A BELATED R.I.P.

R.I.P David A. Trampier.  Born in April 22 1954, Trampier died in March 24 2014. I went back to his work when writing the post "Dunder Blunder." I never knew much about him when I was in my early days of gaming. He signed his work with both DAT and Tramp. He is best known for his work on Dungeons & Dragons artwork and his illustrations for Dragon magazine. His "Wormy" comic was sheer genius. I loved his use of color that pushed the boundaries of the then comic art excepted standards. His work for my generation of gamers was the touchstone of imagination. He defined both monsters and the spirit of adventure. 

 It was in 1977, that TSR began to upgrade their game into a much slicker version. The first book was the "Monster Manuel." Among the artists that contributed to this book was Trampier. Dragon magazine gave it good reviews saying the illustrations were worth the price alone. But it was the "Player's Handbook" iconic cover that set David apart. It is a classic image that has been recreated over and over. As the adage goes," A picture is worth a thousand words" this image sums up the game. His comic, "Wormy," needs further

examination. The a fore named dragon first appeared in Dragon #9. It was filled with different monsters from D&D but shown from their point of view. 

Some where in the late 1980s, Trampier simply vanished. "Wormy" stopped midway through the story arch at Issue #138 (1988). Reportedly mail containing payments and royalty checks were returned unopened.  Phil Foglio, creator of the Dragon Magazine strip, "What's New?" is quoted as saying "When an artist's checks are returned uncashed, he is presumed dead."

And so it was presumed. That was until four years later when Southern Illinois college student, Arin Thompson did an article for the local university paper on night time taxi lifestyle and unknowingly interviewed Trampier, publishing both his name and picture. David was wooed once more for new work or the rights to old, but to no avail. 

In 2013, Trampier suffered a mild stroke, loss of employment and if that wasn't enough ... found out he had cancer. He sold eight pieces of his art ... including the 1977 Dungeon Master's Screen artwork ... to Scott Thorne, head of  Castle Perilous Games & Books. Thorne was hoping to arrange a resurgence of "Wormy" but Trampier died shortly before the meetings were to be. 

I have read of some talk about difficulties that David Trampier had with the business side of art and what is expected from the management side. Maybe this is the why of his turning away from his art. I don't know ... maybe driving a cab was a performance art for him. All I can say is, "Thank you, Dave." What he gave was a gift I treasure.