With such a star-studded cast of the 2021 Dune adaptation, the Dune books are begging for book covers that match the aesthetic of the big screen. And with the new information that we have about part two of the Villeneuve adaptation, readers are sure to be pleased with the recent developments in the art department! And we all know how I judge books by their covers, so who better to talk about it than me!
This isn’t the first fans have seen of Matt Griffin’s work. The Ireland native artist has worked with Adam Auerbach once before. Matt’s deluxe edition of Frank Herbert’s Dune went live in 2019. The publication included “fully illustrated endpapers, illustrated dust jacket reverse, map stained page edges and a foreword by Brain Herbert.”
His art for the first Dune deluxe edition struck the perfect balance between graphic power and detail. In his work, he combines deep shadow with a vibrant sense of color. I think this combination is perfect for visualizing the mysterious yet vivid world of the Dune novels.
Art director Adam Auerbach talked about Matt’s artist power with the Dune covers.
If you are as enamored by this cover as I am and want the whole series in Matt’s style, don’t fret! Matt recently stated that he illustrated the second and third books in the Dune series too! And just like the first deluxe edition, these books come with all the bells and whistles that make collectors drool.
Now such impressive work is sure to come from a big fan of the books, right? You’d be correct. Only a true fan would be able to capture the show’s essence in it’s entirety like this! Matt told io9 that though his introduction to Arrakis was the Lynch movie adaptation, it was a family favorite long before then! He first read the book at 14, and it blew his mind, he “decided there and then that a dream of mine would be to illustrate it someday, and decades later that dream came true.”
And illustrate, Matt did! As previously stated, fans of the book, the movie, or Matt’s previous work can expect to find several goodies when they purchase the Dune Messiah or Children of Dune deluxe edition. In the deluxe edition of Dune, the illustrated endpapers, dust jacket, map, and stained page edges. And if the first illustration by Matt is any indication, then fans have reason to get excited!
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