The beholder is one of the oldest and most enduring icons from AD&D, and we felt it appropriate to bring it up during one of our early episodes. In fact, the article “Ecology of the Beholder” by Ed Greenwood and Roger E. Moore in Dragon #76 was the inspiration for the Creature Feature as a recurring segment. The first “Ecology of…” article in Dragon was the piercer in #72, but it was the beholder that was in my first issue of my first subscription, so that’s the one that stayed closest to my heart.
Beholders have shown up in many guises and forms, but the original, as is often the case, is still the best. It’s ironic that WotC’s lawyers were so careful to claim the beholder as their “Product Identity,” as this article is such a classic example of how they took what was once about fantastic creatures and role playing fun, and turned it into a sad parody of itself.
Grrr.