New Retro, variant art collections, and Lovecraftian tributes are just a few good looking art books featured in this installment.
You'll see that I'll try to include a little order code with most items (ex:JUL200019). Show some love to your retailer and use those codes when you can, it saves a lot of time on the data entry end of things.
NEW RETRO ILLUSTRATIONS BILINGUAL ED
Retro but modern. This is the new trend, the new way, the new form of illustration created by the new generation."New retro," a combination of the word "New" and "Retrospective," is a phrase meaning "appreciating and enjoying something old while reimagining it into something modern." This book introduces 40 up-and-coming illustrators working in this "new retro" style. Through the 300 illustrations showcased in this one book, readers can appreciate and enjoy retro culture, items and motifs reimagined and transformed into something new.
JAN211480
Why this caught my eye:
That cover caught my eye, and the Amazon solicit has a few more sample pages that make this a tempting book for discovering new talents.
MARVEL COMICS VARIANT COVERS HC
(W) John Rhett Thomas (A) Various
Comprising some of the most sought-after and valuable comic art in the world, variant covers are a time-honored tradition in comics publishing. The variant cover phenomenon began in 1986 and was immediately embraced by fans everywhere; it was then bolstered in 1991 by Marvel Comics' X-Men #1 setting the world record for the best-selling comic of all time. The variant cover has become a regular part of Marvel Comics' diverse output, with a spectacularly creative set of alternate covers being created for many key issues. These works of art are collected in Marvel Comics: The Variant Covers, which showcases some of the finest and most famous variant covers ever produced alongside exclusive interviews from leading comic artists and industry experts. Featuring an astounding selection of covers starring fan-favorite characters, this volume is a must-have for casual fans and comic book aficionados alike.
JAN211396
Why this caught my eye:
Insight Editions did a similar project for DC and they did a nice job on that one, and it will be interesting to see if they include background info on the history of Marvel variants over time. This is also a nice way to see what variant runs you may have missed in case you were interested in backtracking a bit for your collection.
ART OF CAMILLA DERRICO HC VOL 01 FEMINA & FAUNA (2ND ED)
(A/CA) Camilla D'errico
Superstar artist Camilla d'Errico's first Dark Horse art book, now back in print in an improved and updated second edition! This revised volume features a new foreword by the creator of the Tokidoki brand, Simone Legno, a new introduction by d'Errico herself, and a selection of additional art unique to this edition. It's a must-have for all fans of pop and fine art alike! A new cover, a new introduction by the artist, and new artwork not seen in the first edition!
FEB210360
Why this caught my eye:
It's great to see this back in print and it's nice (and evil) that they've included new material.
ART OF TROVER SAVES UNIVERSE HC
(W) Squanch Games (A) Squanch Games
Save the universe! Save your dogs! Take your chair to the streets and follow Trover throughout the cosmos as you battle your way through hordes of clones on your quest to stop Glorkon! This freaky and awesome hardcover art book is the perfect companion to Squanch Games's first full length game! Feast your eye holes on page after page of crazy concept art and intimate commentary!
FEB210305
Why this caught my eye:
Just a spotlight for the Rick & Morty fans. I've not played this game but it looks like fun.
NIGHTMARES OF PROVIDENCE #1 WISDOM VAR
(A) Daniel Gete, Christian Zanier, Ivan Rodriguez (A/CA) Gabriel Andrade
Nightmares of Providence#1 is a 64 page B&W saddle-stitched book featuring all-new art exploring the world and terrors of Providence from a huge range of talent including Gabriel Andrade, Christian Zanier, Ivan Rodriguez, and featuring Daniel Gete! Every cover is limited!
FEB211092
Why this caught my eye:
There are actually like eight variants to this, because that's how Avatar do. So you may want to ask your retailer for help navigating that if you decide to go down this terrible rabbit hole. I'm mostly sharing this for any completists who may have read Providence, and I'm also a bit curious myself about the range of artists they have in here.
STAR WARS EMPIRE 40TH ANNIV CVR SPROUSE #1 MOVIE POSTER VAR
(W) Chris Sprouse (CA) Noriyoshi Ohari
You've never seen Empire quite like this!
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the all-time great cinematic sequels, Marvel asked enthusiastic artist Chris Sprouse (BLACK PANTHER, THORS) to retell The Empire Strikes Back in a stunning series of variant covers! Month by month, across multiple Star Wars series, the film's unforgettable moments played out through Sprouse's exquisite artwork. Now the whole story of the resurgent Empire targeting the Rebel Alliance's icy base on Hoth - and every momentous event that follows - is collected in a single celebratory issue! Bounty hunters target Han Solo! Luke Skywalker seeks out Jedi Master Yoda! Feelings run high between Han and Leia! And as the battle begins for Skywalker's soul, will his fear lead to anger, hate and the Dark Side?
FEB210655
Why this caught my eye:
Again, there are more than one cover available to this, I just picked the one that caught my eye. I am very happy though that Marvel is finally collecting thematic variants in in affordable packages. I also like Sprouse a lot, so it's nice to get a mini-artbook of his work.
That's it for this batch, next time I'll tackle a mixed bag of upcoming books that are tricky to shove into any genre classification.
-Chris