"Starmasters' Gambit" is one of my favorite Freas covers. The image of the astronaut in the traditional Freas spacesuit looks like it came from the pulp magazines. Gray Morrow would use similar designs when he painted the Perry Rhodan covers.
I always liked the "starburst effects". Freas does a good job of giving the impression that a whole galaxy of stars is appearing on the cover.
The giant sized figure, which one can only assume is one of the Starmasters, reaching down to grab the hapless astronaut tops off this classic cover.
Freas has always been a classic science fiction artist. The reader was always sure that they were looking at a science fiction cover when he was doing the painting.
"The Mind Net" is another classic Freas cover. Is the main image the wreckage of an alien city or spaceship? Or is it some weird alien fauna? It is definitely not of Earth origin.
The astronauts appear to be human but with the reader cannot see through the helmets to confirm their appearance. The silver helmets are a traditional classical science fiction design.
The spaceship design gives away the artist. Freas uses a similar style of ship on numerous covers without copying the previous ones.
Another unique cover from the great Frank Kelly Freas.
I am sure I will be visiting this artist again in future installments.
