When I was in 8th Grade or so while going into Century Bookstore in the Forum 303 Mall in Arlington, Texas, I discovered two Fantasy/Sci-fi artists who would go on to influence my writing: Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo.
While I feel Vallejo is a great painter, I believe Frazetta’s subject matter was more realistic, for lack of a better description; especially when illustrating the heroic male archetype. To simplify what I’m trying to get across, Vallejo painted bodybuilders, whereas Frazetta created strongman competitors.
Bodybuilders look good, but are they really strong? Strongman competitors are strong. Just watch one of the Strongman competitions on any of the sports stations on television. Those guys are the real deal.
Why am I making this comparison? The “techno-barbarians” in my story are going to be more like strongman competitors than bodybuilders.
Part-Time Warlord 