Lupus in Fabula

Review :: Rebus - James Jean

2011-10-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

Anyone familiar with the pop art scene is also most undoubtedly knowledgeable of James Jean. Taiwanese American artist of highly prolific works, you'd be hard pressed to find many individuals who are completely unfamiliar with his art. Lyrical, disturbing, and infinitely beautiful, his art always makes an unforgettable statement. Rebus may not be his premier art book (that belongs to Process Recess 1) but it’s a full blown, full release book not only meant to please his established fans, but to further wow the unexpecting masses.

Basic Stats

Title: Rebus

Author/Artist: James Jean

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Pages: 240 pages

Dimensions: 23 x 31 cm :: Hardcover

Date of Publication: Sept.21, 2011

ISBN: ISBN-13: 978-0-81187-125-9 | ISBN-10: 0-81187-125-8

Retail Price: 45.00 US

Construction

As I first held this book in my hands and felt the smooth thick covers brightly adorned with an all over print of James Jean’s art, I already knew this book would be impressive. From the art books I have reviewed thus far, I find Rebus to be closest to the ideal in terms of standard construction. It is hardcover, albeit missing a dust jacket, and the exterior is done with a smooth matte finish, perfect for concealing finger prints or easy to keep clean in general. Smooth and thick boards ensure the interior will be protected for years to come.

The paper quality is exceptional and some of the best I’ve seen for a mass market, non specialty release. The interior pages are bright white, and super heavyweight (among the thicker sheets I’ve seen) to prevent any bleed through the pages. The semi-gloss finish does a great job of presenting his colourful paintings accurately. I heard James Jean is a real stickler for absolute accuracy of the colours in his reproductions, so I can only assume the images in his art book are also true to the originals. You’ll have to be careful of fingerprint smudges of the full bleed dark/black pages though, so flip through carefully.

Book spines are something rarely mentioned in my reviews, but it stood out for me in Rebus. It's well constructed and tight, but not too tight where you'll hear excessive cracking that not only results in a loose binding, but pages that eventually fall out as the spine completely breaks away from the back. The book can be enjoyed fully open without over stressing the spine. A definite plus to be able to leisurely enjoy the art book without worrying about damaging the book or keeping it in “perfect condition.”

Standard features have been covered, however I shouldn’t neglect to mention the red metallic gilded pages. It’s certainly a “James Jean” addition that adds some class, yet this nice touch falls a bit short. The foil rubs off easily from normal use. Any of the edges that have had contact with my fingers have already lost their glitz. It’s a shame to see such a beautiful addition lack durability. If there was just one thing I could change about Rebus, I would have LOVED to see some metallic foil used on the covers. James Jean loves his palladium foil on his fine art prints ( Coral Hound especially comes to mind) so if the book cover decoration was done in similar vein, I would have been completely ecstatic… just a bit of wishing on my part. :)

Content

Rebus is James Jean’s most complete collection of artwork so it’s accurate to claim that it is THE James Jean book. He’s had numerous art book releases in the past, (notably the Process Recess series which is now in the third instalment) but these books have been more “hobby” in nature. Most of the content in the Process Recess series covers James Jean’s private sketches and works. The first two volumes were also very limited in quantity, distribution, and long out of print. Perhaps one day I’ll find them both for my collection. ^^

But let’s return back to the actual content of REBUS. Both covers are magnified close ups of one of James Jean’s most recent paintings, “Hounds” from the Rebus show. It’s only fitting he used one of his newest paintings for the art book that shares the same name ^^ Flip a few pages and the reader is initially welcomes by a distinct title page, a circular kaleidoscope of bicycles envelops the title, “Rebus.” As I was flipping through and soaking in the plethora of James Jeans colouring paintings and illustrations, I started to notice something, or more correctly a lack of something. Rebus has almost no notable organization or categorization. To a casual fan or onlooker, the paintings and illustrations appear to have no order (chronological or otherwise). However, after flipping through a 2^nd time much more carefully, I noticed I missed a few organizational markers.

The first fifth of the book are paintings are from “Kindling,” James Jean’s first collection of paintings and gallery show after having left the professional illustration field to pursue his fine art ambitions. Many of these paintings are also his most famous and favourites amongst his fans (Crayon Boy anyone?) The rest of the book is divided between two sections called, “cartoon tainted symbolist narrative computer assisted surrealism 2006-2010” and, “Recess 2002-2004.” The first title appears to be particularly nonsensical, but understood simply, these two sections just display works from their respective time frames.

Rebus is almost completely devoid of text. Only three pieces, Procession, Willow Tree, and Rift offer a few written words to the reader as creative stories of narrative behind the pieces. Otherwise, the only words you’ll see are here are names of the art pieces, date of creation and materials used, in super minuscule, microscopic font. Not that I’m complaining though, Rebus is an art book foremost, and what I want are the paintings and illustrations taking centre stage.

In terms of layout, most of the images are double page spreads or fully laid out on a single page. However, most of the images are not “full” bleed images. What I mean by this is, almost all of them have white borders, either because they don’t fill up the entire page or are purposely laid out to leave a half inch or so of white space to border the illustrations and paintings. Now, this would usually be less than optimal, but I didn’t even truly notice it until I had flipped through Rebus more than once. So, not only had the bits of white not bothered me, they were initially inconspicuous. Perhaps it’s because the book is so large, but this layout decision did not detract from the presentation. A minority of the images are displayed on half pages or smaller, but this again did not affect the overall quality of the layout.

Ending Notes

- If you really just want ONE James Jean book in your collection, this is IT. It’s the “best” art book to get a sampling of most of his finished pieces. You won’t see many if any of his unfinished/sketch work or lesser known works that are present in the Process Recess series. You won’t regret getting this book

- The really high score is intentional. Most art books are impressive, but they have one or two glaring faults that I cannot look past. However, Rebus is virtually flawless.

Final Rating

- Strongest point: Everything. James Jeans’ painting/sketches/illustrations are not only faithfully reproduced on high quality paper; the format is also large enough to do these artworks justice. On top of that, construction is impeccable. Quality, quantity, everything is above standard.

- Weakest point: The red foil gilded edges of the pages. Sure, it looks classy, but It rubs off far too easily.

9.9/10 <- Virtually Perfect

Having Trouble Finding Korean Art Books? Let Me Help You.

2011-09-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I know updates have been sparse, but life has been busy so I haven’t had the chance to post more reviews. I’m sorry! I know you’re waiting to see more. ^^

However, while assisting Viel Books to make Junography available to a larger public, I realized many people are interested in Korean Anime/Manga inspired art books but have a really hard time acquiring what they want partly because of the language barrier but even more greatly because of the lack of sources.

Even without the language barrier, this has also been an issue with me since very few stores are willing to ship internationally, and if they do, the shipping prices alone are very expensive. D:

I’m hoping to help out fellow English speaking art book enthusiasts find some of these books with my own personal shopping service.

Let’s be honest, Japanese books have become relatively easy to acquire due to the plethora of English catering stores online, but Korean books are still very hard to come by.

So let me help you. For a small fee I’ll take care of the business of finding the book you want, ordering, and Korean language correspondence. The only catch is, the source will have to be able to ship directly to you (to save on costs). I already know of a few places that will do this so rest assured if you don’t know any.

I’ll provide more concrete details if enough people show interest in my service. For now, this seems to be the cheapest available method that I can provide.

Here’s an estimate:

1. Customer finds a book he/she wants, it originally costs 30000w/$30 from the

Korean seller.

2. I’ll require a full payment of the book ($30), plus shipping ($15-20 approx) and

personal fee (most likely will be 25% on top of the entire order)

3. The book is ordered and shipped directly to you

4. You receive the book.

The whole process is designed to be simple. Unlike deputies: there are no hidden costs, no long turnaround times, no hassles of domestic shipping plus an additional international shipping charge, no paypal fees, just the ONE transaction fee will be charged.

The stores I use also ship using courier services. This means that in most instances, they will trackable, and if all goes will the whole transaction should take no more than a week.

If you’re interested, please send me an email to: yo.jenn[@]gmail.com

Happy collecting everyone! :D

Testimonials!

"I've had a very lovely experience with your book-ordering service and would be glad to see other people be able to obtain books with it. I'll definitely be inquiring here first if I see other Korean artbooks that catch my fancy. ^^" - Emi H. (Feb, 2012)

CONTEST :: Name your favourite KOREAN art book!

2011-06-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone!

I've decided to hold a mini contest in thanks to the people who visit my blog. ^^

It will be held from June 5th Until July 10th. Sorry I know the window is fairly long but my site still is small! ^^;;

It's fairly simple.

Please reply back in a comment to this thread what your favourite KOREAN art book is and why (a few sentences atleast please!) Any art book is valid as long as ONE or more Korean artists are present in the book.

For example, Apple 2 from Seoul Visual/Udon is my favourite because......

I haven't decided how I will judge the entries BUT most likely it will be based on the quality of the response or just at random.

To the winner...

I will present the exclusive TOXIC mouse pad done by the illustrious Kim Hyung Tae/HTK. This was graciously given to me by Seoul Visual Works. And you can expect book reviews from this publisher soon! I need to get crackin! XD

Contest Rules

1. EVERYONE can participate. I don't care if you live as far as Sierra Leone, West Africa. You're eligible! However, I'll only be sending this mouse pad via regular airmail, so if it's lost I can't help you there! D:

2. ONE entry per person. I don't want multiple entries please.

3. Please be sure to include your email with your comment. Either with your ID or even manually is okay (but be sure to write us (@) to prevent spam). It would be a shame if I couldn't contact the winner!!!!

Good Luck Everyone!!!!

Review :: Tony's Artworks from Shining World - Tony Taka

2011-05-24T01:44:00.000-07:00

When someone said this book had flocked feathers on the cover prior to its release, I couldn't help but think that the English release was given something a "bit" extra. I imagined some really crazy fluff or fuzz used on the feathers to make them seem real, but alas, I held my hopes too high. For those curious about the "flocked" feathers, there's only a thin layer of fuzz that's barely noticeable. I'd rather have the hardcover, holographic accents on the cover, and slipcase of the Japanese release. But hey, the NA release is cheaper right? You get what you pay for.

Basic Stats

Title: Tony's Artworks from Shining World

Author/Artist: Tony Taka (T2 Art Works)

Publisher: Udon Entertainment

Pages: 208 pages

Dimensions: 21 x 28 cm :: Soft cover

Date of Publication: May.24, 2011

ISBN: ISBN-13: 978-1-92677-818-1 | ISBN-10: 1-92677-818-9

Retail Price: 39.99 US

Construction

I've bought enough art books from Udon to know they follow a strict standard of print for all of their art books. Their mass market books are exactly the same size, have the exact same binding, the same paper is used for the covers and the interiors, they only print high page count art books (200 pg+) and more or less every book, regardless of their original Japanese form, follows this "Udon template." This isn't wholly a complaint though. They know the quality they offer is good, their books are always reliable, and most importantly, by printing every book in exactly the same way they can cut down on their production costs; by huge margins. I don't doubt that this is a "safe" way to print books, but it does leave much to be desired. Most of the time the unique characteristics that were present in the Japanese release are "lost in translation" and you're presented with a cookie cutter book that looks exactly like the previous releases, whether it be a horror survival game like RE5, or an anime RPG series such as Shining Wind.

Unlike the Japanese Edition, the North American Edition is constructed a bit differently. It's soft cover, lacks a slipcase, and it doesn't have holographic accenting on the covers (aside from the title which is done in silver foil). Instead, only the feathers on the front cover are "flocked," as well as some embossing done on the green swirls instead of the holograph foil that was used in the Japanese edition. I suppose the raised glossy print for the green swirl design is pretty neat and shows Udon's attention to detail. But the "flocked feathers" were done in vain because the fuzz is barely noticeable. I'm also paranoid that it will pick up dust/grime more easily.

Enough about the cover though. The interior pages are great quality like the usual Udon fare. The pages are thick enough to prevent any light reflecting through and the slight gloss on the pages works well. There's no bleed and the pages are thick enough so the images are displayed beautifully.

Print quality is also above average and I'm confident enough to say that Mr. Taka's work has been reprinted faithfully. It is a bit difficult to gauge since his colouring is on the more subtle end, but they show in nice, soft pastels, so they definitely didn't mess up there.

Content

When glancing at the Table of Contents, it shows that Tony's Artworks is divided into four sections, each with a flowery and rather nonsensical title. Each piece is also thumbnailed as a preview, with complete information on where each image was used. Pretty neat and thorough! I won't go into exact details but from what I can see for myself, there are only two "real" sections. The majority (roughly 2/3rds) of this book is comprised of full colour illustrations with or without backgrounds and a smaller section (about 1/3) is a character design section. Several pages (less than ten) are dedicated to two interviews of Mr. Taka, a tutorial of the cover and a few b/w artworks.

As the cumulative artwork for the Shining Tears and Shining Wind series', the work he had to do is certainly extensive and I’m thoroughly impressed by the sheer amount of full colour illustrations he managed to churn out during his time with the video game series. They’re action RPGs, not visual dating games, so this amount of artwork from a single artist is usually quite unheard of. I imagine it must have been very taxing on Tony Taka, especially considering his origins as a doujin artist. Perhaps, he could have tried to illustrate more dynamic scenes since almost all of them are static, but I do understand that he hasn't had much practice drawing them.

The last third is devoted to character designs from both games. I don't have much to comment about them, but I did appreciate the attention to detail. They're not just simply printed on blank sheets, but the vine and dot pattern added in the background works well without being too distracting. I also like how even the most minor characters have at least two depictions (a close up and a full body). Some of the major characters have three+ or even a few pages dedicated to them.

If I could just make the smallest point of criticism about the art work, it's the fact that Mr. Taka is foremost a character artist of young females and he isn't interested in much else. On the other hand, this complaint is not entirely fair, since... as one of the few collections of his non-H work, this art book actually offers a lot more variety and less focus on girls in compromising positions. However, I cannot deny that "fan-service" is still very strong. Mr. Taka has made an effort to draw more males, decrease his "pin up" favouritism, and even create some anamorphic designs. For "working outside his comfort zone," I commend him.

Ending Notes

- Tony Taka poured his sweat, blood, and, tears into the Shining Wind Series and that amount of devotion doesn't go unnoticed. I wonder how much time he had to put in to illustrate all of these paintings. He must work fast.

- This is most likely the single biggest collection of Tony Taka's non-H work so if you're a fan of his work, you won't wanna miss out.

- Something I only noticed while reviewing this book, The back shots of Elwing and Xecty on the back cover show sublime Mucha-esque hair. I adore! XD

Final Rating

- Strongest point: The sheer quantity of full colour, full background images. Tony Taka worked his ass off when making these games and he very well exceeded what could be considered to be a "normal level" of contribution.

- Weakest point: The "Udon Template," meant the loss of the Japanese perks (hardcover, holographic cover, slipcase). I value the quality of materials used in the Japanese release more than being frugal so I will most likely purchase the Japanese release again. For those of you like me, skip the NA release and import it from Japan instead.

8.9/10 <- Aside from my complaint about the "Udon Template," I can't deny its artwork quantity and adequate construction quality.

Review :: Krenz's Artwork I+II, III, IV

2011-05-14T00:49:00.000-07:00

In complete honesty, I was a bit hesitant to purchase Krenz's Art books. I love talent in many different forms, but his focus on cute looking females isn't really my thing. If I see an artist that almost solely draws moe girls it really takes something special or exceptional to pique my interest. Well, I was pleasantly surprised at how his females had more variety than the usual moe girl (or what his covers falsely led me to believe), but well... don't judge these books solely on their covers. There's enough variety to please most fans of anime/manga inspired art. These books are further personal hobby releases so I'll further provide some advertising and information on how to directly purchase them from the artist. I love promoting lesser known artists so please support Kreuz!!!! :D

Due to the similarity of content and presentation of Krenz's books, I have decided to review all three books in one cumulative review.

* I apologize for leaving out photos of Book I+II. I didn't have it on hand at the time of this review, but books 3 and 4 are very similar to the first book.

Basic Stats

Title: Krenz's Artwork I+II, Krenz's Artwork III, Krenz's Artwork IV

Author/Artist: Krenz (Cushart)

Publisher: Gain-How Printing Co. Ltd.

Pages: 40 pages, 48 pages, 48 pages

Dimensions: B5, A4, B5 :: Softcover

Date of Publication: July 2010 (Reprint), July 2009, July 2010

Retail Price: $7.00 USD each :: Shipping worldwide is an additional $5.00 for each book when purchased directly from Krenz.

Construction

The quality of build on these books are above average for doujin releases. I love the smooth matte covers. They're thicker than the usual fare and look like they'll withstand a fair amount of damage for being single ply. They're definitely a heavier and treated cardstock. All of the pages are glossy, and I found this helped incredibly towards the polish of the presentation. It might just be my monitor, but when browsing Krenz's gallery, I felt the images were just a bit too washed out, or the colours just a bit too soft and subtle. I can happily say that the print reproductions look even more fabulous than what you see online. There's just enough pop and contrast to add a layer of vibrancy, while at the same time they're still soft and close enough to be faithful to his original digital paintings. Perhaps... it's just me, but I felt that his images online pale somewhat to his images in print.

As for the format, I'm sure that my readers are now well aware that I believe that size matters. Although big is almost always better, I found myself preferring the perfect binding done on the B5 books (1+2, and 4) instead of the simpler staple binding of the A4 book (III). I noticed that there were some crease marks in the back of the A4 book due to the staple binding. Now, if future books are perfect bound AND A4, well that's the icing on the cake. (nudge, nudge Krenz XD)

Content

Krenz's Art books feature a mix between his professional and personal works. I believe his professional work comprises mostly novel covers with some game related character designs mixed in among the pages. His earlier books have more original artwork while his newer volume (IV) is more focused on character designs.

I prefer the older volumes because they include more full blown illustrations and less sketch work or character designs (not that his sketch work is any less impressive, I'm just a fan of all over colour). He wisely presents these paintings in either double page spreads or full page bleeds. There is no white showing and I remain firm that this is the best way to have artwork formatted on a page. I have to admit though, I liked the creative way he used to display illustrations in book IV. He would have a three quarters of the page for the finished piece, and three mini images of the work in progress, from rough sketches to basic colour blocking. Refer to the blonde elf to see exactly what I'm talking about.

Krenz is effortlessly versatile. He likes doing fantasy, but his true passion appears to be drawing real world characters, or atleast characters that wear contemporary clothes and live in worlds that mirror our own real world. Just as his colouring and shading is soft and subtle, he's not an artist that tries vainly to go all out. He prefers to keep his art understated, with his style the only thing needed to give the artwork a spark of fantasy. I admire how he doesn't try too hard to capture the eye of the viewer. His art remains serene and ultimately evokes a sense of a comfort.

If I could find any fault in his art, it would be that he strongly prefers to draw and paint females. I would like to see more males as they only make up 15-30% of the representation in his books. He's very capable of drawing males, I daresay he's better at drawing males than females. His pretty boys look great, his gruffer middle aged men look good as well, hell even his old bearded grandpas kick some major ass! His men manage to look different, both in terms of demographics and personal characteristics. They have different faces, body builds, etc. Personally, I couldn't help making a comparison with Range Murata in this aspect.

Ending Notes

- The books are hella cheap (price not quality) and a worthwhile purchase for anyone interested in anime/manga styled art. His work will appeal to both males and females, even if most of his subjects are young women.

- His dragon is eye popping fantastic. I wonder how skilled he is at drawing other animals, both real and imaginative.

- He likes pink. He likes pink alot. XD

Final Rating

- Strongest point: Krenz's portrayal of males displays not only his skill and understanding of the male form, but he's not afraid to show a strong degree of variety. His males all have different characteristics.

- Weakest point: I couldn't think of a real fault so.... I'll just make one point. I wanted MORE males. Male to female ratio is WAY TOO LOW!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D

7.8 /10 <- Above average and great quality.

*** Please contact Krenz at hydrakrenz[@]hotmail.com or visit his DeviantArt page at http://cushart.deviantart.com/ for full details and to place an order.

Review :: Final Fantasy XIII : Corridor of Memory - Episode i -

2011-04-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

Construction & Content

I know it's been forever with my last review and I wasn't feeling up to a full art book, so instead I chose to do a mini review on a book that isn't exactly an art book.

While I'm sitting here twiddling my thumbs and wondering when exactly Square-Enix will release a very overdue art book for Final Fantasy XIII, this mini book will have to do for now.

Final Fantasy XIII : Corridor of Memory - Episode i - is a mini preorder bonus that was available in Hong Kong. In terms of its size, shape and overall content, it's comparable to the EBgames/Gamestop freebie art books that have been common preorder freebies in the past.

It's completely written in Japanese, which is unfortunate for me, since the meat of this book is the actual writing and not the pictures.

The first 20 pages of content in this book is what it's titled after. - Episode i - is the epilogue novella of Final Fantasy XIII written by Eishima Jun. I wouldn't really have thought much of it if it was standalone, but given the fact that we now have a confirmed sequel, I suppose this short story on what happened AFTER Final Fantasy XIII holds some weight as canon. I skimmed through the English translation, but you won't be missing much if you miss this little bit that bridges FFXIII and FFXIII-2 .

The middle 36 pages are devoted to a section called Reminiscence. It looks to be a collection of the extra scenes in the game that never made the final cut. The writing is obviously not doing much for me but the small screen caps along the edge I found to be the neatest things in the entire book. They're the corresponding scenes, but only preliminary CG renders since they never made it to the final cut. Very cool even if they're tiny and hard to make out.

The final 20 pages are the "fanciest" pages since they include double page spreads of the promotional CG renders/artwork for the game. You know... these are the images that are made into posters, plastered on to every bit of related merchandise, made into wallpapers by fans.... the images created to impress. Not that I'm complaining though. These eye candy artworks are the best renders made for the game, and damn it shows.

Final Rating
- Strongest Point: Loved the behind the scenes/deleted material
- Weakest Point: Size is far too tiny to do the content justice. Especially the full CG renders. Would have been nice to have been available in English.

Numerical Rating: N/A

REAL LIFE BALLOON HOUSE FROM PIXAR'S UP!!!!!!

2011-03-07T23:14:00.000-08:00

I saw this article on Gizmodo and I just had to post it.

It's a real life "house" based on the house from UP! tied with 300 helium weather balloons to see if it would actually fly.

Well you can f*cking believe it got UP!

Unbelievable!!!!!

For more details check out the full article:
http://ca.gizmodo.com/5778006/the-house-from-up-has-been-built-in-real-lifeand-it-flies?skyline=true&s=i

Review :: Devil May Cry Graphic Files - Capcom

2011-02-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

Devil May Cry is one of my all time favourite video games series, and when I heard about the art book I was ecstatic. As a hardcore fan I can say the actual content satisfied my expectations, even if the presentation left something to be desired. As a hardcore fan, you can’t pass it up, and even to the casual fan I’m sure some of the content will be a delight. Needless to say, Tsuchibayashi Makoto fans will benefit from this book the most since the drool worthy concept/character designs are the best bits of this book!

Basic Stats

Title: Devil May Cry Graphic File

Author/Artist: Capcom

Publisher:

Pages: 144 pages

Dimensions: 21 x 30 cm :: Soft cover with Dust Jacket

Date of Publication: Dec.26, 2006

ISBN: ISBN-13: 978-4-86233-106-9 | ISBN-10: 4-86233-106-8

Retail Price: 2300 yen

Construction

This book has been built fairly standard to how most Japanese Art Books are presented. You have a thin soft cover binding with a monochromatic cover of an early concept of Dante. Wrapped around the covers is a thin glossy dust jacket of the DMC trio (Dante, Vergil, and Trish) done by Capcom veteran, Tsuchibayashi Makoto. His style never fails to delight and it's a wonder how such a rough and gritty stylized form is perfect for a game series like DMC. I'd say the cover is special because it deviates from Mr. Tsuchibayashi's norm. It's just as messy and unrefined as he usually is, but the ethereal mood is quite refreshing. Who would of thought he could make artwork just as "heavenly" as he could make them as "hellish".. quite the versatile artist, no?

Steering back towards the actual construction, it's all pretty standard and there really isn't anything exceptional to note. Print quality is adequate, but not amazing. Paper quality is also adequate but a tad thin so there is some light reflecting on the white pages. All the pages are also printed on matte paper. No gloss in this book aside from the covers. Regarding the actual page count, it is a bit higher than average, but there is a bit of what I would consider to be "careless use" which I'll explain in further detail in the next section.

Content

Five different chapters divide this book. The first chapter is my favourite followed by bits of the third. I'll explain these two chapters a bit more and dabble about the rest.

Try not to be mistaken, this isn't an art book of the entire cumulative series, only the first game. Because I knew this book was a re-release, I was a bit disappointed by this fact. I was hoping for a huge book that covers games 1-4 but it turns out I was wrong. This book is only about the first Devil May Cry. There is the final chapter dedicated to DMC 4, but it's very brief and therefore just ends up feeling like an ad if anything. I found it very extraneous and it took away from the overall presentation. The first chapter is called the "Character Design" and it's the meat of this entire book. Featured, are some very early sketches of the characters and a few that remain purely conceptual or largely absent from the games itself, even if they may be important characters. Aside from Dante and Trish, there are sketches of Vergil and " the Count" or aka Mundus. It's pretty neat to see Dante's family too. I gotta say though, it looks as though "Future Dante" served as an early template for "Vergil". Hard to imagine the brash rock n roll personality of Dante turning into a stuffy, prissy, "nobleman." XD The moody gothic setting concept sketches are also in the first chapter, and I adore them. The setting is a huge part of what DMC is, and this wasn't forgotten in this art book. Weapons connoisseurs will also most likely appreciate the very detailed sketches of Dante's armoury. It's just delicious, really.

The second and forth chapters are largely CG renders of everything else in the game. You get images of Dante, Trish, the monsters, the weapons and anything else that you can think of that is present in the game. I'm not crazy about these two chapters. Extensive CG renders in an art book makes me feel a bit cheated due to the recycled imagery. Others will object, but CG work isn't what I'm crazy about and usually, I don't pay much attention to it.

I have a love/hate relationship with the third, "Behind The Scene" chapter. On one hand, it includes a lot of material that usually isn't included in a video game art book. On the other hand, that doesn't necessarily mean the stuff in this section is all good. The two pages of traditional handmade boss/monster models were amazing and awesome, and the shots of the promotional items (i.e. real life resin models of the weapons, game disc + OST photos, even a large Dante standee, etc) were also pretty cool. however, about ten pages and another two, were in my opinion, "wasted" on staff credits and tribute gags drawn by the staff members. The intention was good, but as a fan I couldn't appreciate the number of pages that were devoted to something that just feels like a "filler extra."

Ending Notes

- The most interesting thing about this book is how its reach is much more greater than the typical video game art book. The preliminary sketches of the characters show how far they've come (i.e. "Tony" becoming "Dante"), and I thought the storyboards were useful too. Photographs of actual handmade models of the monsters were really cool, and neat how they included photos of promo materials such as the actual game, posters, hell... even a custom game kiosk.

- Having the last chapter on DMC4 felt weird and out of place for me. The fourth game already has more than one book dedicated so there really was no need. You'd think Capcom should direct their energy towards releasing a much belated DMC2 art book, but I suppose they're still busy pretending that game never existed.

- This book is a re-release of the earlier "Devil May Cry Edition." I have that one as well but I can't remember any major differences. I can assume the coverage on DMC4 has to be missing but I can't remember much more than that.

- Due to the range of material covered, it felt like they really tried to dig up extras to make this a special, commemorative book. This isn't surprising considering how iconic the DMC series has become and I'm grateful they used some extra elbow grease to do the series some justice.

Final Rating

- Strongest point: Some very rare tangents of behind the scenes also included. Loved the initial concept designs of the characters, 3D handmade models of a few bosses, and photographs of some of the promotional material.

- Weakest point: Although another rarity, I didn't care about the staff scribbles of DMC that took up several pages of the book. Wasted space in my opinion.

8.7/10 <- Beyond the standard in most aspects, falls a bit short in others

Review :: The Ark: Lineage II Illustrations - NCSoft

2011-01-30T01:26:00.000-08:00

Perhaps it's a bit redundant to review a book so similar to Junography so soon, when I have a multitude of others just waiting to be reviewed. Oh well, you'll have to make do since I want to review this one. :)

The Ark is a collective work from a Korean computer MMORPG called Lineage II. Lineage II has been around for more than 6-7 years now, and has an extensive international following. Its servers are still up and operates as one of the most successful MMOs on the market.

Basic Stats

Title: The Ark - Lineage II Illustrations

Author/Artist: NCSoft

Publisher: SoftBank Creative

Pages: 127 pages

Dimensions: 21 x 30 cm :: Soft cover with Dust Jacket
Date of Publication: Oct. 10, 2005
ISBN: ISBN-13: 978-4-7973-3111-0 | ISBN-10: 4-7973-3111-9

Retail Price: 2800 yen

Construction

I have to say construction is for the most part, fairly standard to the usual Japanese fare with some very much appreciated added frills. I love the bronze metallic inlay of the female mage on the cover. From an angle it just looks like mocha coloured ink, but upon closer inspection, there's a beautiful bronze shine. I love it. The pages are mid gloss, and it's funny because this doesn't bother me. On the contrary, I think I really like it. The art work seems to pop more and I'm not noticing any fingerprint smudging because of the white backgrounds. I have no complaints about the glossy pages in this book. The paper is a bit thin, perhaps high quality mook standard so you do get some reflecting. I didn't really notice it being an eyesore upon a quick flip through though. Colour accuracy and print quality is definitely above standard. Everything is so bright and colourful with no muddled colour or signs of cheap reproduction.

I really stared hard at some of the pages and I also noticed one very unique and slightly peculiar print characteristic. The colour ink has a different texture than the white paper. I even noticed the coloured parts appear to high gloss whereas the pages are only mid gloss. Because the ink is a different texture, it resembles raised ink. All of these factors make the images really pop from the pages. It's difficult to explain in words and you really need to take in the details by hand to see what I'm really talking about. However, I adore this feature and it's just a great way to finish an already superb print quality.

Content

All of the art work featured is from Lineage II. Fans familiar with the game will also be familiar with the style of the artwork and what's included. This means alot of Arthurian fantasy elements such as armoured knights, wizards, dragons, etc. Think LOTR, but with an Asianified art style. rofl. In my opinion, the poster girl for Lineage II has always been the flaxen haired elf maiden, so you'll see alot of her and different iterations of her image throughout the book. Not that I'm complaining. I think she's beautiful and kick started a hugely popular trend of the "elf girl". Presentation is also a non issue. Most of the images take up 80-90% of the white on the paper, some are full bleed double spreads and only a small portion are half paged or smaller.

The book is divided into two sections. The first being labelled as "The Art Gallery" and the second, as the "World Guidance". The Art Gallery is about 40 pages long and is composed of images that have been exposed and seen before. Anything from character designs, to full illustration, promotional art work to concept work, it's the spectrum of artwork that is expected in any art book. I gotta say, a few of the concept pieces I couldn't recognize at all, or were very rare and seldom seen.

The second half of the book is what really got me excited though. The World Guidance includes all the artwork that is rarely ever seen by the public, if there wasn't an art book. NPC concept designs, the fantastic towns and villages of Lineage, a drool worthy weapons manifesto, and finally monster designs are the most delightful additions for me. You have to have this kind of "behind the scenes" look for a game art book. I mean how many years go into developing a triple A title? How much of that blue print work is ever available outside the company building? Atleast a portion of that foundation work should be shared to the fans, and this "rough work" is just as important as the more "elaborate" promo pieces.

Ending Notes

- I have seen Jeong Juno's artwork in smaller art books, but due to the amount of details in his artwork, He needs ATLEAST an A4 format art book. I really appreciate this about The Ark.

- My only complaint is that it's too thin :/ I wish there was more or atleast if the weapon designs were larger and more spread out.

Final Rating

- Strongest point: Loved the depth of the featured pieces. You not only get illustrations or character work, but also more obscure artworks such as NPC designs, early concept work, monsters and an encyclopaedic collection of weaponry.

- Weakest point: In all fairness this was released in 2005, during the mid years of the game so I couldn't expect a complete collection of Lineage II art work. However, for a game of this calibre, there is easily enough artwork for double the amount presented. In short, it's too thin.

8.5/10 <- Great for what it is, but could offer a bit more content

Blast From the Past: Comiket in 1985

2011-01-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, Comiket existed that long ago, and greatly more amazingly, some video footage of a report on Comiket 28 (1985) has been posted on youtube. This was even before I was born, so dang it's been awhile. I don't want to spoil it for you so take a look at the videos for yourself:

Part 1:

Part 2:

What can we conclude from the Comic Market of 26 years ago?

Well... it's mostly the same as now. A gather of people who love manga. Most of the observations I made are more on the general era than Comiket itself.

- It was big even then. Damn, 20000 people squatting in line? One with even a portable TV? Shit, people were just as hardcore even then.
- Everyone dresses the same/similar with similar hairstyles. I'm seeing alot of ankle length skirts and short sleeved blouses on the women.
- Women didn't wear alot of makeup if any back then. Weird, makeup has existed for 1000s of years but I suppose it follows trends too. People must have spent more time outdoors too. They're so tanned.
- "Idol" anime characters existed even then. Lum's fandom reminds me of all the idol followings of today.
- Slutty anime cosplay is "not" a modern invention. It even existed back then!
- Skill and presentation was alot more amateur back then, but that's pretty much expected. You don't have all the fancy CG programs of today or the sheer selection/variety of print options.

Bonus points to whoever that can ID the dude in the black beret.

Review :: The Light - CGLand

2011-01-12T22:14:00.000-08:00

I found this used somewhere a few years ago... and I can't really recall how. Most likely it was one of my trips in Korea when I had the liberty of rummaging around internet cafes to find some rare Korean books. ^^ My memory is also foggy with some of the details of this book. It is published by CGLand, a Korean community for digital artists (they recently published Kosmos, which I also need to get my grubby hands on) and I believe this was limited to 999 copies? I can't say with 100% certainty but that’s the number that pops off the top of my head and I’m sure it was less than 1000. Back to the main point though… if you really want a sentence long review, it's the Korean "counterpart" to the Ballistic Expose series. Why do I say that? I think the photos will be serve as enough evidence.

Basic Stats

Title: The Light - Digital Artworks 1

Author/Artist: Various

Publisher: CGLand

Pages: 182 pages

Dimensions: 22.5 x 31cm :: Hardcover with Dustjacket

Date of Publication: Jul. 05, 2005

ISBN: ISBN-10: 89-954099-1-6

Retail Price: 39000 won

Construction

When a book goes over 30000 won (30 bucks) in Korea, that means it's expensive and presentation should very well exceed typical books. I think The Light is a pretty good representation of this. The hardback covers are durable, heavyweight and exceptional quality. The binding is good... I might have heard a slight crackling when opening the book fully though, and the glossy dustjacket does its job of protecting the covers. I can't find any glaring flaws in terms of construction, perhaps only a few minor things that are really depend on personal preference. The paper is high gloss. I’m not a big fan of high gloss but I didn’t find it too distracting here, and strangely pretty resistant against finger print smudging. Almost all of the pages are black which are notorious fingerprint smudge magnets, but yeah I don’t notice this happening very much at all when flipping through. Paper thickness was also very good. I didn't notice very much reflecting through the pages, but that may have also been because there was very little white/blank unused space.

Content

The Light is foremost a digital collection. That doesn't mean there's only 3D renders present... I'd estimate only 1/3 of the work included is 3D and the rest of the two thirds are 2D. A few look like they were even done traditionally but that's just the skill of the artist in mimicking traditional mediums. ^^;;

Seven sections divide this book: Character, Low_Polygon, Illustration, Transport, Military, Fantasy, and Architecture & Interior. Personally, I don't think some of these are even needed since they can be only a few pages long. Fantasy can just be classified as illustration and transport + military can be lumped together. The vast majority of the pieces are character work and illustrations, while a smaller portion includes real life renders of things like cars, battle ships (sorry I forgot to take a photo of one!) and even buildings + interior designs. I've already touched upon it, but this book covers alot of different material. It does lean heavily on the fantasy/character side of things so individuals looking for that won't be disappointed. However, people who want artwork that is more derived from technical realism on real life objects like cars or ships, may be disappointed.

Just as there are a multitude of subjects covered, there are also a multitude of artists and styles. Much like the Ballistic series each artist will have 1-3 pieces exhibited within. The entire layout is also very reminiscent of how the Ballistic books are done. Most of the images are full page images on black backgrounds. The rest are half page sized and a few double paged spreads are included as well. You get minimal if any blank pages at all since black is used as the background colour. I wouldn't be surprised if they saw Expose beforehand and liked how the Ballistic books were formatted and decided to do something very similar.

Ending Notes

- When this book came out, quality CG related art books were rare in Korea. I’m satisfied by the quality of this book and how it paved the road for more books like it to be published.

- Why did it take so long for CGland to publish a successor art book? Kosmos only came out in 2010 so you have a 5-6 year gap which is pretty huge. It’s a shame The Light was pretty much only a single volume and not an annual it was set up to be.

Final Rating

- Strongest point: You get a vast sampling of digital art. 2D/3D.. everything from Character designs, illustrations, mechanical designs, hell even architecture.

- Weakest point: This is really going out on a limb, but it might feel like a "random catalogue" to certain individuals. It covers so much, there really isn't a central focus.

8.7/10 <- Solid release, hard to find any flaws.

Review :: Tsuya Style - Nakajima Atsuko

2011-01-03T22:41:00.000-08:00

Nakajima Atsuko's style was a staple in many anime series during the 90s and early 2000s. Quite frankly, I'm a bigger fan of how anime was drawn back then compared to the more simplistic styles of today, so it was refreshing to go back to a style I was more familiar with during my younger days. Huge shiny eyes may be Ms. Atsuko's trademark, but I love how they don't fall into the overly girly or childish depiction which is what you'd normally expect from saucer sized high gloss eyes. Her characters manage to look older than the norm of prepubescent teens, which really makes her artwork instantly recognizable even given the multitude of series' she has provided illustrations for. Unfortunately, only a few are covered in this art book.

Basic Stats

Title: Tsuya Nakajima Atsuko Style

Author/Artist: Nakajima Atsuko

Publisher: Mag GARDEN

Pages: 112 pages

Dimensions: 21x 29.7cm :: Soft cover with Dust Jacket

Date of Publication: Jul. 1, 2004

ISBN: ISBN-13: 978-4-86127-049-9 | ISBN-10: 4-86127-049-9

Retail Price: 2095 yen

Construction

There isn't too much to comment on this book in terms of construction. It's very standard for a Japanese release. It's roughly A4 in size which is the standard viewing format for Japanese art books in general. The covers are done with the generic single ply of semi gloss card stock. Not very strong but a glossy dustcover gives adequate protection.

Nothing fancy. The dust cover does scuff a bit easily overtime so something a bit more resilient would have been nice. I thought it was pretty interesting how the covers are the rough sketches of the completed cover images. Interior paper quality is above average though. Nice and thick semi gloss pages work well and there is no reflecting even though I can see that most pages are saturated with colour. Print quality and colour reproduction is alright, but nothing to rave about since the cel shading can't really be too difficult to produce accurately.

Content

It's a strange thing because I wasn't initially familiar with Ms. Atsuko's styles from the shows that are represented from this book. I remember her Rurouni Kenshin promotional covers leaving the greatest impression on me and I only vaguely remember her work from You're Under Arrest and Getbackers. It's most likely due to the fact that I've never watched these shows. ^^;;; But yes, You're Under Arrest and Getbackers are the main two series covered in this art book with Getbackers taking most of the spotlight. Maybe 10-20% of the book is dedicated to some other cutesy anime which I cannot name but these two series dominate with a few pages dedicated to Ranma 1/2.

Most of the images are pinup style illustrations (the majority of them being yaoi-esque images of the two main characters of Getbackers), in full page format. The book is varied to a lesser extent and you'll see some different forms of presenting the illustrations. Half page, double page spreads, quarter page illustrations, everything is pretty much done in this book.

The second half of the book is all black and white sketch work. You'll see some of the completed images that were displayed earlier in the book in sketch form with a page or so of commentary along with a multitude of character design sheets used in the anime or just some random rough work from Ms. Atsuko.

The last several pages I missed the first time I flipped through but the book, but it does end with a few more anime series being covered. One is something called Peacemaker which has a few pages dedicated to it and Kenshin gets a whopping two whole pages. ;_;

Ending Notes

- Reminiscing about a style of the past is a good feeling. I still love Ms. Atsuko's big-eyed style more than most styles of today.

- I would have greatly appreciated seeing something other than cel shading in her completed illustrations.

Final Rating

- Strongest point: It has variation from "just art" for people who enjoy it. Alot of notes, commentaries, almost a half and half mix between sketches and illustrations.

- Weakest point: "I" didn't like all of the black and white

sketch work plus notes taking up almost half of the book.

7.3/10 <- SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE

Review :: Kine in Aqua Illustrations - Lee Sun Young

2010-12-31T18:09:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite Korean dongin artists out there, her art is instantly distinguishable and even in her earlier days I was always left wondering and anticipating her full colour art book. For a comic artist it's evident that her true skill shines in her colour works, which isn't as common as you'd think with artists in this industry. I have to say with all things considered, I'm satisfied with the result.

Basic Stats

Title: AQUA: Kine in Aqua Illustrations 2003-2009

Author/Artist: Lee, Sun Young (Kine)

Publisher: Self (Private Publication)

Pages: 160 pages

Dimensions: 21.5 x 29.5cm :: Soft cover with Dust Jacket
Date of Publication: Jan. 2010

Retail Price: 15000 won

*I have to apologize for the quality of some of the photos. I did quite a few retakes and some aren't as clear as they should be.

Construction

With many doujin/dongin releases you can't achieve the quality of a professional commercial release due to financial constraints or the lack of availability of options. I'm satisfied that this book doesn't suffer from this common issue and looks as good, if not better than many commercial books. The format is a nice ample A4 and the overall build quality of the book itself also appears to be great. The spine is strong, and the glossy dust cover is also a fine detail in terms of the finish. Usually, I can't help complaining about soft cover art books, but the dust jacket does add enough protection for this to be a minor issue in this case. I must say though, that the strongest detail of this art book is the paper quality. I absolutely adore the paper and it is one of the finest examples I have ever seen. It's not very fancy or innovative, but a heavy weight matte card stock just is "discreetly" perfect for the job. There is absolutely no reflecting or bleeding through the pages and it feels so nice to just flip through leisurely without having to worry about bent or damaged pages. I don't mind it at all if some details appear to be a bit dull due to the lack of gloss. It is quite simply put, one of the best possible paper types for art book use.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the slipcase the book came with. It's pretty with its metallic gold inlay, but the cardboard is too thin and it feels flimsy. Also as you can see, the glue is already coming off one of the sides and it's falling apart. A nice attempt to include a slip case that can house the book, but the quality prevents it from being very useful.

Content

From what I can tell the artwork is a collection of every previously "published" piece since 2003 until 2009, which is a six year period. Like I said, I haven't been able to find any unreleased or new pieces and everything has been available in some form before (i.e. buttons, bookmarks, calendars, posters, donginji, etc).. not that that is a bad thing. Just don't expect any surprises. The book is roughly two thirds of original work and a third of fan pieces from various fandoms. The art is also ordered chronologically from newest to oldest. Her original works consist mostly of the ones featured in her calendars and shopping bags but many have also been previously printed as other goods and even promotional materials. The fan artwork is mostly Bleach and Naruto orientated but you'll see a scattering of others as well (Prince of Tennis, Reborn, Black Butler, etc)

I have no problems with the selection included since it is diverse and collects pretty much everything, but the best point is the presentation. This art book is printed in my favourite way, full page bleeds or double page spreads. You will see minimal white in this book since almost every image fills the entire page. Aside from the title, a brief afterword, and publishing notes there are absolutely no words in this art book. You get as much art as you possibly can. Interviews and commentaries are nice but nothing beats pure unadulterated art work.

Ending Notes

- The quality of the release for a dongin art book. For the most part the quality is fabulous. The paper being the best part.

- The price is cheap by North American standards

- Her gorgeous colour works are represented true to their original form

Final Rating

- Strongest point: The cardstock matte paper. Not only is this perfect for displaying the images, the paper quality adds heft to the book to make it appear very thick.

- Weakest point: The slipcase. It's cheap and easily comes apart.

9.5/10 <- MOST EXCEPTIONAL

Review :: Junography - Jeong Juno

2010-12-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

I thought this day would never come.

Mr. Jeong Juno.. arguably my favourite artist of all time (he beats out hundreds of others) has published a completely personal and MASSIVE compendium of almost all ( I would guess) of his artwork spanning a very dynamic 10 years. The artworks featured are not only restricted to his professional career, but you’ll see a few of his personal fan creations as well. In other words, it’s the most complete collection of Jeong Juno’s artwork ever released to date. To put a scope of how much that is… this book is almost as thick as a phone book and his art is displayed in full page format on almost all of the pages. Yes, this is at least 95% of pure unadulterated artwork spanning 400 pages. I know.. simply mindboggling.

**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

Spotlight :: Sana Takeda

2009-10-12T23:21:00.001-07:00

It’s been ages since I’ve had an update. I’ve been visiting the old country, alongside some other hubbub (including a very new family member!) so well sorry if shit has been dead. ^^;;

Anyways I’m here to talk about Sana Takeda. An artist I discovered more along the US comic thread, and my how false my assumptions were. Apparently she’s not a dude, and she’s a Japanese citizen (not a Japanese-American). Hardly the kind of person you’d imagine being commissioned to work for the biggest names in American comics.. (i.e. Marvel, Aspen, etc) I guess the industry has far reaches.

But let me talk a bit more about her style. I think it’s accurate to say it’s a style that truly blends the east and west. It can LOOK fitting for an American comic but it also feels true to a more manga esque style. Not only is it something a bit different, but a kind of vision I can connect with. Check out for yourself how some of her images feel westernized, yet others less so.

P.S. She’s brilliant when it comes to painting images that are off angles from the central subject. Therefore, offering a very intimate if not more poignant impression on the viewer.

http://www.sanatakeda.or.tv/

Spotlight :: Emmanuel Malin

2009-06-30T18:01:00.001-07:00

I think the French have a certain sense of style that is often imitated, but never successfully replicated.

Emmanuel is simply put.. magnificent. Some pieces reflect a sense magical realism, that is vaguely disturbing whereas others are purely imaginative pieces that are lighthearted, bubbly, and most importantly FUN creations. Sheer eye candy, I’m humbled by his artwork.

The castle one reminds me of Howl’s Moving Castle :D

http://www.emmanuelmalin.com/

Tifa Lockheart

2009-06-29T01:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry. I've been slow on updates. My move back home kinda was a handfull.
How do you clean up the clutter after you've barely managed to cram the excess shit amassed??
I need some major storage compartments, fast. -_-

Also, why does my Tifa look so asian? o_O

Cloud Strife

2009-06-11T00:04:00.000-07:00

Urgh. Something about Cloud makes him look the crappiest so far. WTF is it.

I have a case of the sniffles. I think I'm having a sudden onset of allergies. -_-

Lightning

2009-06-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

Not much to say. Mostly just wanted to make her hair darker cuz really light pink wasn't doin it for me. *shrug*

Snow Villiers

2009-06-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

Dudes,

So this is my attempt to colour "fast". It's done with considerably less work.. but still slow in my opinion. -_- Urgh, when can I do something I like. Hopefully I'll get all six done. Then all fangled to make nice lamis. :D

I like Mr. 33cm SO MUCH. But eng voice is kinda faggy. D:
I didn't like his design very much initially, but he grew on me :D

Final Fantasy Fuzzlies

2009-05-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

FF animals need lovin too.

Hands down my fav was RED XIII. He is like not only like a cat... but like a dog TOO... he is cat dog, but BESTLY, he has some angsty shit goin on and you just wanna cuddle him! He's like a doggie with complex human emotions!

(Jenn doesn't have touch problems with non-humans)

My brain slams into a wall and goes splat. splat. splat.

2009-05-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm having major bouts of "troubled artist" right now, since every time I even attempt to colour I feel terrible. You know a 5 year old with crayons? That is me. No jokes. Wait I guess you need to add ample scoops of self loathing as well.

I don't want to chatter on too much since i have more brain slammin to do... but damn I suck so much.

Anyways I just had to change gears for the moment. So I decided I'd work on some portrait sketches of FF characters for possible lami releases in the summer.
Gee... already did these two in 10-15 min. I wish colouring could be that fast, seriously.

I think I may do two more females and males... prob leads from FFVIII and VII. Requests? Let's hear em.

********* ADDED FFVII AND VIII LEADS TOO. Sorry VIII is pretty rough but I just wanted it up before BEDTIME. :D

Artwork :: Hyunmu

2009-05-03T00:24:00.000-07:00

Final installment of the Four Symbols, this is Hyunmu, the Black Tortoise of the north. I had to redraw and I think this one is better.

He's still pretty rough, but again I wanted to upload before I went to sleep.

I'll try working out the kinks tomorrow.

Artwork :: Chungryong

2009-04-27T00:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I wanted to post this before bed.

I actually have been working on Hyunmu for a bit of time and he looks like a complete asshit (almost finished) so I decided to move onto Chungryong for the moment. I think Hyunmu will have to be redone.

It's very rough so I'll touch up a bit more then repost. Unlike the damn turtle this was so much easier.

Azure Dragon of the East for your enjoyment.

Magnacarta 2

2009-04-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Jenn, knows Jenn LOVES Mr. Kim Hyung Tae.

However... while I may once have been totally star struck by his designs *they are oh so flashy* his flaws seem to get more and more glaringly obvious.

I'm not making a poke at his exaggerated anatomy (which isn't REALLY the problem) but his abuse in BALANCING his figures is the main problem. Exaggerated anatomy is awesome if it looks balanced... just painfully awkward if it isn't.

The Zephie chick... her leg looks like it'll pop right out of her hip socket.. like hip displaysia or something.. and Schauezeit... his feet are so small and his bicepts are bigger than his torso!

Man.. HTK.. I love a bit of flexibility but it's like the fun house of mirrors or something.

I could complain about the genre of his charcaters to be played out and tired as well, but I think I've done enough bashing for now.

HTK, sir, your colouring skills only seem to get better and better though... truly a master of colour.

P.S. Usually I'd be bitching about this game bein an XBOX360 exclusive (hence I cannot play) but looking at the screenshots they managed to butcher HTKs designs as well for the character renders. So, I won't be missing much..

Never Forget the Literature

2009-04-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

I think no matter what I end up doing in life, I will always have a passion for storytelling.
Not just listening to stories, but making them up in my head as well.
I just LOVE stories... and I think most people do as well.
This is a bit vague, so let me try to make this more concise.

As a person who is making up their own comic book story, as much as I would just like to dive in and start imagining and world building, I know this isn't the smartest route. I love thinking up new stories, but I know 1) you can't just completely start messing about... it's a great creative process but too structurally unsound and 2) you need to know your basics.

I really appreciate my Grade 11 English teacher, Ms. Guezalova for introducing me to a book called the Writer's Journey by Vogler. It laid out the foundation of the myth for me. The structure of plot, the type of characters you need.. you know... how a mythical story is built with a hero. I consider it to be an invaluable tool to building your own myths as well. Cuz deny it all you want... the best stories are never originals (I dun think that's even possible) but time tested tales that have taken creative liberty and changed into something "new".

So, invigorated with the idea I may find MORE books like this I scoured the shelves for more books like A Writer's Journey. I found an interesting one called Mythology: The Voyage of a Hero by Leeming at BMV and I look forward to reading it. But... doing some more intensive searching on Amazon, I'm intensely interested in picking up The Hero of a Thousand Faces because it is apparently the bible on this topic. The Mythic Journey is supposedly a reference book to The Hero of a Thousand Faces.

As I brush up on my myths, I'm wondering how many manga writers actually go to the trouble of researching methods of story telling like this. It's noted in the mythic journey that screenplays (the good ones anyway) will resemble this form in some way.

I'm really looking forward to it and I don't want to neglect the other types of mythology as well.

Mythology: The Voyage of a Hero - Google Books Preview

Artwork :: Joojak

2009-04-17T00:48:00.001-07:00

Why are females so much harder to draw?

I think she took about double time longer than Baekho.

Here's my personified "vermilion phoenix"

Spotlight :: Takehiko Inoue

2009-04-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

I actually hadn't planned on doing spots on artists I already know.. but well I suppose that cuts out ALOT of possible spots.

So, I'll do spots not only on new artists, but artists that have caught my attention during the present. Again, if need be.

His greatness, Takehiko Inoue is an amazing, godly artist, whom I believe I have underrated in the past. I think in order to truly appreciate his skills you have to take it slowly... peel back the layers and keep coming back in order to perceive his style with new insight and a deeper sense of understanding.

Well... I find that's true for me anyhow. He was never a huge personal favourite of mine but I think that's quickly changing.

Vagabond is a story I've been familiar with every since I read the original Miyamoto Musashi serial during my early years in high school. What I would consider to be THE samurai epic, I think it's fitting that Vagabond may also be Mr. Inoue's greatest epic as well.

One of the photos is a commissioned wall mural he did for Kinokuniya Bookstore NYC, recently.

http://www.itplanning.co.jp/

Artwork :: Baekho

2009-04-13T00:23:00.000-07:00

Finally a post with some personal artwork.

I liked how I could get creative with with the four symbolic Chinese constellations and did some roughs last year. I felt like redrawing them again. :)

Kinda sad how I was first familiarized with them from Fushigi Yuugi, but we all gotta learn somewhere.

Here's the White Tiger or Baekho. The Baekho is the western/autumn constellation.

Anyways I'll prob update with a cleaner sketch later.
Stay tuned for the other three.

Spotlight :: Edward Kwong

2009-04-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

Okay now that I can take a BREATH from school, gotta take a moment to introduce a crazy, LOCAL, Vancouver artist.

I love Edward Kwong's distinct style! He loves using hyper detailed geometric shapes so you get really unique art deco inspired pieces.

I can tell he has a very creative mind. I hope he keeps on drawing!

http://www.edkwong.com/

Snow and Nerd Sweat

2009-04-07T13:00:00.001-07:00

Blimey, it SNOWS in April.

Today is my first day of HELL week. I managed to crawl out of my bed at the ungoldly hour of 9am, and fight through the frigid weather to write my soc final.

I surprisingly, did not fail. Feeling the need to reward myself, I strolled through the strip of Bloor Street between Spadina and Bathurst.

First visit was to the Labyrinth. My all time fav store in Toronto because I love artbooks soooooo much and their selection is one of the most diverse I have seen (even online!). But unfortunately, nothing caught my fancy. :(

Second stop was my other big favourite, BMV BOOKS. Le omg... you find the coolest surprises! But alas nothing really cool caught my eye.

So, I was prepping to get to my streetcar stop when I warily spotted the new GAMESTOP (damn, we do have them!) with a sale posted. Couldn't hurt to look right?

I know.. I know I swore bloody hell to EB games for their meh pricing, terrible customer service (douche bags), and store fronts that REEK of terrified nerd sweat.. but hey this one has no carpet :)

The sale is actually pretty decent. It lasts until early may and although not many PS3 games were on sale, the ones that were, they're great. To my utter delight I was able to pick up MGS4 new for 30 bucks+ tax...!!! I also swore I would never pay more than 30 dollars for a video game after picking up DMC4 in pristine condition for 20 something bucks. So I guess so far my track record is pretty good :D The cashier.. *looking at the receipt...* ya Ryan.. looked like a college kid and he was totally courteous too. None of that could I please see your ID bullshit, just a big dopey smile to brighten your day. Yeh,yeh,yeh Ryan, you have restored my faith in customer service.

Hmmm.. the only other game that piqued my interest was Prince of Persia. Sorry for not getting a good look at the Xbox section, but alias I am a Microsoft hater. I'm sure they had more games on sale in the Xbox360 department though. So my fellow gamers, go check out your local EBgames. You'll find something good, I hope!

Game review will happen 1-2 months from now, when I can actually get home and warm up my Ps3!

Spotlight :: Marguerite Sauvage

2009-04-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

Not only is "Marguerite Sauvage" a totally bitchin name, her artwork is equally FINE and DANDY. I stumbled into her artwork recently and her style is SOOOOOO pretty and SOOO stylish.
If I wanted to do more girly things, I would definitely take a few pointers from her. The French never lack high class STYLE. Art Nouveau for the WIN.

I love leggy, fashion style girls... and the swirly abstract hair is a FLOURISH.
I know... knowing me you'd think wtf, eh Jenn?

But it's TRUE. Deep down I appeciate pretty, delicate things as much as the next hipster girl. You just have to get past all the violent carnage first >:)

Go see some more goodness:

http://margueritesauvage.com/

Review :: Colorful Express - Ciel

2009-04-05T21:32:00.001-07:00

I got this little gem in on Friday.

Yeh, yeh, yeh. It looks like my post office isn't "losing" all of my packages, thankfully.
I swear I think customs has me cock blocked or somethin.

Alright so this is basically Ciel's collection of Cg works from 2005-2009.
The content is great... I mean she did alot of D-Gray-Man works in recent history but I'm a little disappointed not to see her OLDER FMA works. Here you get a mix of mostly D Gray Man and the touch of Reborn stuff she's into now.

Print quality is fantastic. I knew she was really happy about the colour accuracy when it came back from the printer. She thinks it is one of the best reproductions she's seen. Not bad since this is the crown gem of her works. I'm willing to bet every one of her fans wants this book. The presentation is ridiculously fancy too. I'm talking textured, aqueous finishing on the outside with gold leaf inlay kinda fancy shit. It's a turtleshell paperback too. I love turtleshells... it's like paperback 1.5... almost hardback but not quite there.

Now for the not so good:

The format is too small. I mean it's all so fancy and pretty, but clocking in at only B5 it still feels TOO much like a doujinshi. I wanted an A4 format book. That would have been awesome.
I also was disappointed by how 2-3 of her images would be squished onto a single page. Yeah, it's inevitable if you want to keep the page count down, but I would have loved to have some more single full shots or double paged spreads. The price point was very cheap from my perspective and I would have eagerly paid 2-3x more for some of these improvements. I gotta keep in mind she wants her work to be accessible to as many people as possible.. so a lower price point makes sense.

Overall, a book I've been waiting quite a while to see and it still delivers, all things considered.

P.S. I may put up a single interior spread as a sample.

First Hi

2009-04-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

So I guess I actually decided to start a blog.

We'll see how this goes. If I can get into the groove and stuff actually worthwhile can be posted, this will actually last.

Expect to see stuff like my drawings, reviews on random stuff I get or see, and ya prob things like spotlights on new artists I find and like. I'll try to keep this blog "mostly" art orientated.

Well.. Let's get the ball rollin.