I've been looking at a lot of Ralph McQuarrie artwork since his passing and one of my favorites is his cover for the first edition paperback. This novelization was ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster and released many months before the film. All the later printings changed to the more familiar gold cover with art by John Berkey.
I thought it might be fun to add some motion to McQuarrie's classic cover and so I created this gif. (You might need to let it cycle through once or twice before it gets to normal speed.)
Visit Rebelscum.com for their excellent article on the history of the Star Wars novelization.
Next up will be Splinter of the Mind's Eye.
Awesome work NC!
ReplyDeleteGreat job! This is one of my favorite SW pieces of art, and you really brought it to life.
ReplyDeleteI spent 20 years looking for this in used bookstores, thrift stores, etc, until I finally found a copy 5 years ago or so. I then found 2 more in the next couple years!
Thanks for the link! I find it incredible that after all this time, years after officially acknowledging the fact, Alan Dean Foster is still not credited as the author of the first novelization.
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