I'm not a big fan of Dragon magazine in general. I usually flip through it and, finding nothing of interest, return it to the shelf. Though I love Dungeon magazine it has been with great reluctance that I have been gathering Dragon mags this past year to support my Age of Worms campaign. Several of the more recent issues (within the past year) have actually managed to impress me (Hoorah! The magazine seems to be improving!!).
Anyway, I wasn't just impressed but absolutely blown away by the cover on issue 342! I didn't even flip through the pages, I just bought the mag and stared at the cover in jaw-dropping awe. Several times while reading through the articles later, I would pause and flip back to admire the cover. The pose, the details, the subject - everything about it is just ... AWESOME!
(except perhaps that it has little to nothing to do with the clerical focus of the the articles). Maybe Paizo figured if you saw this guy, you'd better be sayin' your prayers!!
Anyway, I came to these messageboards and was stunned not to see several threads praising Marc Sasso's work.
Pardon my gushing, but I'm totally blown away by this artwork. It is superlative! I guess the title of this thread says it all. And let me put a vote in for "great artwork sells" question. I wouldn't care if the articles totally sucked (which I'm pleased to say, they did NOT), I would've bought this issue purely for the cover art.
Great job - plain and simple.