The Swords of Lankhmar

My first introduction to Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser came in 1991 via the Epic comics adaptation written by Howard Chaykin and penciled by Mike Mignola. I was 13 at the time and I didn't appreciate the series the way I should have, I guess I was expecting something like Conan, I gave the miniseries two issues and dropped it. My second run in with the Lankhmarian duo came at around the age of 21, my future father in-law gave me an old paperback copy of “The Swords of Lankhmar”. At 21 I was old enough to appreciate not only the characters, but also the humor involved in the series.

Many people try and depict Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser very seriously, like the two are dour, humorless epic fantasy characters. I can't do that, I can't help but picture them as the young, cocky, rogues that they are. Sure, there are many serious scenes in the series, but for the most part Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are just overgrown kids.

The two drawings above were done three years ago, they were a character designs for a larger piece I was thinking of doing. I have yet to do that piece, so I decided that the least I could do is ink these two rogues and see how they came out.

Well, I think they came out quite well. A little bit more cartoony than I wanted, but they'll do.