One of the all-time greats of fantasy and science fiction has passed away. Greg Hildebrandt, the artist known for his iconic works in Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Marvel, and Magic the Gathering, died Thursday at the age of 85. He and his twin brother Tim, who died in 2006, were a powerful duo, the Brothers. Hildebrandt — until 1981 when she decided to pursue a solo career.
The duo is perhaps best known for their 1977 original Star Wars “Style B” poster (above). Art released in the UK (Tom Jung’s “Style A” was the original US poster) shows Luke Skywalker bravely holding up the poster. He held his lightsaber high above his head, like King Arthur wielding Excalibur. On either side of him is Princess Leia with a blaster on her back, while C-3PO and R2-D2 watch from behind. Darth Vader’s striking mask overlooks them in the background amidst a sea of stars, the Death Star, and starfighters.
As for Luke and Leia’s resemblance to Mark Hamill or Carrie Fisher, neither the Hildebrand brothers nor Jung had access to photos of the actors. So they made do with a generic hero image that could have been cut from the cover of a 1970s fantasy book. (Although not screen accurate, it’s still great.) Hildebrandt’s poster was used in the UK until January 1978, when it was replaced by Tom Chantrell’s “Style C” poster depicting the actual cast. .
Greg Hildebrandt/X
The brothers were also heavily involved in a series of Lord of the Rings calendars. Decades before Peter Jackson’s live-action adaptation of the film (and even before the 1978 animated version), their art, which incorporated influences from classic Disney films, was familiar to Tolkien for many 1970s fantasy readers. was the most striking visualization of the epic.
Among Hildebrandt’s many other projects are illustrations for Marvel and DC comics, Wizards of the Coast (Magic: The Gathering and Harry Potter), magazines Omni, Heavy Metal, Amazing Stories, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Black Sabbath album art, and a long list of book covers.
Hildebrand also used his artistic talent to fight for freedom. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he provided illustrations for the Operation USA charity anthology comic series. Proceeds were donated to Ukrainian refugee relief efforts. Explaining his decision, he wrote: “Any project where I can lend my art to stop Putin is a project in which I will participate wholeheartedly.”
