Raoul, Philippe and L'Epoque

[igenlode]

Illustration by Greg Hildebrandt from Unicorn Press edition of "The Phantom of the Opera"


http://oldschoolphantoms.tumblr.com/post/77851566934/at-breakfast-the-early-morning-breakfast-which
http://oldschoolphantoms.tumblr.com/tagged/greg-hildebrandt

Comments

[pedanther]

My first and most lasting reaction is that it's really remarkable how much Raoul in this picture looks like Alex Winter as Bill Preston, considering Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure didn't come out until 1989.

Though the gap's not quite as large as "early American edition" makes it sound - according to Hildebrandt's official web site, the edition in question was released in 1988. (I'm not sure I'd call that "early" myself; even on the view that Phantom history is divided into Before ALW and After ALW, 1988 is After.) Here's a gallery of Hildebrandt's illustrations - this one is twelfth from the top.

[igenlode.livejournal.com]

You're right: "1988 Unicorn Press edition".

From the rarity and battered condition of all the copies of this book I've seen mentioned (and the old-fashioned habit of inserting double-page colour spreads) I'd assumed this was brought out in America at the time of first translation!