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/lit/ - Literature

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File: 421 KB, 1035x1200, frankfrazetta-conan-the-destroyer-1971.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4321212 No.4321212[DELETED]  [Reply] [Original]

It's something that's probably been discussed tons of times but I really want to get to the bottom of this. Why are they so incredibly shitty? Even ignoring the common motifs that motivate their content (dragons, magic ... medieval shit) and looking purely at the basic art design, they fall so short of covers of any other genre (aside romance) it baffles me how anyone could approve the designs.

Is that simply what readers of fantasy enjoy? Is it that they're simply able to excuse/ignore the cover art if the book is good enough?

If they're going to go for something "realistic" at least they could do it in a heavily stylized manner. Take Frank Franzetta's Conan art. Probably the BEST fantasy cover artist I've ever seen. Mainly because he can take a relatively common set of themes (muscular man, armor/weapons, goblin-like creatures) and display it so vividly and stylistically, you almost forget what you're seeing isn't anything new, when you break it down into the actual content of the scene

>> No.4321221

>>4321212

When I was a kid I ripped the covers off of all my fantasy novels because I couldn't stand to look at them :/

The depictions of the characters just didn't match what I saw in my head while reading.

Some of these might have been Conan novels...

>> No.4321230

>>4321212
Undemanding audience, probably. Plus they've got to have the tropes on the cover because shared tropes are what makes genre fiction genre.

>> No.4321545

>>4321230
Yeah but shitty art isn't a requisite. Take a dragon. Tons of cultures have drastically different depictions of them yet it seems every western fantasy artist uses the same old Tolkien inspired version. I'm tired of seeing Smaug is different colors. Mix and match different aspects!

>> No.4321571

>>4321545
Only the books worth reading seem to have the more memorable covers.

Its all of the throw away shit that has the photographed dude in a hood in-front of some flames or some shit.

>> No.4321602
File: 27 KB, 631x106, typical fantasy novel.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4321602

>>4321212

>> No.4321608

>>4321602
I remember that post

>> No.4321630
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4321630

>>4321212
I dont understand it either OP.

If they used these ebook covers for the WoT series it would be guaranteed to be picked up by more people.

Then again I dont have experience with what covers youre talking about, in book stores here the english fantasy series have no cover art at all, they expect titles alone to sell, fucking dumbasses, dont let me start about the paper quality.

>> No.4321672

>>4321221
*I was autistic growing up