Damn you, Alex Rodriguez! – Epic Illustrated #9

I was struck by the awesome majesty of this cover. Something about it calls back to my youth. I don’t know what. Something. And it makes one think — if they’re familiar with it — of one of the scariest “Oh ****!!!” moments in the history of film:

I think Jason and his Argonauts would have been in even deeper trouble if Talos had the lower body of a horse, don’t you?

Tim Conrad, the painter of the cover, also wrote a brief text story (“The Last Centaur”) that went with it. Though the prose half isn’t all that remarkable, I still think the painting rules. There’s also a concept sketch included on the inside, and the only difference between that and the finished product is that the statue of the centaur was headless in the planning stages. I’m not sure why the noggin was ultimately included — just one of those mysteries I’ll likely take to the grave with me.

And if you’re wondering about the title of this post, and have no idea about what it refers to, just do a Google search for “Alex Rodriguez” and “centaur.” That will tell you how a third baseman has forever ruined centaurs for me.