Artist Ethan Van Sciver, hair band Winger and the U.S. military … sounds like a Johnny Carson joke, but in fact, all three of them play into a story in the Marine Corps. Times. Sciver recently provided the military-themed cover to a reunited Winger’s fourth album:
The military also figures prominently in the album art, drawn by veteran comic book artist Ethan Van Sciver. The 32-year-old artist has worked for both DC Comics and Marvel Comics on titles including “Flash,” “Wolverine,” “New X-Men,” “Batman,” “Green Lantern” and “Superman.”
As he talked with Kip Winger about the concept, “over the course of a few conversations with him, I started to understand his feelings that led to the songs he wrote for the album,” Van Sciver said in an e-mail interview. “He really tried to put himself into the shoes of a soldier, to feel what they must feel. And a lot of this album is something like a prayer for them.”
The cover depicts a service member clad in desert camouflage and body armor and carrying an M16 rifle, looking into the distance as three angelic figures watch over his shoulder.
“The angels are the prayers and hopes and best wishes from us, to them,” Van Sciver said. “We hope they’re being looked after as they risk their lives each day. I hope each of them has their own little angel. Or three.”
Posters of the album cover art will be sold online at http://www.slippingintofiction.net, with a portion of the proceeds going to military charities.
October 24th, 2006 at 10:12 am
It’s only an M16 (M-sixteeeeen) but it’ll shoot you like you never seen.
or
We’re headin’ for the Iraaaaaaq wa-ar.
October 24th, 2006 at 10:58 am
I love Van Sciver’s art, but Winger? C’mon….
October 24th, 2006 at 11:01 am
Very cool, I’ve read interviews with Kip Winger and he seems like a very nice guy, same with Ethan Van Sciver. Wait, this is the internet, so I should have spelled Ethan’s name wrong. Scrivernreerver.
October 24th, 2006 at 4:31 pm
Will we ever see Van Sciver’s interpretation of the Winger classic “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, though?
October 24th, 2006 at 5:02 pm
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was a Warrant song … Winger did “Seventeen,” “Headed for a Heartbreak” and “Can’t Get Enuff.”
–JK, who knows a secret that he just can’t tell …
October 27th, 2006 at 2:50 am
What nauseating propaganda
October 29th, 2006 at 4:02 pm
It looks great.
November 15th, 2006 at 4:07 am
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is not a WINGER’S song, in fact it’s from WARRANT (the same guys that did “Cherry Pie”).
Well, they are both 80′s hair metal bands, lol.
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