how ridiculous Rand looks, etc.]
I think you are missing the point, John. The character on the cover is
not Rand; he is obviously Sammael.
Those things on his arms are not intended to be dragons. They are
tattoos that he got when he was a sergeant in the AoL army. They are
words in Old Tongue curliglyphs. One says "hot" and the other says
"cold."
I think that Sweet was showing great daring and originality when he
proposed this cover to Tor.
Don HARLOW
http://www.webcom.com/~donh/
(English version available at http://www.webcom.com/~donh/dona.html)
John S. Novak, III
>>>Why is everybody so damn bitter about the cover art?
>>Because it sucks.
>Ah, finally, the Novak has seen the Light. :)
I wasn't terribly thrilled with LoC either, I just didn't say much
about it. I was trying to ignore it. This one about made me retch.
>What I love is that "Rand" has this Conanesque musculature on his arm,
>and these teeny-weeny, skinny little legs.
That's what happens when you only work the upper body...
>Actually, the version on TDR comes close to what I imagine Rand looks
>like, but that may just be that that pic isn't very detailed.
Yeah, if he had managed to remember that Rand has _red_ hair, not
brown. Yeesh.
>Exactly, Whelan, for example, can get away with being inaccurate
>(e.g. _Assassin's Apprentice_ & _Royal Assassin_), bc he's so damn
>good. Even if his depiction of the characters is inaccurate, it's
>still nice to look at.
Extremely good example.
I love those covers because while they're a bit inaccurate (wrong hair
color is the only thing I can think of at the moment) they're
aestheitcally pleasing.
Nelno the Amoeba
On 10 Jun 1996 19:10:53 GMT, rmah...@alpha.netusa.net (Robert Mahoney
- 2Rud Software) spun this thread into the pattern of our age:
>Bob
Never mind the fact that he's leaning so far forward, with his calves
so far behind him, that he could not possibly stand up. Except with
the One Power...
Possibly the worst cover yet. Well, that's hard to say. They suck
pretty hard.
NTA
--------------
Rain falls. Life sucks. Snow blows.
Brian Lee French
Frank Hauptmann (haup...@informatik.uni-kl.de) wrote:
: the Knobs wrote:
:
: > I'm looking forward to comments on the new cover. In short I hate the
: > muscle man pose from Rand. At least we get a trolloc with an animal head
: > instead of just an animal helmet. Any other comments?
Yeah. Rand looks like a Rock-'em-Sock-'em Robot.
--
Brian
luc...@alpha.internetpro.com
blfr...@whale.st.usm.edu
Kenneth G. Cavness
Pam Korda wrote:
>Exactly, Whelan, for example, can get away with being inaccurate
>(e.g. _Assassin's Apprentice_ & _Royal Assassin_), bc he's so damn
>good. Even if his depiction of the characters is inaccurate, it's
>still nice to look at.
Okay, after re-reading this I note that this is not talking about the
Freidman books, but because I'm a lazy ass, I'm going to make my little
comment anyways:
I've seen a couple of people comment that Whelan's cover on the
_Coldfire_ trilogy was inaccurate for book two; this is incorrect.
The person on the dead treething in book two is the Prince.
Hey, nobody said this had to be a revelation...
Lyndon Goodacre
I have to say that while they are obviously often inaccurate, I
think the coverart for the WoT books is good. I do agree that
Rand's (whoever's) pose in ACOS is a bit ridiculous, and that he
looks different in every book, by I just try to ignore it. The
landscapes, at least, are good, and the people, even though they
aren't how I imagine them, aren't that bad to look at either. I
don't want any heated arguments over this, mind. Its just MO:-)
-Lyndonnnnn
--
Lydnonnnn eeeercadooG
ganders
> The cover art has generally been getting worse book by book.
> The Rand figure on ACOS looks kinda mutated or deformed, don't you
> think? If only Tor had gotten Whelan instead of Sweet for the WOT
> covers. Too bad he's been focusing on personal works lately. Just
> think how great the covers could have been! Whelan's covers for the
> Snow Queen and Summer Queen by Joan D. Vinge were some of the best
> I've ever seen. Like Cal said, maybe on the reprints . . .
>
> Yours, Leilani
KAVLCJG
I also thought that the cover was Perrin Then I noticed the dragons.\
Saint Erroneous
In article <31BC86...@pdevelopt.com>,
>> In article <4pgij3$b...@tribune.concentric.net>,
>> John S. Novak, III <J...@cris.com> wrote:
>> >In <31b9265c....@news.deltanet.com> ma...@deltanet.com (Mason Houtz) writes:
>> >>Why is everybody so damn bitter about the cover art?
>> >Because it sucks.
>> Ah, finally, the Novak has seen the Light. :)
>> >The pose is more than a little goofy. It is completely and utterly
>> >moronic. He's standing there buff and pumped, taunting Sammael by
>> >making jerk-off motions with his fists.
>> What I love is that "Rand" has this Conanesque musculature on his arm,
>> and these teeny-weeny, skinny little legs.
Careful observers will note that Rand's centre of gravity can only be
somewhere in _front_ of his feet. Thus he's actually looking stupid
because he's about to fall over onto that stupid baroque spike and impale
himself...
*sigh*
Now if only DKS did self-portraits. Wouldn't we laugh.
-michael
--
-St. michael (mainly) Erroneous http://goliath.mersinet.co.uk/~ishamael/
"What is GAY?" email - isha...@mersinet.co.uk
"A bourgeois deviation that will disappear come the revolution!"
Erica L. Sadun
In article <4pisbj$n...@tribune.concentric.net>,
:
:>>>Why is everybody so damn bitter about the cover art?
:>>Because it sucks.
:>Ah, finally, the Novak has seen the Light. :)
:I wasn't terribly thrilled with LoC either, I just didn't say much
:about it. I was trying to ignore it. This one about made me retch.
:>What I love is that "Rand" has this Conanesque musculature on his arm,
:>and these teeny-weeny, skinny little legs.
:That's what happens when you only work the upper body...
:I love those covers because while they're a bit inaccurate (wrong hair
:color is the only thing I can think of at the moment) they're
:aestheitcally pleasing.
You're only saying that because of
http://www.mindspring.com/~webrx/cover.GIF
-- E
--
=================================ERICA SADUN==================================
"JavaScript Cookbook" forthcoming from Charles River Media. ISBN 1-886801-35-5
US & Canadian Orders: 1-800-382-8505 (9-5 EDT) Fax ordering: 703-689-0660
[Never Forget: http://www.wiesenthal.com/children/spaolo.htm]
=============================er...@cc.gatech.edu==============================
GHound9Mil
d...@donh.vip.best.com (Don HARLOW)
>J...@cris.com (John S. Novak, III) lastatempe skribis:
>>In <31b9265c....@news.deltanet.com> ma...@deltanet.com >(Mason
Houtz) writes:
>> [Lots more stuff about how ridiculous Rand looks, etc.]
>I think you are missing the point, John. The character on the cover is
>not Rand; he is obviously Sammael.
>Those things on his arms are not intended to be dragons. They are
>tattoos that he got when he was a sergeant in the AoL army. They are
>words in Old Tongue curliglyphs. One says "hot" and the other says
>"cold."
No no no! He got them when he was in the Navy. They are mermaids and they
do the hula when he flexes those muscles.
You have to admit he did a better job with the trollocs this time though.
I have always thought the cover of the Dragon Reborn is a recycled Hardy
Boys cover and the cover for Lord of Chaos is from one of those tacky
romance novels.
Chris
Steve Frishcosy
: > ma...@deltanet.com (Mason Houtz) wrote in article
: <31b9265c....@news.deltanet.com>...
: > Why is everybody so damn bitter about the cover art?
: >
If that _is_ Rand on the cover, then I think those golden
dragons on his forearms must have to eat, too. When they do, they have
to store it somewhere. That somewhere has got to be Rand's upper arms.
Usually in these books, when there's something horribly
disproportionate about someone's physical appearance, we're told about
it. I don't remember reading about Rand as a tall grey-eyed farmer type
with arm muscles as big as many normal folks' heads. Who knows, maybe
the taint on saidin mimics steriod usage. I guess we'll find out if he
commands an Aes Sedai to Heal his --
And if the artist really thought of Rand as that way, what would
Perrin look like? One big muscle with two beady yellow eyes poking out
between two patches of curly hair and a wicked half-moon bladed axe
sticking out somewhere?
I think that this may just be the kinda artist who, if drawing
for a comic book, makes female characters' breast size directly
proportional to their power... Nynaeve'd never be able to stand up.
--
___________________________________________________________________________
Steve Frishcosy - - - - - SNFR...@oakland.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt
ghoun...@aol.com (GHound9Mil) wrote:
Well, except for this cover, I have liked the ones in the past. If it
was not for the cover of the EotW, I probably never would have started
reading this series. So, I thank Sweet for that.
Anyway, maybe it is not Rand on the cover. If it is Sammael, as
suggested above, he certainly is as foolish as his arms are big, since
he is a member of AOL. Wouldn't a local ISP be better?
I think it is really Perrin on the cover. He was jealous of Rand's
lovely dragons, so he got them tatooed <sp?> on his arms, only the guy
did them wrong. The choo-chooing motions he makes are just hand
motions while he is thinking, "Now, where did I put that hammer? I
really need to smash that guy who did these tatooes."
Still can't figure out the big arms/skinny legs though.
Matt
Jacob Sewell
Captain, a sensor scan reveals that kav...@aol.com (KAVLCJG) wrote:
>I also thought that the cover was Perrin Then I noticed the dragons.\
Interesting theory came from that... may be a spoiler. A friend of
mine made a refrence to "Rand on the cover", and I said, "could be
Demandred." And he said, "Yeah, that's why he has Dragons on his
arms."
This led to my supreme inspiration: Rand is Demandred!
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Kickapoo
What a hoot(er) :)