THE ART OF RICHARD LUONG

The game Cthulhu Wars pits various factions of the Lovecraftian mythos against each other for world domination -- and naturally, it also requires miniatures for the Great Old Ones, minions, monstrosities, and other entities in the game.  Artist Richard Luong has done plenty of art based on the creatures and worlds of H.P. Lovecraft and so was recruited to design the miniatures and cover for Cthulhu Wars.  The process and artwork is featured in the Kickstarter-funded book The Art of Richard Luong.

I was a bit surprised to find that this art book is all about Luong's work in Cthulhu Wars.  The early chapters feature Luong's two-page, full-color painting of each main entity for the factions in Cthulhu Wars; after that are black-and-white images of the miniatures (front and back) for each faction, accompanied by Luong's notes for designing the miniatures.

The later parts of the book feature sketches from Luong, assorted artworks, and the final miniatures that resulted from Luong's designs and notes.

Luong's artwork is quite remarkable, capturing the horror, scale, and otherworldly nature of the denizens of this game world battled over by eldritch entities.  I'm a little disappointed that this work didn't feature more of Luong's work; it could have more accurately been called "The Art of Cthulhu Wars."  But the artwork featured here is excellent, as is the insight into the designs for all of the figures.  (Seeing the final result is a big plus as well.)  The Art of Richard Luong is a must-have for fans of Cthulhu Wars -- or for Lovecraftian art in general.

 Overall grade: A
Reviewed by James Lynch