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Post Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 1:10 am 
 

Image

Image

Image

Image

Besides The Fighting Man and Strange Tales, do we know of other works that directly inspired OD&D artwork?

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Post Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2016 9:00 pm 
 

There was once a thread on here, can't seem to find it.

Some info here: http://blogofholding.com/?p=4871

Zenopus had this: zenopusarchives.blogspot.ca/2012/03/obs ... -bell.html

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Post Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2016 9:43 pm 
 

I'm not sure if "inspirational" or "inspired" is the right word. I think that "cribbed" fits the bill

  

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Post Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:09 am 
 

Is this the Greg Bell Acaeum thread you were referring to?  Dr. Strange Image

It appears that Strange Tales #167 was a very inspirational to Mr. Bell!



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Post Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2016 10:34 pm 
 

misterspock wrote in OD&D Inspirational Artwork:I'm not sure if "inspirational" or "inspired" is the right word. I think that "cribbed" fits the bill


I personally view it as equivalent to appropriating Tolkien's elves/dwarves/hobbits/orcs/ents etc for the game.  8)

Plus, as was pointed out to me, even Kirby was known to "swipe": The Warlock's Home Brew: Even The 'King' Swiped From Time To Time (NSFW)

Here's another. In this post I show the original Bell art for the Greyhawk supplement cover, as well as the original comic image he used as the model for the fighter:
ZENOPUS ARCHIVES: Obscure Art Friday: Sphere of Doom by Greg Bell


Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

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Post Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 3:38 pm 
 

Zenopus wrote in OD&D Inspirational Artwork:
misterspock wrote in OD&D Inspirational Artwork:I'm not sure if "inspirational" or "inspired" is the right word. I think that "cribbed" fits the bill


I personally view it as equivalent to appropriating Tolkien's elves/dwarves/hobbits/orcs/ents etc for the game.  8)

Plus, as was pointed out to me, even Kirby was known to "swipe": The Warlock's Home Brew: Even The 'King' Swiped From Time To Time (NSFW)

Here's another. In this post I show the original Bell art for the Greyhawk supplement cover, as well as the original comic image he used as the model for the fighter:
ZENOPUS ARCHIVES: Obscure Art Friday: Sphere of Doom by Greg Bell


So we know Bell had Strange Tales #167 and Eerie Magazine #41!  There's at least one other swipe from Eerie #41 of a wizard.

I thought I read somewhere that the second cover of Men & Magic was also a swipe.  But I can't find that discussion or thread now.  :?

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Post Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:55 am 
 

Found this one via the muleabides blog:

And over at Dragonsfoot, OculusOrbis notes that the OSR-famous "Fight On!" images come from writer/artist Jim Steranko's SHIELD story in Strange Tales #167, page 6, panel 1 :

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Post Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 5:24 am 
 

biopunk wrote in OD&D Inspirational Artwork:Found this one via the muleabides blog:

And over at Dragonsfoot, OculusOrbis notes that the OSR-famous "Fight On!" images come from writer/artist Jim Steranko's SHIELD story in Strange Tales #167, page 6, panel 1 :


Yup.  That's one of the three or four from Strange Tales #167.



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Post Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 12:35 pm 
 

Zenopus wrote in OD&D Inspirational Artwork:
misterspock wrote in OD&D Inspirational Artwork:I'm not sure if "inspirational" or "inspired" is the right word. I think that "cribbed" fits the bill


I personally view it as equivalent to appropriating Tolkien's elves/dwarves/hobbits/orcs/ents etc for the game.  8)

Plus, as was pointed out to me, even Kirby was known to "swipe": The Warlock's Home Brew: Even The 'King' Swiped From Time To Time (NSFW)

Here's another. In this post I show the original Bell art for the Greyhawk supplement cover, as well as the original comic image he used as the model for the fighter:
ZENOPUS ARCHIVES: Obscure Art Friday: Sphere of Doom by Greg Bell


If he had only done one illustration like that I'd chalk it up to thinking maybe he was rushed to complete an entire job and I wouldn't give him a hard time. But there's just so many instances of the copying that to me it looks like he was unable to "work" any other way. There's just nothing of his drawn from originality. I completely get the copying of artwork when you're learning, in school, etc. That's just part of the process. But at some point you have to move on and have some kind of originality. Even the professionals I know whose work I've seen when they were in school still had some kind of their own flavor to it.

  


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Post Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 3:46 pm 
 

Don't forget that the mind-flayer & magic-users are obviously cribbed from the Frank Zappa ad in Strange Tales #167.

  

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Post Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 5:58 pm 
 

misterspock wrote in OD&D Inspirational Artwork:I completely get the copying of artwork when you're learning, in school, etc. That's just part of the process. But at some point you have to move on and have some kind of originality. Even the professionals I know whose work I've seen when they were in school still had some kind of their own flavor to it.


I still think you're being unduly harsh.

At this point, he was still learning.

Just because Gygax, Kaye, and Blume included his images in their publications and paid him $2 a pop, doesn't mean he suddenly springs fully formed into being as a Professional Artistâ„¢.

Like it or loathe it, How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way wasn't published until 1978, so Greg Bell is really much more of an innovator than most people are giving him credit for.  :wink:

  

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Post Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 1:14 pm 
 

if he was still learning, it's still too much of a rip-off. To me, it's really obvious. If you look at any professional's images of art they did while in school (even high school), you'll see what I mean instantly. I really have no expectation of anything being super polished, etc, but this really stands out. The amount of his work that is copied from someone else's work is really the nail in the coffin.

I like a lot of that early art btw in many fanzines of the era (even the 60's), so I'm not being judgemental about his artistic level.

  
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