Malazan fans rejoice!
If all goes well, Michael Komarck should deliver the rest of the artwork and the book could be headed to the printer in the next couple of weeks! Which means that -- again, if all goes according to plan -- get our hands on this beautiful edition in the near future.
To help you cope with the wait, here are a few sketches from the artist. And before anyone asks, no I haven't seen any of the finished prints yet. But all your comments were sent to both Bill at Subpress and Komarck, so that he can get it "right."
So here is a sketch of Kalam and Quick Ben on the rooftops. Hopefully the final version will include the Tiste Andii. You also have the raising of Tool. And, finally, you have an alternate version of Raest facing the dragons.
Hope you appreciate these, for you won't see anything else until the limited edition of Gardens of the Moon becomes available. If you wish to snatch one of the remaining copies, get your butt in gear and head out to http://www.subterraneanpress.com/!
sweeeeet, but I thought Kalam was black or nearly so?
ReplyDeleteAgain, AMAZING artwork!!
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I hope that Kalam will look a little more 'African' in the final artwork. I always pictured him more like Mr. Eko from 'Lost' or like Djimon Hounsou from 'Blood Diamond' and 'Gladiator'
I didn't know Quick Ben was bald?
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought Kalam was more "bulky"
These are nuts. Komarck is killing it.
ReplyDeleteThese are awesome sketches, but Kalam and QB are definitely both black, so that needs a quick adjustment.
ReplyDeleteKomarck is a brilliant artist, SubPress made an excellent choice!
That middle picture really looks like it could be a scene of a more..um.."adult" nature. Not trying to make a joke, it really DOES look more like sime kind of sexual assualt. Probably just me.
ReplyDeleteNot trying to be funny here.
Soo f'ing awesome. God how I wish I had the $120..
ReplyDeleteThey look black to me in the painting! I don't know what you all are seeing!?
ReplyDeleteChange their skincolour and perhaps make Quick more skinny/feminine
ReplyDeleteAnonymous #3, they are definitely white or very light skinned in these images. On my PC at work they are noticeably darker than my mac at home so it may depend on your screen. Regardless, they're still too light for their characters.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Anon about the second picture seeming vaguely... inappropriate. Sorry seems to think so too :D
ReplyDeleteAlways thought Kalam was a big hulking behemoth and Quick Ben extremely thin and small in comparison. Oh, and black as night :D
nice pics, only problem is I always thought Quick was black for some reason. i thought thats how the description came across. The pick of him and Kalam shows different.
ReplyDeleteOk now that I read the comments I see that I wasnt the only one that thought that. Also I agree with the person who said Kalam is supposed to be a behemoth. Especially after reading the description of his blacksmith brother.
ReplyDeletePlus the dagger looks like the guy was just too lazy to fill it in. Looks like a blank spot on the canvas. Dabel Bros where are you!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe other version of the Raest vs Silanah has the Janghut in a much better pose. The dragon cannot be possibly be improved upon.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know who Tool is killing?
It's one of the Barghast who was chasing and fighting Adjunct Lorn.
ReplyDeleteTool rose from the earth beneath him and rammed his sword between the guys legs in the process...
The first version of Raest was better. Better posture.
ReplyDeleteHe shouldn't wear clothes, ok, but he should also look much less healthy, with skin giving up to bones. He is kept together just thanks to magic. And I would make him look a bit more menacing and less human-with-green-skin.
Kalam/Quick Ben is good (and I don't get people who think they look "white"?).
The picture with Tool instead is a bit too confused. It would need some different layout.
Tool rose from the earth beneath him and rammed his sword between the guys legs in the process...
ReplyDeleteSword indeed...
As for Tool, I always thought the T'lan Imass would look... slightly human. Three hundred thousand years probably hasn't improved their looks, but I'm surprised at how bony he is :P Also, are the T'lan supposed to have horns?
Man, I've got to reread this book. It was four or five years ago, I didn't continue reading the series, and I don't remember any of this stuff.
ReplyDeleteI want the Kalam/Quick Ben pic for my wall. :)
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with Bennyday, the first jaghut/silanah picture was much better IMO simply due to the jaghut's posture/pose, as if he were about to attack the dragon.
ReplyDeleteNot complaining though, I like both.
Also @ Joanna, if you look well, I believe you can see that Tool has a helmet on, which is accurate, right?
ReplyDeleteJordan @ thanks, that clarifies it. :)
ReplyDeleteI just read on the subpress website that they might not be able to fill orders from large online retailers. I ordered my copy through amazon.com, should I be worried?
ReplyDeleteQuick and Kalam look black to me. Maybe not a "Mr. Eko" black, but certainly a Terrence Howard black. (Gods, using such terminology to try and make a point feels so very wrong).
ReplyDeleteBut since we're nitpicking, Lorn's nursing the wrong arm (it was her right arm that hung useless after the clash with the barghest). OH NOES!
The Raest pic might not look as good as the first version, but Komarck has obviously taken into account the complaints he received after the last version went live. Further complaints are just going to delay the project even more.
@shayed, that's the very reason I pre-ordered through SubPress. Sure, I could've saved 40% buying through Amazon, but I've seen SubPress announce their inability to ship certain titles to online retailers in the past, and I didn't want to be one of those caught out when (not if) it happened with Gardens. I hope you don't miss out.
@alrin, thanks a lot! your comment made me change my mind and order it through subpress directly...
ReplyDeleteI wanna see Whiskeyjack!!!
ReplyDeleteartwork suks....IMHO
ReplyDeleteKalam and Quickben are black first of all, second, Raest should be bigger and looks too human, more hulking orc with tusks was how I saw him and all the Jaghut. Not too bad of Tool, only again he should be more neandrathal boned and not some wimpy looking skeleton. Also the angle on the pick suks.
To those who think Kalam and Quick Ben look black in that picture...LOL. I thought it was supposed to be Crokus and someone else. If they're black so are Vin Diesel and Antonio Banderas.
ReplyDeleteAnd for what it's worth, I think it *is* important. Let's be honest with ourselves, you don't often encounter black characters in fantasy, particularly black *mages*, Erikson obviously portrayed them that way with intent, so it's best to honor his intent.
From his writing I imagined Kalam to be built like a large running back - big, broad but very mobile, and Quick Ben as tall and thin, like a Maasai http://www.flickr.com/photos/paks/3967626000/ or http://sneezr.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/maasai-warrior1.jpg Obviously without their particular dress style though. But hey, that's just me. I liked his adaptations of all the other characters, I felt they were spot on.