Elric by Mike Mignola (1982)

Lovely bold image, and a very individual pose for Elric - making him look particularly otherworldy and alien. The fully black tree also makes the landscape seem more mystical. Nice piece. 

What a freaking great piece. Right out of the gates indeed! Awesome early Mignola illustration from the same year he started as an inker with Marvel! congrats Rick. 

Even though Mignola himself didn't think so, the talent was there from the jump.  Love these early pieces.  Actually surprising how many of them survived and circulated throughout the hobby.  Some of them even had his handwritten name and home address on the back (or the name of his art school).  This one is fantastic!  So many of the Mignola trademarks already evident.  Love it.

Now that's a pretty one. Interesting seeing his early style. Congrats!

Can....can I have this? Pleeez.

Very cool early Mignola. 

Wow, love vintage Mignola illustrations, with Corum still years away, and Elric being the coolest, congrats!

He certainly did have the right stuff, Rick! That's why I've always loved all of these single character pinups he drew back in 1982. Even back then, I felt his early style was well suited for Elric of Meliboné!

Love Mignola's rendition! Congrats!!

Sweet!

Fascinating look at early Mignola art!  Really pure and clean linework where you can see a lot of his influences from the Studio. 

Super lovely early Mignola

Does this make you the Gatekeeper?

Mignola also should have drawn Elrod of Melvinbone from Cerebus ... 

https://cerebus.fandom.com/wiki/Elrod

....now that is something!!

I FIND IT EXTRAORDINARY! It is plenty of talent!

Love this piece.  Saw it on eBay recently but I guess you beat me to it.  I picked up the recent Elric cover he did, and this is so different, but equally as amazing!  

It doesn't feel like an arm.

Right?!?  SO very cool to get to see an early work (a -beautiful- early work) from an artist like Mike and recognize (just as you say) his innate sense of... Mignolaness, right out of the gate.  He's still closing in on it, but he's well on his way.  So many artists (completely understandably) spotlight Stormbringer when they draw Elric, but Mike favors the strength of the composition here (of course he does), and instead stages the blade back behind our hero, with that foreboding black tree, which balances the thing and makes it all smolder with a malice or menace that, of course, Mignola. :)  And then the berm in the bottom right of the page cinches the whole thing down to (literally) ground and balance the composition.  Another classic pick up for your incredible collection, Rick!  Congrats!

Nice one! I love his early-mid 80s style. Always caught my eye. 

Awesome!  Always loved early Mignola art, brings back memories of all those cool, old Comic Reader illos. 

Wow this is quite an amazing piece very different from the Mignola ive come to love but definitely see the same brilliance. This somehow reminds me more of Wrightson than it does Mignola funny enough. I love how clever the placement is with the darks to lead and frame the main figure. Another fantastic piece major congrats Rick!  

Wonderful piece!!!