ESCAPE by Michael Whelan. This unpublished painting was for a line of science fiction books Harlequin was planning to launch in the mid 80s, but the project never got off the ground.
Oddly the empty space on this wraparound cover was designated to fall on the right. I asked Michael about the unconventional layout and he explained that they planned to use the spaceship on the back covers, fading into a unique front cover for each volume.
Looking back, it’s not surprising the project never saw the light of day. As Michael described it, the art direction read like a marketing calculation, ideas formulated by committee that sounded as cynical and formulaic as the Monkees.
He did finish this painting, a few proposed logos, and was struggling with a cover when mercifully word came down that the project was canned.
Source: michaelwhelan.com
