Warrior and Maiden, paperback cover 1980

This paperback cover, Warrior and Maiden, was painted by Ken Kelly sometime before 2022. I see a guy—the warrior, I guess—with his maiden, and a couple of blue monsters on the left. It's like a movie poster or something! You can almost feel Ken Kelly pushing the paint around, trying to get the light just right, especially on the figures. There's a real push and pull between the darks and lights that makes it feel so alive. It's the kind of painting where you can imagine the artist thinking, "How can I make this even more dramatic?" I wonder if Kelly was looking at Frank Frazetta? This reminds me of his work with those beefy heroes and damsels in distress. And the way he uses light, coming out of the darkness, makes me think of Caravaggio, but with more muscles! Anyway, it’s a fun reminder that artists keep the conversation going, riffing off each other through time.