White Dwarf #11 Cover Art

Cover Art By John Blanche

It is great to see Blanche in color, though this issue seems to have washed out some of the darker bits I've seen in pictures of the original artwork; Spikey with a slightly grotesque surrealism that I always associate with some particularly memorable fever-induced nightmares I had in intensive care as a child recovering from a carwreck and various internal injuries. Probably why I find Blanche's work both evocative and repellent and powerful. His work certainly makes memorable covers and his miniature work is outstanding. This is the kind of real artistry that was lacking in most Dragon magazines and many of the later TSR products once they had booted Gygax and castrated the company. Trampier, Otus, Sutherland, for the early days of TSR and Blanche here setting the tone for White Dwarf and the early look of Warhammer and 40K.