Art by Troy Howell
Since its announcement, there’s been some question as to what new content– if any– the Redwall: 20th Anniversary Edition would include. Troy Howell has already stated that he was not commissioned for any new artwork beyond the cover. Furthermore, in a forthcoming interview with The Long Patrol, current illustrator David Elliot (who handled art for the collector’s release of Mossflower) reveals that he wasn’t commissioned for any new artwork, either.
Then there’s the matter of the following product description in various online catalogues:
The book that kicked off the phenomenon is now reissued with brandnew jacket art in honor of its 20th anniversary. Readers will delight anew in the thrilling adventures of young Matthias as he discovers the hero within. Brian Jacques classic tale of peaceful creatures forced to band together in battle has never felt more timely or full of life.
Only new jacket art is mentioned– nothing about new interior art.
So where does that leave the project? Well, the way things are looking, the new dust jacket (above, left) is the only “new” piece of artwork we’ll get with the 20th Anniversary Edition. That still leaves the question of which set of artwork the rest of the book will have– Gary Chalk’s original illustrations? Troy Howell’s color illustrations from the 10th Anniversary Edition? A combination of the two? Or how about Fangorn’s color illustrations from the U.K. Illustrated Collector’s Edition? At this point, any are possible (although, personally, I find the Howell illustrations from the 10th most likely). We’ll keep you posted.
Redwall: 20th Anniversary Edition is slated for release on October 4th. Stay tuned to the Newsline for more details.
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