From our in the studio feature from last summer

SWORDS & ICE MAGIC (1977) by Michael Whelan, cover for a collection of stories by Fritz Leiber.

Early in Michael’s career, he displayed a singular ability to pluck characters off the page to present them fully realized on the cover.

We take realism for granted in fantasy today, but back then this was a bold shift that stood out on the shelf. A Whelan cover translated directly to book sales, and that’s why publishers kept Michael so busy in the early decades of his career.

For fans, these are the portraits that stuck through the years. Roland of Gilead. Elric of Melnibone. And, of course, the classic pair of rogues Fafhrd and Grey Mouser that we see here.

I was ecstatic to find the original in my dive through the studio. I’ve always loved the illustration and I wanted to update our gallery on the website with a crisper photo.