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To my mind, the covers of Unknown improved in the magazine's second year. Here the figure of the witch is conventional, but the illustration as a whole is much more dynamic and evocative than H.W Scott's previous covers. The date was January 1940. |
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This is without a doubt one of the best and most effective Unknown covers. The artist was the great Edd Cartier. |
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Manuel Rey Isip (1904-1987) executed this cover for the March 1940 issue of Unknown. The male figure here is basically a mirror image of that in the previous cover, yet Isip's cover is comparatively weak. (I don't think it's a good idea for a major figure to have his back turned to the viewer.) The technique is a little weaker, too. |
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Edd Cartier was back at work on the April 1940 issue. Rene Lafayette was L. Ron Hubbard, author of the previous cover story illustrated by Cartier. |
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Manuel Isip's second cover for Unknown (May 1940) was much stronger than his first. |
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Then the final full-color cover illustration for Unknown. The artist was Edd Cartier. His was a frightening and disturbing image. |
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This is what covers of Unknown looked like after June 1940. In graphic terms, probably in marketing terms, too, it was clearly a mistake for John W. Campbell, Jr., to switch to this new look. So why did he do it? |
Text and captions copyright 2013, 2023 Terence E. Hanley
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