RIP Trampier

Gaming blogs are ablaze with the news that Dave Trampier, famed illustrator of AD&D and the comic Wormy, has died this week. I, like so many old school gamers, was always a fan of his artwork from the start. His illustrations weren't hard to spot; they're always so expressive, alive and ready to jump of the page. Trampier's abrupt disappearance from the industry never dulled my appreciation, it may have strengthened it in fact. Much like a rock star who died too soon and their music lived on in legend, when Trampier left it all behind, it only made his existing art more iconic because we all assumed (rightly) he would never be back. I for one am personally grateful for his short time in the business, because he is easily one of the most influential artists to me as a cartoonist and also as a life-long D&D player.