Wizards of the Coast has revealed a new card for its upcoming Universes Beyond collaboration with The Hobbit, and it puts one of Middle-earth’s most feared villains front and center. Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin by Carl Critchlow was shown through Hipsters of the Coast, a Magic: The Gathering art site where Donny Caltrider writes the Mirror Gallery column.
The preview is Critchlow’s latest work for Magic after a slower period. In an interview with Caltrider, Critchlow discussed how he approached the iconic Lord of the Rings antagonist, the design of the Fell Beast, and the compositional work behind the piece.
The Artist Behind the Witch-king
Critchlow is a veteran of fantasy illustration. He started working for Games Workshop in the early 1980s while still at art college, and went on to work for 2000AD, DC Comics and Wizards of the Coast. He also self-publishes comics featuring his own character, Thrud the Barbarian.
His history with Magic runs deep. The first cards he ever illustrated were for the Weatherlight set, roughly 30 years ago, and he has since worked on nearly 250 cards for the game. His first was Morinfen, a creature he described as “another creepy creation with leathery bat-wings.”
Critchlow said the new piece may serve as a bookend to his Magic career. “I haven’t been doing as many cards as I used to recently,” he told Caltrider. “So maybe the two images will serve to bookend my contribution to Magic as my priorities for work continue to evolve.”
Going Back to Tolkien’s Text
Critchlow said he was flattered to be offered the Witch-king, a character he knows well from both the films and the books. His first encounter with Tolkien came decades ago, when an older cousin lent him a copy of The Hobbit in the 1970s.
He admitted that his first attempt at The Lord of the Rings did not go well. “When I attempted to get through a single volume edition of LotR the somewhat dense text defeated me,” he said, comparing it to “trying to read the Bible from cover to cover.” He tried again years later with a three-book version and enjoyed it, though he noted that at the time he was “more of a Robert E. Howard fan.”
For the Witch-king, Critchlow drew on both the film version and the work of artists he admires, including Frazetta, Michael Kaluta, the Brothers Hildebrandt and Angus McBride. But he made a point of returning to the original text. “I went back to the original text to try and ensure I had my own version,” he said.
Designing the Fell Beast
The Fell Beast in the image is not a standard dragon. Critchlow said he referenced deep-sea fish for the head and neck to create something more unsettling. “I tried to refer back to the original text as well as other images I’d seen and create something more creepy than a standard dragon,” he said. “So I referenced some deep sea fish for the head and neck to try and produce something that looked like it might have been created by Sauron.”
The city of Minas Tirith appears below the creature, partially behind the card’s text box. Critchlow said the view was an important part of the image, even though much of it would be obscured. “I knew the view of Minas Tirith was an important part of the image and even though it would be partially obscured by the text box on the card I know if you try and short change any part of an image like this it will show you up if you try and cut corners,” he said.
The Hard Part Was the Composition
The biggest challenge was not the creature or the city, but the layout. Full-art Magic cards require careful planning so that key elements do not collide with the text block or title. Critchlow said he had to adjust the original composition to make room for the Witch-king’s mace and the Fell Beast’s jaw.
“I seem to remember having to adjust the original composition to ensure there was enough room between the two areas of text to clear the Witch King’s mace and the Fell beast’s jaw without making the whole thing look too small in the overall frame,” he said.
The perspective also gave him trouble. “Making sure the perspective works on a round cityscape viewed from above took some plotting out – never my strong suit, but pleasing when it comes together,” he said.
A Decade of Pen Pals
Caltrider, who writes about Magic art for Hipsters, said he and Critchlow have been emailing for nearly a decade. “It’s an immense privilege to be able to showcase his newest work for Magic right here on Hipsters,” he wrote.
Caltrider’s affection for the character is personal. “The Witch-king has been one of my favorite Lord of the Rings characters since I first saw the movies,” he said. He keeps a WETA Sideshow Helm on his desk, next to a Limited Edition Witch-king Fossil watch.
| Preview Details | |
|---|---|
| Card name | Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin |
| Artist | Carl Critchlow |
| Set | Universes Beyond: The Hobbit |
| Revealed by | Hipsters of the Coast |
Critchlow does not maintain a social media presence, but he does run a website, www.carlcritchlow.com, which showcases a selection of his work, including many of his favorite Magic cards.
Where to See the Card
Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin is a free preview card. The full card, with its stats and abilities, has not been detailed in the interview.
The card is part of a collaboration that brings Tolkien’s world into Magic’s card game.
Caltrider said the piece is a treat for fans of both Magic and Middle-earth. “What an incredible treat it is to show you all this new card; an all-time favorite character from one of my oldest artist friends,” he wrote.
Hipsters of the Coast publishes new articles every Thursday. Caltrider has been writing about Magic: The Gathering art since 2018 and holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University.
Source: hipstersofthecoast.com
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