Speaking of the mid-80s, here’s The Art of the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Game (1985), which is a retrospective of the game’s first ten years of visuals.

The cover is maybe the most 80s looking thing TSR ever produced, capturing the vibes of both Bob Ross and mall murals. Remember malls? Remember how they were once so central to the American consumer experience? The cover of this book makes me want to waste a time travel trip to go back to 1984 and wander the Ocean County Mall for a couple hours. Nostalgia is a hell of a thing, folks.

Anyway, this book covers a lot of the same ground as the Art of Dragonlance. What isn’t Dragonlance is mostly covers of stuff you’ve already seen in this feed, or will see in the future. What is really special about this book? All the concept art for the LJN Dungeons & Dragons toy line by comic artists Tim Truman (Hawkworld, Jonah Hex), Steve R. Bisette (Swamp Thing, among others) and John Totleben (Bisette’s longtime inker and the defining artist for Alan Moore’s Miracleman). (The Kelek is by Elmore, though)

I am not sure these ever surfaced anywhere else (though some appear in Art & Arcana). They’re a real treat. It is amazing A. how cool they are and B. how much of the insanely detailed drawings actually made it into the admittedly rough-hewn PVC monster toys. Its as if the toys are who knows how many generations of photocopies of photocopies of the originals – they’re mushy, but you can still see the original through all the loss of detail. Super cool.