“A ranger in the service of the High King has just been attacked by the undead remains of one of her old opponents — a frost giant who has waited a long time for this moment of revenge. Having lost her sword and used up her normal arrows, the ranger has a single elven arrow left.”
Still one of the best winter or arctic fantasy scenes of all time — Daniel Horne’s “Saving the Best for Last”, cover of Dragon magazine No 126, later reused as a page in the 2nd ed AD&D Monstrous Compendium.
I think this serves as an excellent example of how much more dramatic and exciting an image can be when you don’t make sex appeal your top priority.
There have been hundreds of covers from Dragon Magazine, and many of them… highly questionable at best. But this one is amazing.
Here’s hoping that in 2015 it’s imagery like this that inspires many creators.
– wincenworks