Fantasy Art Thursday: "Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser" by Mike Mignola

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Created by American author Fritz Leiber in 1934 while corresponding with his friend Harry Otto Fischer, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are the quintessential fantasy duo. One is a tall barbarian from the North who talks like a romantic, but his strong practicality usually wins through. The other is a small, mercurial thief who tends to come off as cynical, but is prone showing strains of sentiment at unexpected times. They are a perfect pair and its easy to see why Gygax listed their stories in Appendix N. 

The above piece of the duo was the cover of the 1st volume of the White Wolf collection of the Lankhmar stories. Fans of Hellboy should recognize the artists responsible for this piece as the one and only Mike Mignola, who also happened to be the artist for Epic Comics four-issue adaptation of several Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser stories.

I feel like Mignola's stylized artwork, the dark shadows utilized in the picture, and the choice of colors captures the feel of Lankhmar and the pair of rogues perfectly. Honestly, whenever I picture Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser, their depiction in this image is usually what comes to mind. I love how Fafhrd doesn't look like your average barbarian, I love the bits and pieces hanging from their outfits, and I find the skulls a strange, but interesting touch. 

Question Time: What is your favorite Mike Mignola piece and what is your favorite Lankhmar story?