In 1939, Astounding Science Fiction published A.E. van Vogt’s “Black Destroyer” as the cover story in an issue that became known in the following decades as the event that inaugurated the Golden Age of Science Fiction. With this in mind, along with the unique importance of our Canadian namesake, AE recently held an illustration contest. We asked illustrators and artists to share with us their own passion for the story, by creating their own vision of Coeurl, the Black Destroyer himself. We received many excellent and unique entries. We’d like to thank all who participated and to reward a couple exceptional pieces that stood out from the field.

In 1939, Astounding Science Fiction published A.E. van Vogt’s “Black Destroyer” as the cover story in an issue that became known in the following decades as the event that inaugurated the Golden Age of Science Fiction. With this in mind, along with the unique importance of our Canadian namesake, AE recently held an illustration contest. We asked illustrators and artists to share with us their own passion for the story, by creating their own vision of Coeurl, the Black Destroyer himself. We received many excellent and unique entries. We’d like to thank all who participated and to reward a couple exceptional pieces that stood out from the field.

Our runner-up selection comes from Felipe Budnich. Felipe’s vision of Coeurl was vibrant and involved, giving not only shape, but a palpable atmosphere to the domain over which the Destroyer presides. His digital painting of Coeurl is our cover illustration for Issue #2 and reproduced in full below (click for larger version).

Our winner, Dustin Wilson, created a ghostly vision of the creature in what he calls “a moment of deceptive submission.” Here we see an unexpected playfulness attributed to Coeurl, despite the morbidity of his nature. Dustin’s distinctive hand-drawn style, bred with van Vogt’s classic monster, gives us an illustration with a feeling of its own mythology, or perhaps the feeling that it is an image outside of time. In addition to the cash prize, Dustin’s work will be featured as a continuing presence in AE.