One of the fantasy and science fiction greats of all time. x.com/HildebrandtGreg/status/1852427920834474141″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:passed away;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”>passed away. Artist Greg Hildebrandt, known for his iconic work on Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Marvel and Magic: The GatheringHe died Thursday at age 85. He and his twin brother Tim, who died in 2006, were a power duo, the Hildebrandt Brothers, until they decided to pursue solo careers in 1981.
The duo were perhaps best known for their “Style B” poster (above) of the original. star wars in 1977. Released in the UK (Tom Jung's “Style A” was the original US poster), the art shows Luke Skywalker heroically raising his lightsaber above his head as King Arthur wielded Excalibur. He is flanked by Princess Leia armed with a blaster, with C-3PO and R2-D2 watching from behind. The imposing mask of Darth Vader looks at them in the background, among a sea of stars, the Death Star and starfighters.
As for Luke and Leia's notable lack of resemblance to Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, neither the Hildebrandt brothers nor Jung had access to the actors' photographs. So, they settled for generic hero images that could have been lifted from 1970s fantasy book covers. (Still radical, if not true to screen.) Hildebrandt's poster was used in the UK until January 1978, when it was replaced by Tom Chantrell's “Style C” poster, depicting the actual cast.
The brothers were also strongly associated with a number of The Lord of the Rings calendars. Decades before Peter Jackson brought the films to live action (and even before the 1978 animated version), his art, which was inspired by classic Disney films, was the most prominent visualization of Tolkien's epic for many. 70s fantasy readers.
Among Hildebrandt's many other projects are comics for Marvel and DC, illustrations for Wizards of the Coast (Magic: The Gathering and Harry Potter), magazines omni, heavy metals and amazing storiesalbum covers from Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Black Sabbath and a long list of book covers.
Hildebrandt also fought for freedom with his artistic gifts. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he contributed illustrations to the Operation USA charity anthology comic series. Proceeds were donated to Ukrainian refugee relief efforts. When explaining your decision, wrote“Any project I can lend my art to that frustrates Putin is a project I will join with all my heart, soul and mind.”
