I thought this day would never come.
**Please keep in mind that for the interior photos, I tried to take samples that are rare and hardly ever been seen before. These photos are not true to the proportional representation of the artwork featured in Junography (i.e. you'll see alot more Lineage pieces in the actual book than what I preview).
Basic Stats
Title: Junography – Juno’s Illustration Work Collection Book 1998-2010
Author/Artist: Jeong, Juno Publisher: Viel Books
Pages: 390 pages
Dimensions: 21.8 x 25cm :: Softcover (Turtleshell)
Date of Publication: Nov. 25, 2010
ISBN: ISBN-13: 9788996468608 | ISBN-10: 8-99646-860-6 l
Retail Price: 35000 won / $55.00USD Shipped to ASIA $69.00USD Shipped ELSEWHERE when purchased directly from Viel.
Construction
The construction of Junography is fairly standard fare to the usual high quality printing standards of South Korea. You won't see many hardcover books like you do over here in North America, and this is no exception. Junography is presented in the common dual layered paperback format which is popular in Asia and also referred to as the turtleshell. It's studier than normal paperback and similar to a hardcover book which I personally like to call paperback 2.0. A textured black piece of paper is an introductory wrap around the book, noting the basic details of the book's contents. The cover has a glossy coated finish with holographic inlay used on the title. I can't comment on colour reproduction since I have never seen the original, but I would guess it to be fairly accurate. The interior pages are somewhat thick, with thankfully only a semi gloss finish. I find that although high gloss paper is great in portraying the fine details of digital images, the reflection of light is often too distracting to fully enjoy the piece printed on this kind of paper. This is a perfect balance. However, I'm not completely satisfied by the thickness of the paper, itself. It's thick enough to work most of the time but there can still be some reflecting through the pages if they're blank and the light source is bright. It's not a huge issue but it's still there. Unfortunately, the exterior covers appear to be a bit easy to scuff. This is most likely the only real construction flaw of this book.
The preorders of Junography were treated as a special editions and you received some bonuses if you manage to snag a preorder. Included was a cardboard hard case used to enclose the book and a smaller sketchbook. I was impressed by the quality of the case since it's strong and rather heavy weight and houses the two items very nicely. The sketchbook was also a very nice bonus since Mr. Jeong's artwork is seldom published in such a raw form. The illustrative sketches are especially impressive due to their details and complexity. I'm sure amateur artists are eager to try colouring using his line work.
Content
Again, all the artwork featured here are pieces from his ENTIRE art career. His most prolific work was done for the Lineage II franchise, but in all honesty, you’ll see all the work he’s done for a whole variety of different projects organized in a rough chronological order from his newest to his oldest pieces in the twelve year span.
Some other examples of his usual concept design and illustration expertise include works from: Ghost Fighter, Immortal Online, Dragooneer's Aria, numerous Korean fantasy novels, N-Age Reverse, N Pluto,etc. Many of the games will not be familiar to people outside of Korea or Asia.
The layout is very simple since it is an art book and therefore the art takes on the main focus. Usually, you’ll see a character design on one page with a monochromatic background. However, he doesn’t skimp on the much more detailed and elaborate illustrative pieces either, as most are done 3/5 spreads across a double page. Fortunately, this set up was well thought out since although a full double spread would be larger, the book’s spine usually ruins the centre (and usually focus) of the illustrations. Naturally, the elaborate illustrations are my favourite pieces featured in the book and you'll see about a hundred or so of these more illustrative pieces. Peppered throughout the concept designs you’ll also see notes and short commentaries that add a little bit more of an interactive experience to enjoy while admiring the art work. I was also very pleasantly surprised to see a whopping amount (I believe about two hundred and eighty) of Mr. Jeong's never before published/released pieces also included in the book.
Included near the back are some black and white pieces related to his manhwa endeavours. Very cool stuff since this kind of artwork is rare from Jeong Juno and much more harder to find. A couple of his series shown are Earthper and EZ2DJ dated mostly from the early 2000s and late 90s. I can't wait to go through some of the more detailed panels.
The very back has a GIGANTIC tutorial section of about 100 pages. I haven't had a chance to look at it very in-depth, but I can tell it is extremely detailed and immersive. He basically starts from ground zero and covers all steps and processes involved in the creative process. Light and Shadow, anatomy, colour, even things like what settings he uses in Photoshop are all covered and explained with easy to follow screencaps captures and shown on the pages. 
Needless to say, everything about this book screams colossal.
I was planning on posting a flip through of the entire book on video, but the publisher beat me to it before the books' release. Enjoy!
Ending Notes
- Loved enjoying the never before published pieces. Definitely a great treat to see art that you never even knew existed.
- The price is very reasonable at 35000won for an almost phone book sized release. If we see this book localized for a North American release I would expect the price to at least double, or even be released heavily abridged.
- I had been waiting a very long time for a collective work of Mr. Jeong Juno. I think I first became familiar with his Lineage character designs soon after the debut of the game and I instantly fell in love with his artwork. It was apparent he would be one of the Greats in the Korean industry.
Final Rating
- Strongest point: The amount of work is so extensive it’s almost exhaustive
- Weakest point: This is really, really nitpicking but I was a bit disappointed that this book wasn’t a hardcover release, and I really wanted a huge layout size (larger than A4 for sure). I can't help but feel the dimension of the book is a bit small. Outside covers also seem to scuff a bit easily.
9.8/10 <-MOST EXCEPTIONAL, ALMOST PERFECT
*** I've received word from the Publisher (Viel) that international sales will be possible. Correspondence in English will not be a problem. If interested, leave a note with your contact information or email Viel Books at jennifer[@]vielbooks.com
Hi, my name is Dr.Black.
I really like your review about JUNOGRAPHY and the author - Mr. Jeong Juno. May I quote this artilcle on my website? I won't edit it and mark you as the article author.
Thank you very much.
This is my website:
http://blog.yam.com/user/DrBlack.html
Hi there~
I really would prefer a link out (because my website is so small and I need traffic ^^;;). Do you think that would be okay? I don't mind if you summarize in Chinese to intro to your readers what Junography is like.
Also, I've linked you and you're free to link me too of course. :)
Thank you very much for your interest. ^^
Like to say I got my copy of the book from the publisher today. Sent to me in Australia with no problems at all. The book is great and of very high standards.
Cheers.
^ I'm really glad it arrived safe and sound! Please enjoy it! :D
I was really excited when I saw this book, and imagine my sadness when I realised it could only be bought in South Korea.
Thankfully Jenn helped out and got in touch with Viel for international shipping at an affordable price.
The book itself arrived safely, and even though I don't read Korean, the images themselves make this book totally worthwhile.
If this book ever gets translated into English, I definitely won't hesitate to buy another copy.
^ Thank you Bryan!!! Happy New Year!!!
I'm so glad I found this review and the hint that it can be ordered directly from Viel. Ordering was made very easy and pay-able with paypal.
While I was informed that shipping to Germany would take 1-3 weeks, it actually only took from 8th to 12th February!
Thanks alot for this tome (almost 400 pages) of awesome art... wish I understood the tutorial *gg*
^ Wow, shipping was lightning fast for you, Criz. I'm glad! That has to be a new record XD
Hey just wanted to let you guys know the book is awesome. The binding is extremely tight so you don't have to worry about it coming apart at the seams. Would it have been a awesome hardcover? Hell yes but I'm still satisfied. Jennifer told me it would arrive within two or three weeks. I ordered sat and got it the following sat so I'm extremely impressed with shipping. Do I wish I found out about it earlier so I might of had a shot at sketchbook bonus? Yep but the art is so crisp and the quality so high I am very pleased. If viel releases any more books this quality you guys have another purchase in me. Thanks for Jennifer for helping me out with purchase info and this blog for getting me a wonderful piece of art.
-Alvar
Thank you for your support Alvar! Please enjoy the art book!
Being a long time fan of Juno Jeong's work and recently finding out he had a collected works book out, I knew I had to find a copy. Thanks to Jennifer and her excellent communication, I am now a proud owner of Junography. It's by far my favorite art book in my collection! Veil Books' printing quality is superb - crisp production details, excellent paper stock, and vibrant color reproduction. And being a graphic designer by trade I appreciate the book's elegant and minimalist presentation - allowing the artwork to speak clearly to those of us who don't even speak Korean. I wish I had know earlier about the book so I could have been eligible for the bonus sketchbook - I hope it will be available separately later! And that iPad version of the book that was demonstrated on YouTube totally floored me. Here's hoping I'll be able to purchase that one too! That said, Jennifer you've won me over to Veil Books. Nothing but praise for you! Let me know if there are any other books of this caliber from Juno or similar artists coming out. I'll gladly throw my business your way!
- Jerel
Whoa this reply is pretty late.
Jerel thank you so much for your support!
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Orders are STILL OPEN to people interested!
Can I know where we can order this book from?
^ Sausage, please contact me at yo.jenn[@]gmail.com
Hi Jenn, the book arrived really quickly and on a weekend too! Was it express mail or something like that? Anyway I haven't had the time to go through the book yet but it's really impressive from what I see; I've never seen artbooks this thick before!
Hello from Paris~
I have received the book today! Beautiful book, and really thick!
Thank you so much Jennifer for the fast delivery and good communication :D! By the way, I just read your recent post, and well, if a korean book caught my eyes in the future, I will come to you :D!
Nat.
PS. You got an awesome blog ^^ Wish you the best!
Hi there,
Just a quick question,
Is this book published in English?
or all in korean?
The book is in Korean.
However, names of the artwork, some basic information is in English.
As it is an art book I believe language is not an issue.
Hey I have a quick question.
I am just now came across this artbook and now I wonder if it is still available.
I would be very happy, because it's just awesome
Greetings Nadja
Hi there Nadja! Please email me at yo.jenn[@]gmail.com
I should be able to help you.