Something I think we can all agree on about Del Rey

A lot of the Bantam covers blur together for me. There's Han, there's Luke, there's Leia, there's an X-wing and someone with a lightsaber. It feels like a drawn version of a collage, rather than its own piece of art; that they're all based off movie stills doesn't help. That said, there are some that stand out. I really like the cover of Truce at Bakura. It's simple and effective, and it's refreshing to see the heroes when they're still young. The X-wing ones are generally good, too.

Del Rey, as noted, is largely photomontages, but that's not all bad either. Labyrinth of Evil is nice, and Shatterpoint is a nice use of pre-existing images to create a fairly unique composition. I haven't read NJO, but I see from Quest's post that there are several drawn covers there. I like Rebel Stand's for some reason, and Rebel Dream's is good too. Drawn covers can't go without a mention of Outbound Flight, one of the few (only?) recent hardcovers with a drawn cover, and a really good one at that. I like the LOTF style; Betrayal looks really nice in person, with the mix of greens and blacks.

Regarding Japanese covers, I just want to know why we couldn't get the Japanese NEC cover.

And Dark Journey is just awful. I'd be frightened to buy that.

 

HTTE. C'boath shooting off the "rays" of Force Lightning into infinity is one of THE iconic EU images.

 

Most of the NJO covers were fuzzy blurs whose cosmic significance zoinks only know. Most of the Clone War novel covers were too simplistic. Hard Contact was okay, but the sequel was essentially the same, and very droll. Traitor's cover in particular Bothaned the annoyance, all right---computerised styles look slick, but if you're gonna rip it from movie shots at least forest it a bit to reflect in-book events. Don't get me started on Dark Rendezvous.

Dark Nest's were too simplified as well, though nicely done, and the snazzy cover style rocks.

The Jedi Academy Trilogy's covers shiver me with Jaghut ice. They, and the X-wing books', are bamtastic jobs.

You must remember, above all, Star Wars is American. American written, American produced. They cover front their books with heroic action figures, whereas as Aussies think picturesque scenery is more thrilling than Bullyaking all night. What the hell goes through their brains? I'm sorely tempted to ask one. Saving throw yourself! Pity you chaps got different Malazan covers. Ours are far better.

Bantamic covers were much the same, and rather generic. I won't say they're good, I can't say they're bad. Actually, the more bamtastic a cover is I've found the book to be more worthless than the average mundane. It sucked me into a lot of fantasy books I should've researched harder. Another viewpoint, it's a cost thing. You don't want to expense your cover artist too high or your profit margins are as short as Jaina's incredible 1.49m! She's by rights belly button level to the average mad barking Vong!

I respect a lot of covers book or comic wise that are from scratch, even if they aren't too hot. In my book, attempt at originality preceeds Zsinj's girth by Impstar lengths.

 

Del Rey underwhelms me with most things, covers included. Bantam Luke looked awesome but more often than not he looked like crap in the Del Rey covers.

 

I rather like Dark Journey's cover myself....

As far as the covers on Star Wars novels are concerned, I'm with the mixed bag folks. Bantam had some great covers (e.g., the forementioned Heir to the Empire cover) and some miserable ones (I'm looking at you, New Rebellion). Del Rey has seen its share of terrific covers (e.g., Star By Star and downright bad ones (e.g., The Dark Tide covers) as well.

Frankly, the only thing people are ever going to agree about Del Rey and Bantam is that both companies published Star Wars book.

 

It's fairly embarrassing, from a professional viewpoint. It's taken this long to see the Solo kids in a series primarily about them, and the cheesey marketing worm lure of X-winging a cover is redundant, as though you fruit flies aren't going to sprint to the ultraviolet lure of Star Wars. The business of asteroids Lukes the Sith Lords any night, when a dedicated readers knows Vong ships are asteroidlike, not asteroid itself.

It had potential, and I admire the guts not to stare the ubiquitous faces at you. But avid fans would have bought this one especially regardless had it a hairless Wookiee instead.