As today is “National Hobbit Day,” what better way to honor the occasion than by showing the mettle that hobbits are made of through our favorite power couple? Here are the nine reasons why we ship this encouraging pair throughout the series.
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Chinese – Fake! :'(
Image via Good eReader
I usually only put ACTUAL covers, but this one snuck up on me. Maybe just because I wanted to believe. It’s simple, elegant, and look at the figures. I don’t care if it’s real, it’s pretty, and I need it. Literally just take my money. Too good to be true.
11/10
Pencil
Image via Reddit
There’s a lot to like here, and not just because I grew up with this edition of the hobbit. They’re pretty, the style is consistent, and you know I like a set that looks like a set. Still not perfect – the color leeches over time, which might be tonally consistent, but visually it’s weird.
9/10
Goth
Image via The Literary Omnivore
These are pretty good. Dark, simple, have elvish and gold. Weird, old school illustrations. I don’t know what the significance of the yellow, red, and blue is, but it’s not objectionable, and we get the ring motif. I like it, but it’s not blowing my mind.
8/10
Forest
Image via WorthPoint
These are pretty! I like the illustrations, I like the subtle colors, I like that the set looks consistent, but the illustrations should be different! Like, the same style, but different illustrations. I want unity, but I don’t want it to be boring.
7/10
Monotone
Image via Tolkien Collector’s Guide
I like the colors, I like the art, I like that it’s retro. That said, it doesn’t have a lot of character. It’s bland. You have a stupid maybe eagle, it’s all pretty general, and it looks like it was made by an algorithm. Ultimately? Meh.
6/10
Simple
Image via Adazing
I like the bright colors, I like the really metal illustration of the horse and the wraiths, but the first one with Gandalf is so bright, there’s just tonal dissonance. The middle one is perfect, because it’s vivid and menacing, but the others feel lopsided.
5/10
Ink?
Image via Open Culture
This is a mess. I like the first one so much – it’s simple, it’s thematic. We’ve got elvish, fire, rings. The second one is ugly and I don’t know why you’d do that. That green is bad, idk if that’s supposed to be an eagle, and don’t get me started on the third one. Pass.
4/10
Elfish
Image via Adazing
We’ve got the tricolor look again, but all the pretty art is covered up. I’m pretty sure the tree on the third book is just taken from a hobbit cover. I’m not even that into the movie font. The scale doesn’t play with the eagle. Disappointing.
3/10
Nightmare
Image via Adazing
I have every question. The eagles look like crows. The last one seems to be an army of snakes. The first is just a tree? All that purple doesn’t make any sense. It’s all so dark it looks like none of it is. No tone at all, just a heap of nonsense.
2/10
Realistic
Image via Nerdalicious
God I hate what they used to do to fantasy books. I hate it. Gandalf looks like he’s offerning you drugs, the winged hat looks incredibly silly, and I’m horrified that’s an elf with a mullet. The purple’s too bright. An elf with a mullet! Ffs.
1/10
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Featured image via Zoom Comics
