Dungeons & Dragons Behold! is a beautifully illustrated collection of Where's Waldo-esque search and find puzzles that pay close attention to the source material of Wizards of the Coast's diverse fantasy world. Illustrated by veteran artists Ulises Farinas and Gabriel Cassata, the book's focus on maintaining a high level of detail means that part of the journey isn't so much finding what's needed on a page, but merely admiring every reference and homage that's lovingly packed into the crowds that serve as puzzles for readers.
Ulises Farinas is an artist who is perhaps best known for his work in comics, which includes Judge Dredd: Mega-City Two, Transformers: Heart of Darkness, and more. He's also written several projects alongside Erick Freitas, including Motro and Godzilla in Hell.
Recently, Screen Rant was able to talk to Farinas about his work in D&D Behold!, his work on other big properties, and what Dungeons & Dragons means to him.
Screen Rant: Dungeons & Dragons, as a brand, is already pretty visually vibrant - whether it’s a gloomy dungeon or a mystical forest, there’s no shortage of eye-catching imagery. Does that make a book like D&D Behold! harder or easier to illustrate?
Ulises Farinas: When I begin working on a book like this, there are always a few months of developing the ideas beyond what is presented in the style guides and extensive library of books. It's always great to work in a universe that is so well-established because you can pull from countless great designs to create new and novel approaches to the different worlds. I would say it's easier and harder at the same time. It's easy to follow along in the footsteps of other great artists, but the requirements of a seek-and-find book make it that the sheer number of unique characters are a challenge to render. For that reason, if you look closely in the book, you'll see a large cast of characters across many different locations. These were my favorite folks I created, and are a bit like the NPCs to the main cast you have to find on each page.
You’re also an accomplished writer on top of your illustrations. Did D&D play a role in your own journey as a writer and artist, or is it something you’ve become familiar with later in life, during its surge in popularity in recent times?
Ulises Farinas: The first time I played a role-playing game was in high school, where I played a Star Wars game with a few friends. Since then, I have played Dungeons & Dragons a few times as well. It always occurs that whenever I'm invited to work on a new project, I'm also already playing in that universe. When I was invited to do this book, I had been working on my own game system for a few years, inspired by D&D, called the Ulyverse, combining every project I've drawn and written for into its own multiverse. It was perfect synchronicity to then work on an official D&D project, one of the coolest fantasy universes of the last century.
Given your intimate knowledge of the book’s layouts and visual arrangements, are there any locations in the Forgotten Realms you’re particularly excited for readers to visit your interpretation of? Any Easter Eggs for fans that you want to hint about?
Ulises Farinas: My favorite locations are Wyrm's Gate, Mithral Hall, and the High Forest. There's tons of Easter Eggs, tons of recurring characters that if you're eagle eyed, you'll have a blast finding. I imagine you can give them your own names and character sheets, if you were inclined to do so. I became a father in the last few years, so my favorite character in particular is a little baby Manticore you can find in the Tomb of the Nine Gods and in Ten-Towns. Another fave of mine is a Dwarf Artificer flying a strange mechanical device in Mithral Hall, and a Dice Dealer in Neverwinter.
What’s it like working with a property like Dungeons & Dragons? You’ve also worked on Star Wars, so does that kind of widespread mainstream appeal translate across different projects, or is each one uniquely challenging based on what fans like and want out of what they get?
Ulises Farinas: I don't feel any different than a fan when working on these projects. It's always a great opportunity to be able to tell a story in a small part of these universes. When working on Star Wars and D&D, there's the characters you see in comics, source manuals, and more, but to draw one of these books I have to create hundreds more based on what's already existing. I always come up with a little story for each page and across the whole book, that only I know the details of, and I hope it comes across to the readers of these books. Who's that bad guy? What are they all looking for? I think that kind of silent storytelling can appeal to new fans and old fans, and so everyone can find something in these universes to love.
You have one word to describe what readers can expect from D&D Behold! Which one are you choosing, and why?
Ulises Farinas: Wonder. My favorite part of D&D is the sense of wonder and exploration you can achieve with a few dice and friends around a table. So much of the game happens in our head, so I wanted to convey the limitless creative potential of playing this game and hope it inspires a whole new generation to play with their friends. In a world where everything is online, and sometimes we can't see one another in person because of a pandemic, this is a game where talking and hanging out and having fun with one another is the game, and you don't need an expensive video game console to play it.
Thank you for your time! Anything else you want to say about the book we haven’t managed to cover here?
Ulises Farinas: D&D is for everyone. It is a wonderful game for people who are shy to learn how to come out of their shell, for people who are easily distracted to learn how to listen, and a way to add a little magic to your life by seeing any challenge or difficulty as a character-building quest.
Dungeons & Dragons Behold! is available now on Amazon.
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Dungeons & Dragons (Tabletop)
- Released:
- 1974-01-26
- Franchise:
- Dungeons and Dragons
- Genre(s):
- Adventure, RPG, Fantasy
- Platform(s):
- Tabletop Game
- Publisher(s):
- Wizards of the Coast, TSR Inc.
