Holmes' Little Metal People, Take II

After I posted yesterday, Billy Galaxy sent me a much better copy of the photo from the L.A. Times article. It's uncropped and the resolution in the scan is fantastic: the individual minis are actually identifiable. The table may be the same one as in the photo in his 1981 FRPG book, with a blackboard surface for drawing dungeon maps in chalk. 

I'm far from an expert on minis but I do recognize three "Pumpkinhead Bugbears" (Archive, 1976, Dungeon Nasties set) near his left hand.

Detail of Holmes' Bugbears

Here's a close-up of someone else's painted one from an old Acaeum post:

These minis were based on the original Bugbear drawing (by Greg Bell) in the Greyhawk supplement (1975), which also served to later inspire the Jack O' Bear of Runequest.

The original D&D Bugbear illustration

Billy also identified some of the minis as Dragontooth Saurians, inc the large lizard in the middle, and some Minifig Gnolls to the far right. Let me know if you recognize any other minis from the picture.

See also these follow-up posts:
Holmes' Saurians
DCSIII Customized Saurians

Obscure Art Friday: Sphere of Doom by Greg Bell

Sphere of Doom by Greg Bell - original (left) and published (right) versions

I haven't written an art column in a while, but I saw the original work above this week, thanks to a post on the Acaeum, and wanted to share it. The published version isn't obscure - it's the cover of the Greyhawk Supplement (1975) and one of my favorites by early TSR artist Greg Bell - but the original artwork certainly is. As you can see, the original was altered for publication: the beholder was moved to the right, and lowered, and the words "SPHERE OF DOOM" were removed.

This image is via Diesel, a former TSR artist who contributed to one Holmes Basic product - the module B2 Keep on the Borderlands. The caption in the frame reads: 

"Cover to the first DUNGEONS & DRAGONS booklet "Greyhawk". Greg was one of the first artists for D&D. Believe it or not I recovered this from the garbage can along with many other illustrations from the first books. 1977". 

(Two clarifications here: it's the first supplement, not the first D&D book, and the artwork must be from 1975 or earlier, not 1977). 

As reported on the neogrognard blog in 2011, some of this other art included: "a large chunk from Deities and Demigods ... the cover to The Dragon #2, Steve Bissette illos for an earth elemental and a bullywug toy, Spelljammer originals, and Dragonlance maps".

As posted on Grognardia in 2012, Bell's warrior was modeled (some call it swiped) on a figure from Dax the Damned, a recurring series in Eerie horror comic magazine. Given the DIY/fanzine level of production of the early D&D books, I find this type of use to be on par with Gygax's appropriation of Tolkien elements (elves, dwarves, orcs etc).

And now Diesel is apparently creating his own version of this scene for the D&D Documentary Kickstarter. A sneak peak of the work in progress was posted here a few months ago.

Obscure Art Friday: Balrog by Greg Bell

"Balrog" by Greg Bell from pg 13 of Dungeons & Dragons, Vol 2, Monsters & Treasure

This picture of a Balrog is from the LBBs (aka OD&D), specifically Vol 2, Monsters & Treasure, pg 13. It's by Greg Bell, who did much of the artwork in the LBBs, including the original covers. The Balrog is flying, perhaps to attack, and is shrouded in faint flames (which did not reproduce well in the printed picture). Also note that he is wearing boots and a bracer.

I have a later (OCE) set of the LBBs, and I didn't realize until recently that this picture was is of a Balrog. But in the 1st through 5th printings, this picture was actually labeled "Balrog". It was followed on page 14 by the monster entry for Balrogs. In the 6th printing many Tolkien references were removed. The entry for Balrog was deleted and replaced by a cartoon by Tom Wham. This Balrog picture was left in, but the title "Balrog" was removed. Which is why this picture is missing a name unlike most of Bell's monsters.

For those who also have a later printing, I've created a Balrog Reference Sheet that lists all of the places where Balrog-related information was removed from the LBBs and Chainmail. It also lists the Balrog references in Greyhawk, but not Eldritch Wizardry, which fundamentally changed the original Balrog by turning it into a Type VI demon.

I've always considered Balrogs as part of D&D, as Holmes included two of the original references in the Blue Book. See my previous post Balrogs in the Blue Book for a description of these.

Possible inspiration for Bell's Balrog...?