Hydrachild kicks things off this edition with a light-hearted rendition of Beyond the Beyond baddie Shutat being vexed by his miniature, blundering henchmen. (Some would call them more competent than the staff responsible for making Beyond the Beyond, however.) The sad thing is, while I can appreciate the piece's comical nature, I can't help but identify with poor old Shutat on some deeper level. le sigh.

   Moving on, Tom Szakolczay (known as TAS in other circles) drops in another couple of mind-bogglingly good pieces with "Raging Squall" and "Ganon's Triumph." The latter is of particular note; Tom pegs it as the only final product he's "ever been satisfied with," and one can certainly see why. Ganon's hulking mass and malicious snarl, flanked by pulsing lightning bolts and the bloodied hat of a certain Kokori native, lend an intangible but undeniable crackle to the piece that, when coupled with its good old-fashioned quality, makes for something downright jawdropping.

   Laine is another artist who's making her GIA debut, so be sure to drop her a line! She makes her debut with a full body shot of FFT warrior femme Agrias, which features a nice use of watercolor to adorn the solid anime stylings. Rei offers another Tactics CG, and Petra Rödig closes things out with a shot of Link in a, um, suggestive pose with nothing but a lone piece of cloth to partially conceal his birthday suit. An enticing coloring duo of watercolor and pastels from Petra, as always. Our gal readers might appreciate this one a bit more than usual; I'm sure Link appreciates kicking back and showing off the bod more than being slaughtered by Ganon, at least.

"Why do I have such stupid minions?" Beyond the Beyond	Raging Squall Final Fantasy VIII
Agrias Final Fantasy Tactics	Alma Beoulve Final Fantasy Tactics
Ganon's Triumph Zelda 64	A Portrait of Link Zelda 64