Stop me if you’re heard this one before…
So the story goes that prior to production starting on the action-adventure classic that would become Raiders of the Lost Ark, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg tapped comic book artist, escape artist, and Bob Kane bitch-slapper (no, seriously) Jim Steranko to put together some concept art for the film.
At this point, Steranko had long established himself as an experienced draftsman. As a matter of fact, it was his run on Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. that firmly reestablished the character of WWII-era Nick Fury as a super-spy. You can see much of Steranko’s influence in the existing Marvel films and, in particular, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D show to this day.
Anyway, back to Spielberg, Lucas, and Steranko.
Credited on as a Production Illustrator on Raiders, the artist openly admits that he couldn’t meet the deadline to produce more works for the director and producer (though he did create close to half a dozen more). However, what he did provide is strikingly similar to what ended up on screen. See for yourself…
Happy 66th, Steranko! The world of action is better off because of you.
Source: TheDrawingsOfSteranko.com