Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Brandon Sanderson => Topic started by: PixelFish on December 02, 2006, 06:57:24 AM
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Irene Gallo, the art director at Tor, has a blog, where recently she posted some works by Jon Foster, the artist for Mistborn covers. I guess they are doing a second cover for the paperback version, and she posts a shot of the cover as it proceeds from sketchy underpainting to finished work.
I thought the Mistborn fans would be interested in seeing this, if they hadn't yet.
http://igallo.blogspot.com/2006/11/jon-foster.html
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Humm...weird that they're doing a new cover for the PB and one that's not as visually drawing as the HB cover. To me that PB artwork's colors are to dull and everything blends into each other while the HB cover the characters stick out from the background, so from a glance at a distance there's nothing that makes the cover stand out against all the other paperbacks.
also, I edited your original title to include reference to the new artwork, hope you don't mind but I figured more people would read the thread if they knew about that.
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Whoah. Forgive me, but that cover sucks a big fat one. It looks like something kids I knew in high-school might paint...badly.
What's with the lightning coming off of Vin? Is it supposed to be the metal lines? Why would they be all wavy?
And is that Death from Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey lurking there in the background? With a sickle no less?
Did this guy read the book? Did he talk to anyone who had read the book? Can he read?
It flabbergasts me that this is, apparently, the same artist who did the hardback cover. I suspect alien mind invasion.
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Ya, I couldn't figure who that was until I remembered that as an incentive for buying the paperback EUOL added extra characters and changed the ending and is calling it "Mistborn The Director's cut" and each different edition will have a different ending, we're calling it the "Blade Runner Effect".
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Grim Reaper? What the...?
So I read the comments she has on the blog and here's her reply to a question about why they're changing the artwork:
In this case, we loved the hardcover art but we were worried that it would be hard to make out at the smaller paperback size. Since we felt we got the right tone across the first time, we decided to go back to Jon and see if he'd be up for revisiting it. (It also helped that I knew he really loved the book.)
You are right that it is unusual to go back to the same artist for new cover. More typically, if we are changing the cover for mass market, we are doing so to get a completely different feel on the book. Sometimes it's because we failed to get the hardcover the right audience, other times it's just the nature of paperback publishing versus hardcover publishing.
Most paperbacks are _not_ bought in bookstores, they are bought on impulse in drug stores, airports, supermarkets, etc. Because of that, the feeling is that you have to "STOP THE SHOPPING CART!" Things need to pop more, more foil and emboss, etc. Hardcovers are often bought in bookstores were people take their time and browse more...plus you have a lot more room to do more subtle things with.
So he had read the book, but I still don't know where the Grim Reaper comes from. Beyond strange.
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I am very interested in this discussion. Please, if others browse this thread, please say what your impressions of the cover are.
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I don't like it. I have to say I wasn't a huge fan of the hardcover either. I think it is a significant step down from the cover art for Elantris. I know you weren't allowed to use the same artist, but I think it's too bad.
So, saying that I wasn't a huge fan of the hardcover, I'd have to say that this is a step down from that. It's not a style I'm a fan of. I don't like how everything is elongated and out of proportion. Plus, the lightening lines are confusing, and the grim reaper is just weird. The hardcover at least seemed to make sense.
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Ok, I have the hardback in front of me, and I have looked at the paperback version, and I agree with the alien mind invasion theory. I can see parts where you can tell that it is the same artist, and then there are parts that make you think the artist changed hands or something. Like the intent was there, but the ability just jumped ship. I hope that it isn't a final draft, and maybe is just one of the rough sketches. If that was the case it would make more sense to me.
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I may be in the minority here, because by and large, I like Jon Foster's work, although I have to admit that I like the original cover better than the paperback. And I felt it suited the story better. The view of Vin from below, flying over her nemesis, was intriguing. I know his angular, slightly shifted surreal style isn't everybody's cup of tea, but I liked the energy Jon Foster was able to get into the work.
New cover: I disagree with the Grim Reaper figure being in the background, even allegorically, because I think the inclusion of that throws off the tone of the book. And while Vin is still very much in motion, seeing her from the side, or from above, does less to convey the same sense that she's using her powers to skate over the heads of her adversaries. As an artist, I think the painting is fine, BUT I don't feel that it's the right cover for Mistborn, per se. I'm very much a fan of the first cover.
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I don't have time to give details, but in a lot of ways, I prefer the pb cover to the hb cover. This is probably just a style preference.
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I don't hate the cover, but I'm not crazy about it, either. The grim reaper definitely throws me off, and her skewed face doesn't do much for me. It's not a cover that would draw me to a book.
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I like this cover much better, except that Vin's face is kinda freaky. She looks like a twisted old man. But then, I never liked the HB cover. I prefer this one over the other one, but I'm not in love with either.
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I can't tell if that is supposed to be Vin or Kelsier. That's usually a bad thing. The grim reaper just plain doesn't belong there. Neither do the crows. Even disregarding those things, I think the art is repulsive. The hardcover art was much better.
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Archon you bring up a good point, for a while I thought it was a depiction of Kesler's fight with Lord Ruler and not Vin at all until I figured they wouldn't use Kelser on a cover plus you can see the character is wearing a dress under the mistcloak. I don't think the cover is hideous as some have mentioned but as a cover it doesn't work for the reasons I mentioned in my first post plus what Archon said. I hate book covers that even after I read the book I have no clues as to where the cover came from, tells me as a book reader that the publisher doesn't care much about the book.
Also, I'm probably one of the few that like the push/pull lines as electricity over straight lines, while when I read the book I thought of them as straight (like a laser pointer) this works much better visually and actually adds some nice variation to the art itself and shows a sense of movement/action with those that straight lines wouldn't convey well. I like how they vary in intensity too.
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I'm in line with those who don't care for the paperback cover. It's not the artist style that bothers me as much as it appears as if the artist didn't read the book and created the cover based on some brief descriptions. The cover just does not match book because of stupid elements like the grin reaper or the crows. Anyone who actually reads the book will look at this cover and be confused. This cover was poorly done regardless of how good the artist might be otherwise.
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I don't wish to say too much, but I'm not particularly caring for the new cover. I was content with the HB version, this version just seems to be trying too hard. It makes you notice the abilities of the artist first rather than making you notice the picture then discovering the skill of the artist. The design is simply not elegant.
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yeah, I can't tell what's really going on here. I'll just echo what everyone else has said about death. and why crows? also, I didn't like how everything appeared... distorted... to me. I don't have a problem with the wavy lines so much, though I think that wavy lines would, ultimately, be less useful as a power than a straight line. But I can't really tell what they are from first glance. To me, it looks like she's got a static buildup that's discharging to all the near objects.
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It looks to me like they're trying to make the cover appeal to a younger audience -- the colors and composition are more Harry Potter-esque, the lightning says "magic" more obviously than the hardcover, and things like crows and the reaper dude are a more amorphous way of signaling threat and danger than the somewhat scary-looking face on the hardback.
The reasoning behind the change seems kind of sketchy -- surely they would have thought of this (edit: that the cloth cover wouldn't work well in paperback) when deciding on the original cover? I wonder if instead they have demographic data that might indicate that Mistborn isn't doing as well among certain groups like younger readers as Elantris did (do you know?), or have gotten comments that the cover is scary, etc. Or maybe it's just that paperbacks appeal to a broader range of readers?
MattD
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I like the HB cover better, but I think the PB cover will have a wider appeal. The HB cover screams scary, while the PB looks more like what Tor has done in the past for their YA books. This new cover, however, displays Jon Foster's biggest weakness very prominently: his faces. They don't look like any humans I've seen--and they're all androgenous and ugly. One of the biggest strengths of the first cover was that Jon put Vin in a pose where he didn't have to paint her face.
Having said all that, I think Foster is a talented painter (besides his faces), and Gallo has admiration and respect for his work. That EUOL is getting covers by him speaks well of how much Tor values the Mistborn books.
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When I saw this I was wondering what the deal is with the crows. I don't recall there being crows in the novel. Am I wrong? Also, the grim reaper seems out of place. It looks like to me Vin is just traveling through the air using the lines to see what she can use to push and pull with. That doesn't seem like a very exciting scene. Her facial expression seems odd, like she's really having to strain to go through the air.
Also, I'm not sure if this would work as a paperback cover. The colors might look brighter in person, but on the screen, Vin is too dark and seems to kind of blend into the background.
I really don't like the blue lines.
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Yeah, I'm not liking Vin's face, either. I think it would make an awesome cover without the crows or the grim reaper--just Vin and the buildings and the lightning. I like the motion, but I really do NOT like her face.
And the cover doesn't look YA. If they wanted it to look YA, they'd have done something photographic or iconic.
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I agree with Dreamking on the Harry Potter thing--the unrealistic covers, the slightly distorted lines, and even the styles of the buildings all speak to the same design aesthetic we get on most of the Harry Potter covers. Even the little reaper dude in the background. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw the new cover.
That said, I remember that most of us hated the hardback cover when we saw it online, and it wasn't until seeing it person (and, specifically, seeing the way the colors popped out and blended) that most of us came around. I think this cover could be packaged well with the right kind of typeface and placement, and maybe even some foiling. Time will tell, and I don't want to hate it just because it's different.
In the end, though, even if they can make the cover scream "I'm an awesome book," it will probably also be screaming "I'm a kid's book." To me, at least, that Harry Potter connection is too strong.
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I just really, really, really want to emphasize that this doesn't look AT ALL like a kids' book to me. At all.
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Ha. Then I looked at it again and thought of Chris Raschka and a couple other picture book artists. So I herewith contradict myself, and say okay. I can see it. But I still don't like Vin's face.
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Yikes! This cover is really... off. It's not just how very odd Vin's face looks but also her very awkward position--the way she's holding her neck out like an alarmed ostrich and the weird angle and placement of her arms, legs, her body bent in a strange way. I'm pretty disappointed, you know. The HB cover showed her in such a graceful, energetic pose. Vin looked empowered, nimble, and deadly. This rendering makes her look like a terribly unattractive boy with no coordination and little courage.
And I sure don't get the crows (except as a "Harry Potter" styling) or the reaper figure. Why in the world not depict an Inquisitor? Even though that could be gruesome, the figure would be small enough on a PB not to be too in-your-face. And it would be cool. Or maybe depict Kell, just so long as it's *someone* remotely involved in this novel. Seems to me like that Foster must've gotten Mistborn--which he "really loved"--confused with another one. :(
I had planned to buy a copy of the PB too, but honestly this cover really turns me off from that idea.
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I actually really like the crows. Sure, they're not in the book, but they look need and add a much-needed sense of dread and danger to the piece.
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Having, shamelessly, picked up Mistborn on cover alone (then snagging Elantris after) I can honestly say I wouldn't pick up the paperback with this cover.
While the art isn't bad perse, it conveys some other ideas on the baddies in the story as well as a less finished look. The origional cover gave some amazing sense of movement and the face is terrifying. You can look at it and simply get creeped out. The use of the cloak in the cover for the origional is a bit more polished.
The second cover seems alot more rough and Vin is at a very awkward angle. While I understand she may be shooting her body off at awkward angles, at SOME point she'd learn to angle properly. Especially with (boogeymen... death? Yeesh) the Inquistors standing around. The body position and presentation of the world just seem bent and off.
Plus I like the lighter tones in the origional cover. It left the visuals of the world up to my own imagintion.
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I followed Gnarly's tack. My wife picked up Elantris when I noticed the cover, I've not read it yet. But Mistborn? I snagged it right away due to the cover. Not so much with the liking of this one.
Pet peeve: Covers that don't match the book. If the reaper and the crows play no significant role, I don't think they should be there.
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If the reaper and the crows play no significant role, I don't think they should be there.
The crows and reaper don't play any role...they're not in the book at all. At least, I don't remember any mention of crows, and obsidian sicles of that length simply aren't practicle.
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As long as they were putting things not in the book onto the cover, I think it would have been dramatically helped if the Grim Reaper were attacking an Oompa Loompa dressed up to look like Harry Potter, with Sylvester Stallone fighting Chuck Norris on a rooftop in the background, too.
I mean, who *wouldn't* buy that?
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The Reaper, the Crows, and the Ugly-Vin Face appear in the deleted scenes that have yet to be posted. I wish Foster had put in Spider-Man. He's in the deleted scenes too and would add some needed color to this cover.
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I'll wait for the Oompa Loompa edition or the one were Vin has an Alfred E. Newman head.
Crows? Ravens are a hip thing right now. Very popular. Every cover should have one or two on it. Is the artist trying to link this to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel?
Grim Reaper? Has to go. (Can you make a glass or obsidian blade that long that would be stable? Must be a metal blade by my reckoning. So it should have one of those wavy blue lines connected to it.)
Style? I like the style. But it doesn't have the gritty, ash covered or dark mist nighttime feel that I would expect.
Maybe they'll change the title too - Missborn. And change the author's name - . . . I better stop now. I have a theory that it's not wise to make fun of Evil Undead Overlords.
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well, his real initials *are* BS
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Hauf, thanks for making me laugh for three minutes, aloud, in my cubicle. heeheh. whew.
The Reaper, the Crows, and the Ugly-Vin Face appear in the deleted scenes that have yet to be posted. I wish Foster had put in Spider-Man. He's in the deleted scenes too and would add some needed color to this cover.
hahaha. I read that first part and thought, "ack! Say it ain't so! Can the 'deleted scenes' be that abominable?" But the Spider-man comment suggests you're merely being satirically mirthful in lieu of actually saying "This cover blows! May it never see the hallogen light of any bookstore, ever, so help me Kellsier."
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Personally I'd like it better if Vin were being attacked by an anaconda.
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Funny, Fish. But it's a cavaconda--not an anaconda. ;-) Missed you at writing group.
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on a similar but unrelated note, I recently had the privelege of alphabetizing the film "Boa versus Python." Apparently the US army has to release a giant boa constrictor in order to stop the giant python on the loose.
The same creators have recently released Komodo versus Cobra.
My job is *awesome*
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Funny, Fish. But it's a cavaconda--not an anaconda. ;-) Missed you at writing group.
Working on the review of Buttersby, FYI. Haven't forgotten.
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I'm afraid that I have to agree that the pb cover is not up to par with the hb. Mostly for the same reasons that everyone else has mentioned. My other two beefs were that 1) the grim reaper not only doesn't belong there, but it also completely out of proportion to the street he's standing on. Compare his height to the doorway, for example. 2) Vin isn't wearing the mistcloak. There are streamers attached to her waist, and that's it! Not to mention the fact that she's wearing a skirt and pants together. Terribly unfortunate fashion statement, I must say.
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Is death back there supposed to be a steel inquisitor. I think they should just use the same one, considering that one was awesome. Does anyone know when the paperback is coming out? I'd hoped to get it for some of my friends for christmas, perhaps Elantris will do.
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Don't think the PB is planned to be out until Spring, probably about 2-3 months before MB2 comes out, so April-May timeframe.
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(http://www3.telus.net/bale/SMB-Owned.jpg)
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/me giggles. A lot.
That cover art was *begging* for such treatment. A pity that Tor probably won't pull the artwork no matter what we think. :P
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on a more serious note...
After reading the book I would prefer the cover to be something like the spine thingies. Since this book is "the final empire" I figured the cover would be something like that. I never cared about the original cover but I picked up and read Elantris because the cover was pretty and I needed a new book/author to read. I wouldn't have picked up either of these books based on the cover. I work in a library and when we do displays the books with good covers go first regardless of the inside most of the time.
so I say they need to keep trying!
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OWNED image...
That...that was the most awesome thing I've ever seen on this forum. That...I fell out of my chair and had to recap the entire thread so my wife would get it.
Someone rocks.
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That image is hysterical! Thank you so much for the laugh. I was in need of that tonight.
Seriously though, Brandon, do you know anything about this artwork situation, and do you have any control over it yourself? And honestly, what do you think of it? I personally loved the first one, but this is just making me crazy with how, I don't know, like I posted before, it feels like the artist used the wrong hand to draw it.....
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EUOL has no control over his art on his books, it's rare when an author does, also you'll find that he doesn't like to talk bad about people he works with-especially on this forum- so he'll never say what he thinks about it in a negative manner.
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I thought, at first, that it was a picture of some random karate dude kicking someone from House of Flying Daggers or a similar movie. It took me a moment to remember that this new Vin looks like that. I mean, you've been saying "ugly face Vin" a lot in this thread, and I agreed, but it didn't come out so strongly to me before. Yeesh.
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I really like the buildings and the street in the background. Nicely done, with this good vibe of good humoured craziness going on. Great for the Discworld. Not so great for Mistborn. It's just too clean for Mistborn. I always think of the city in Mistborn as being a lot like Sigil (from the Planescape D&D setting) in terms of looks. Both are grim, dirty cities where buildings are covered in spikes, with scattered huge buildings and towers surrounded by slums filled with 3 story tenements or hovels.
Otherwise... I had to spend 10 seconds trying to figure out Vin's position, since her arms and legs are so weirdly done. Face, again, looks a lot like something i'd expect on a Discworld cover. The grim reaper is in the wrong book, and the crows are placed so prominently that they attract attention. I don't think anyone would be complaining if the crows were more in the background. Where they are, it makes them seem important.
Really, not certain why he drew this for Mistborn, but I quite like certain elements of it as an actual picture.
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I have long been absent from this realm, but I could not stay so after seeing this...abomination...
It's bad enough that the US ruined Steven Erikson's covers, but now I see...this?!
As "The Guy Formally Known as Bookstore Guy," I would not have put this book faced out on my shelves. I hate to be this blunt and honest, but I may have stripped the covers of all but 2 or 3 copies had I received this in my weekly shipments.
It. Sucks. Bad.
At nowhere in this piece do I feel awed or inspired. At nowhere in this piece do I feel the mood of the Mistborn world. Jon Foster claims to be a big fan of the book, but nowhere do I see that in this cover. This cover makes me want to start swearing again. If I were a drinking man, now would be the time...
Look, as I have said in numerous posts before, books sell because of the cover. Part of the reason why Elantris and Mistborn in HC sold so well was that the covers were attractive, and I faced them out in large blocks. This causes maximum exposure to browsers in the shortest amount of time. This then caused people to pick up the book, read the first chapter or 2, then ask me for my opinion. I sold the book 90% of the time this happened. If the person thinks the cover is bad, they WILL NOT BUY IT. If the bookseller thinks the cover is bad, he WILL NOT SELL IT.
I have no problem with them wanting to change the cover of the MM PB. I agree with the point. However, I can think of several concepts that would have been better. This is making me contemplate studying illustration again...if only i wasnt graduating tomorrow...
Sorry for the harsh words everyone, but this sickens me.
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I felt kinda bad for saying such harsh words for Jon Foster's MB paperback cover, that i decided to look at his other works to see if he was good, or if he sucked.
I went to his website and looked at the different works he has done, and have decided that I either really love his work, or I absolutly hate it. He has some incredible works on his site that are covers of books that made me go "wow" when I pulled them from the boxes. This is why I am so confused as to his MB work. In fact, looking at his other works makes me even more disgusted with the paperback cover. it makes me feel like he said, "oh crap, this was due yesterday. I better throw something out."
As a side note, he has the full rendered version of MB2 on his site. I think it looks cool, but that it will probably look better on the actual book - just like MB1 hardback.
and lastly, in response to the karate kick pic, why is Scalzi always picking on Brandon's books? First he beats out Elantris, and now he karate kicks Vin?
SCALZI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Thanks for the information Spriggan. I wasn't sure what kind of control any author has with regards to art work. I don't really know any authors, met a couple, don't really know them. Anyway, you know what I mean..... ???
And as for asking for Brandon's opinion, I wasn't really expecting a negative answer, I think I was actually hoping that he would be able to point to some positives in the work. I don't think I would ever have expected negativity from him, he seems to be a really nice person and wanting to see the best in things, even if everyone else is kind of critical.
I understand about either loving or hating someone's work, no matter what art form it is. I also totally agree about the cover selling the book much of the time, especially for a new author. I am far more critical and choosy about new authors than I am about my established favorites. Granted, I now count Brandon in that group, but before I read Elantris I decided to based on the look of the cover.
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why is Scalzi always picking on Brandon's books?
Heh. I expect he's just jealous that even Brandon's worst cover (http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y141/igallo/Mistborn.jpg) still looks a lot better than his best cover (http://www.booksamillion.com/bam/covers/0/76/530/940/0765309408.jpg) does. (All of Scalzi's covers except for that one just have generic spaceships on them, as far as I can tell.)
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Well, when I look at that cover, I start thinking that maybe the Mistborn PB isn't that bad. It could be worse.
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gah! Watch out or who knows *what* Ugly Face Vin will change into.
You know, even though Scalzi's cover *is* pretty generic and boring, I'll bet it's not nearly so misrepresentative of the story and characters as the Mistborn PB is. :P
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I think you have to be picking a lot of nits to say that the PB cover is a misrepresentation of the story and characters. I don't really see anyone getting halfway through and then throwing it across the room screaming "There are no crows in this book! I was lied to!"
So Vin doesn't look like you imagined her, and there's a dude with a scythe, and the buildings are too clean, and the blue lines are spiky instead of straight. Cry me a river. I'm starting to like this cover more and more out of pure obstinance, just because you all hate it so irrationally.
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I'm no great fan of the paperback cover (indeed, it may drive me to buy the book in hardcover, which I'm sure neither the publisher nor EUOL would mind), but I do think there are distinctions that should be made between how accurately the cover depicts a scene from the book, how well the cover represents the feel and tone of the book, and how well the cover helps sell the book to those who haven't read it. Of the three I would suggest that the first is the least important.
MattD
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I'm all for covers that stand out (http://slwhitman.livejournal.com/16778.html). And I do think it will stand out. I really don't have a problem with the buildings or anything as far as the artwork goes--like we said above, it is reminiscent of some artwork on children's fantasy. This actually isn't a bad thing--children's fantasy is pretty big right now--but the grim reaper is odd, I must admit.
Matt's ideas above are really good ideas of the ideas that go into deciding on cover content. It's interesting to me how often the expectation of traditional fantasy covers is to depict a scene from the book--often, that's what happens with Dragonlance: The New Adventures, though I always try to pick a scene that represents the other two ideas--representing the feel of the book and drawing in new readers. What idea in the book will be the most exciting? And then suggest that to the art director, who takes it to the artist with all the attendant art direction, and then he gives us cool stuff like this. (http://www.amazon.com/Pillar-Flame-Elements-One/dp/0786942487/sr=8-1/qid=1166149973/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5756960-3952006?ie=UTF8&s=books)
However, that was an established look of the series, to depict the characters on the front--though in the beginning it wasn't always in a particular scene--and in other series, like Hallowmere that I linked above, it's more evocative of mood and intended audience. Teen girl on the cover usually means it's aimed at teen girls, for example.
The main objection I have to the Mistborn PB cover, though, really, is Vin's awkward angles--her face and body. But perhaps there's a meta thing going on here. Vin *is* awkward at first. Right? It's been two years or more since I've read it, so now of course I'm blanking. Even if she was graceful as a Mistborn, I do remember for a fact her awkwardness in the other portions of her life.
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I like the Mirrorstone covers. I'll have to sell a book to Stacer so I can have a cool book cover. :)
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I really don't have a problem with the buildings or anything as far as the artwork goes--like we said above, it is reminiscent of some artwork on children's fantasy.
In light of past comments ("I just really, really, really want to emphasize that this doesn't look AT ALL like a kids' book to me. At all.") that is one of the more gratifying "we"'s that I can remember being part of in recent memory. ;)
Re: your comment about "teen girl on the cover usually means it's aimed at teen girls"...I don't like Vin's face either on the new cover, but I wonder if the publisher doesn't exactly mind if Vin looks a little androgynous for this very reason, in the hope of attracting both (or at least not alienating either) male and female readers. That seems to me to be the theme of the cover, really. The look of the hardcover said "here's a fantasy that's a little edgy and different" which is the kind of thing that will appeal to many hardcover buyers. The paperback seems to be striving to be more inclusive towards ages, genders, etc. -- which is after all a trait of EUOL's work -- and to project a "if you like Harry Potter [a similarly inclusive work], you might like this" message. I don't like the paperback cover as much as a work of art, but if that is the reasoning behind it I can understand it and hope that it brings EUOL more readers.
MattD
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While, I am new to this forum I have to say that if the Artist read the book there must have been plenty of time between the time of the read and the workup of the artwork. I mean, one could claim "artistic license" but the only thing that looks even vaguely how I visualise what Brandon so wonderfully describes within the pages behind that cover is the figure and shreds of cloth curling about her as she is evidentally pushing or pulling iron or steel.
I am an artist and the first cover as everyone seems to agree has the feel of the mists and the mistcloak. But the PB cover looks like it doesn't belong and doesn't portray what lies within except in the figure and that is only in the vaguest sense. The mistcloak or what I am thinking is supposed to be looks more like a shredded dress. While the one scene where Vin (as I am supposing this is to be her with the dark hair seeing Kelsier is blonde and not quite so feminine) went to face off with Elend's would be Mistborn assassins then I could see a shredded black gown. But there were no grim reapers *aka Steel Inquisitors* (one could again suppose) in that scene. But it is even the colors that bother me. With a red sun seeing building aglow in golden hues seem a tad unlikely esp if this was that particular scene and then it should be night. Crows while not directly depicted well I could let that go on the artistic license for the do lend a bit more depth to the image in general. Plus, it looks a little cartoonish - not to it's favor.
The overall impact is so-so but to me it doesn't do the book the justice it deserves. So I ask -- Why not crop the original art for the PB?
Kelly
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I am mostly disturbed by the fact that a lot of Jon Foster's work is really really cool, and that this just isnt on par with his other stuff. Was this just an off day?
I think that if the Grim Reaper was changed to an Inquistor, i could stomach it better...
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I do agree that I like the side-view of Vin better than her going over the inquisitor, but I also like the color sketch (if you click on the two b/w and other color cover it shows a diffrent pic). It has more than one person, but they're far enough off that you can't tell if they're helping or the ones she's running away from. I don't know that I like the way the buildings are distorted, because it doesn't really fit with the story. (The closest you come is when someone burns atium but even that is more of a multiple image, not twisted buildings.) I defiantly agree with everyone in saying that she doesn't look good with that face, but I also think it wouldn't be smart to give her a beautiful face. I also like it better without the lightening lines... she would be burning copper, so no one would be able to notice. :P *peace*
I was searching DeviantArt for Fanart (I was cerious what was out there) and found (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/32891111/?qo=1&q=brandon+sanderson&qh=boost%3Apopular+age_sigma%3A24h+age_scale%3A5)this that I think better fits Vin as well as the feel of the book... the background's dark, yet she's bright, kind of like hope. It also still has that flight feel. I would love to see them go in this direction a bit more... (sorry, that's my thoughts...)
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I guess I'll make myself known here.
First off, as Sprig said, I really don't like to badmouth anyone. The people at tore--particularly Irene Gallo--work hard to make every book the best it can be. Irene has a tough job, juggling all of the different books and the different editors and the different authors.
I will say three things, however. First, I like the hardback cover a lot more than the paperback cover. I wish we could lose the scythe from that grim reaper, and I wish Vin's face were a little more pretty.
Second, I'd like to say that the Scalzi owned picture was brilliant.
Third, the cover for book two is quite good. Not sure why we couldn't get one this good for the paperback.
(http://www.brandonsanderson.com/graphics/mistborn 2 paint 4.06 copy copy.jpg)
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I was searching DeviantArt for Fanart (I was cerious what was out there) and found (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/32891111/?qo=1&q=brandon+sanderson&qh=boost%3Apopular+age_sigma%3A24h+age_scale%3A5)this that I think better fits Vin as well as the feel of the book... the background's dark, yet she's bright, kind of like hope. It also still has that flight feel. I would love to see them go in this direction a bit more... (sorry, that's my thoughts...)
I'll try to make that link work.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/32891111/?qo=1&q=brandon+sanderson&qh=boost%3Apopular+age_sigma%3A24h+age_scale%3A5 Like this. Something is funny with the code, and it's including more than I wanted in the link text, but hey it works, and that's all that matters.
That is a pretty cool picture. What I think is even cooler about it is that someone likes EUOL's book enough to commission an artist to do a drawing of it.
As to the 2nd hardbook cover, it is much better than the PB of the 1st. I don't know why they are going for such a different style with the PB cover.
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Let me just say I love the Book 2 cover.
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I most deffinatly like the second book cover... (once I realized that the lacing was in her back but rather was to her shirt... *blush*) I really like the big new sword....
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Wow, I do like the 2nd book cover, even if it is a little gruesome. But then, I'm easily grossed out.
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I thought the mistcloak started at the shoulders, not at the waist? :s
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Wow, the MBII cover is... freaky. In a good way. Just rather disturbing at first. I like Vin being the center of focus like that, and her face works better on this one for me than on the paperback.
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I love the Book 2 cover. How exciting.
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I'd sure get some weird looks reading MB2 on the subway with that cover...
And I think it'll be quite a shock for people who buy the paperback MB1 and then see that...
...but I like it, nonetheless.
MattD
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Wow, Brandon. You've got Deviantart fanart. Now all you need to do is provide a place for your fanbase to post fanfic and you've got it made.
*Cringes at the thought of future Zane MarySues*
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Now all you need to do is provide a place for your fanbase to post fanfic and you've got it made.
Yes, please!!! I'm almost half way done!
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[rumbly voice]IT BEGINS! [/rumbly voice]
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I actually like the PB1 cover much better than the MB2 cover. It has a lot of weird crap, but the colors are better and the background is more dynamic.
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Like I said in a previous post, I really like MB2's cover - I think it really sets the tone for how the last part of the novel is. It feels very stylized and gritty. It will stand out in a good way on the book shelves next to MB1 hardcover (because the pb1 cover will be spined out).
I actually think it may have been cool to leave pb1 cover in black & white like the concept sketches, and have the figure in the backround be an inquistor. I like a lot of Jon Foster's B&W sketches.
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Well, I'm pretty new here but, here it goes anyway. I've been a fan since Elantris came out. I loved that cover, that was what made me pick it up. I bought Mistborn because I liked Elantris, and the cover was very interesting.
I, now, have to say that, just as an explanation, I hate inaccuracies on book covers. So, there you have it.
First, I think the Grim Reaper should be an inquisitor or some other character that was actually in the book. Next, the crows should go, replace them with something else, arrows or some other projectile. Now, I was under the impression that the majority of a Mistborn's wanderings was at night, where's the night? Also, I think the mist should be a bit more defined. I agree with many of you said that the place should be more dirty. I don't know that this is really covered in the book but, I know in places that get a lot of snow the buildings have steeply pitched roofs, not flat most of the time, so that it will slid off and not accumulate, because if the load get to be too much the building will colapse unless you shovel it off often. Now, that one was just a little something from my own experience. I was also under the impression that the mistcloak was an actual cloak not a skirt. I should cover the entire body in my opinion. I think the face needs some work too. And last, I think the dagger in Vin's hand should at least look like obsidian or glass.
Now, some of the good. Although the color scheme doesn't really pop it seems to be fairly accurate to me. I also like the metal lines. I know they're supposed to be straight but this makes it much more visually appealing. I think, other than the reaper and the crows, that the more I look at it the more I like it. Just not for the cover of Mistborn.
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Brandon wanted our opinions, well the short answer is that I detest this Mistborn paperback cover! I'm sorry, but covers DO sell books to the naif consumer. Every so often I like to randomly purchase a book from an author that I know nothing about. The criteria I use is:
1) Book cover (I know don't judge a book by it's cover).
2) I read the first page.
3) I open it to the middle of the book and read another page.
If the cover impresses me AND I like the prose and stye of the writer, then a purchase is made.
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I find the Mistborn Hardcover resplendent. My wife loves it, my baby girl stares at it everyday - wide-eyed and fascinated. The Mistborn 2 HB is wonderful as well.
But...
Things I hate about the paperback cover:
1) Vin is flat-out ugly. Very peculiar angles and dimensions.
2) Crows? Cliche. "Oh nooo, it the crows!!!"
3) Reaper = cliche x 2. What chapter was the grim reaper in again?
4) The lines (in my opinion) should be long waves, not jagged lines like lightning.
I don't know if Tor know this, but Mistborn is NOTHING like Harry Potter in style. Lets not disguise it with a poor knock-off HP cover. It will only misrepresent and depreciate Brandon's hard work.
Well, that's my 2 & 1/2 cents worth.
Shuez
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I'm hesitant to post this just because I don't want fans going to this forum just to post what you don't like about the cover nor do we want to seem like that's the purpose of any of this but Jon Foster posted in an art forum concept designs for the MB paperback cover and I'm loving the last one (scroll down to the end of the post).
http://conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1113215&postcount=88
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Oh, wow. You're right Sprig. The last one is much better than the one they went with. Lose the stupid sickles and it would be perfect. Well, except for the little details as well, like the skirt instead of mist cloak. But the look is a thousand times better.
Someone over there is a moron.
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I've asked EUOL to see if we can use it on the new website.
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Oh, I like that one so much better. I am in total agreement about the look of the picture, and it is actually a scene that I can think of in the book, minus the sickles that is. I wonder why this one was left on the shelf, so to speak, or if maybe the decision isn't final yet. I know it is kind of monochromatic, but I think that is part of the appeal, for me, as the hb cover is very monochromatic as well. I know there are shades, and that sort of thing, but the majority of the picture is one base color. Much better on the bottom picture, I think.
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I think a reason for not using the other image was it's not very cover friendly, if you look at elantris' PB cover almost half of it is text so I'm sure MB will be the same. I just don't think this cover would have worked as well but I'm sure if that was a reason there were many more.
But in the end we have to remember that decisions being made is by someone who's not only been doing this for a long time (choosing covers that is) and is quite successful at it and she has access to data on top of experience that non of us have in knowing what's right for the market.
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I love the last one and it while monochromatic it leaps out at you. It fits the book though the cloak lacks and the scythes are wrong but the impact is much better overall a real improvement. Vin could be prettier again but this ia a grat improvement overall.
Kel