Brom’s Tarzan — One of the Best I’ve Seen, by an Artist WIth Genuine Vision

Every day I see dozens if not hundreds of images of heroic art, courtesy of all the fans on all the Edgar Rice Burroughs and Sword and Sorcery sites and pages. It’s easy to get a little jaded. But then once in awhile I see something that stops me in my tracks. Gerald Brom’s Tarzan did exactly that. I stopped, admired it, studied it, languished in it. It’s a fine piece of work. I like everything about it … the characterization of Tarzan is subtly different than almost any other I’ve seen. He captures a stern quality — looking in those eyes, I don’t see Tarzan the Jungle Boy Scout. I see Tarzan who has a thin veneer of civilization, and in this moment, his blood lust still raging, he’s not civilized at all.

Here’s the full piece:

And here is what a color blind publisher did with it:

Now … to get a feel for what Brom is capable of, check this out:

“BROM first made his mark developing and illustrating for TSR’s bestselling role-playing worlds. He has since gone on to lend his distinctive vision to all facets of the creative industries, from novels and games, to comics and film. Most recently he’s created a series of award-winning horror novels that he both writes and illustrates: The Plucker (an adult children’s book) and The Devil’s Rose (a modern western set in Hell). His latest novel, The Child Thief, is a gritty, nightmarish retelling of the Peter Pan myth.”

I highly recommend a visit to his website. Seriously, go there now!