Thanks, guys. I'm pretty excited about the piece. I can't wait to see it finished and get some of the others he's putting together as well. When I started this project I would not have pegged this style (i.e. comic book-ish) as something I'd have wanted for my products - but James' work is really stellar.

One of the things I like most about this piece is how much the PCs and their allies are kicking the crap out of the horde that's arrayed against them. The monks are doing some serious kung fu fightin' - and the dwarf axe cleaving the guy's helm and the swashbuckler sticking her rapier through the dude in front of her are pretty awesome. Yeah, of course, the mage and cleric are roasting some cats too, but you expect that in a fantasy shot.

Funny you mention that about the orcs, SG. I think he's made them rather ape-ish. Looking at them in that armor (which comes more or less from a ref photo I sent him of Chinese armor in a museum) I realize how much inspiration the designers of the new Planet of the Apes movie took from Asian style. That dude on the right could be straight out of that movie.
M