This is not one of the better James Cawthorn‘s covers. Elric looks like a Catholic priest. If it wasn’t for the black sword, I’d never have know it was Moorcock’s famed anti-hero. (Science Fantasy, vol. 19, no. 55, October 1962 Image courtesy of the Pulp of the Day)

Compare it to this far superior Cawthorn cover to the first edition of Stormbringer (Herbert Jenkins, 1965)

Even the inferior 1962 Cawthorn was a massive step up after Brian Lewis horrible cover to Elric’s first appearance (Science Fantasy, vol. 16, no. 47, June 1961)

Elric looks like some dandy from an Errol Flynn movie not the fierce stealer of souls, agent of chaos and destroy of worlds, that we all know and love.

Early Elric Covers was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon