Dave Stevens Art Leatherbound Classics 2008 Slipcase Diamond Edition
Ten years ago IDW launched the first Artist's Edition, creating a new format in collected comics and establishing themselves as the preeminent original art publisher. Since then 116 similar volumes from 13 publishers take hit the market. An phenomenal achievement archiving comics history. And yet these volumes are even so relatively unknown in and out of the comics market. Let's take a look at the milestones of this format from the last decade.
I'll be weaving the tale of the first few Artist'southward Editions, providing quotes around each release and commentary by those involved. An oral history in this internet age. Along with my personal experiences as this new format emerged.
On May 03 2010 IDW announced a new type of book: an Creative person's Edition. Here's the printing release in full.
IDW Publishing and the estate of Dave Stevens are pleased to announce a very special book honoring the work of this esteemed creator. Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: Creative person'southward Edition will exist a mammoth 12″ 10 17″ hardcover book printed in glorious black and white. Well-nigh every folio in The Rocketeer has been scanned from Stevens' original art to ensure the best possible reproduction and highest degree of accuracy. Printed on uncoated stock and at the same size every bit the original art, Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: Artist's Edition will be the next best thing to holding the bodily art by Dave Stevens.
"This is the Dave Stevens volume I've been chomping at the bit to do," said IDW Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier. "As an fine art lover, I tin't imagine a effectively book on Dave'south work."
Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: Artist's Edition will be available exclusively through IDW Publishing and volition launch at San Diego Comic Con International on July 21, 2010. Rocketeer fans can pre-club this one-of-a-kind drove now at IDWPublishing.com, and choose to pick upwardly their book at the IDW berth or accept it mailed after the convention. Quantities volition be extremely limited, so fans are encouraged to order early on.
Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: Artist'due south Edition ($100, 136 pages; 12″ x 17″; hardcover; black and white) will be available from IDW in July. To pre-club for choice up at San Diego Comic Con, click hither. To pre-order for shipment, click here.
IDW Publishing
That aforementioned day I placed my guild online; Comic-Con was out of the question but I could go it shipped! I'yard a digital packrat and have every email so I was able to locate my receipt from May 04. $100 USD and $32.25 USD shipping to Canada.
Past May 10 IDW had decided to make this volume available via Diamond distributing to local comic shops, albeit at a reduced disbelieve. Cliff Biggers has asked Scott Dunbier if the book could be available to comic shops, so IDW offered it at a reduced discount level because of the product costs. I cancelled my online order and placed a new lodge with my local comic shop. It debuted at Comic-Con 2010, and on August 18 2010 Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer Creative person's Edition arrived at my local comic shop. And I was stricken.
I had been collecting original fine art for several years and was familiar with the boards themselves but had never imagined having an entire storyline of original fine art every bit a reading feel. Who could afford such an feel? With the Artist's Edition, a whole lot. $100 was more than than nearly comic collections, simply it was a fraction of what ane page of Dave Stevens art sold for. Plus it shipped in its own cardboard case, and so I wasn't worried virtually storage.
It was something completely new and had to be described repeatedly to everyone who wanted to know more. Oddly, there are very few reviews online and few of them have photos. I'm just as guilty, as I waited until this site was in full swing before I reviewed this outset Artist'south Edition. Hither'southward an early description of the format.
It's a volume that is scanned from the original art in color, so when you lot run into the printed pages, information technology appears to be in black and white, but it'southward really in color.
You tin can see all the little nooks and crannies. You can meet the whiteout. You tin can encounter the corrections. You feel like yous take the actual page in front of you. It'due south a wonderful thing to be able to impress a book that really shows you what groovy original fine art looks like up close and personal.
Newsarama, 2011
Scott Dunbier is IDW's special projects editor and brought the format to life. Here is Scott talking with Scoop in 2011.
Scoop: How did the concept of doing theCreative person'due south Edition books come about?
Scott Dunbier (SD):The get-go impulse for information technology probably goes back 20 or more than years, when I started making color photocopies of fine art considering regular B&W copies looked and then crappy. But a colour copy was a different thing entirely; you lot could come across all the fine details. Later, I got a copy of Chip Kidd'sBatman Collected volume. Information technology had a beautiful Neal Adams folio fromBatman #251, with Batman fighting a shark. It was photographed in color and looked incredible, you could see the line work, just as well white out, blue pencil editorial scribbles, everything—information technology was beautiful.Scoop: Was this ever part of the plans when yous were working on the regular and palatial editions ofThe Rocketeer or did information technology develop from their successes?
SD:It e'er was for me, yeah. I had wanted to do something like this for ages, and here was one of the most beautifully drawn books of all time—it was nigh too skilful to be true!Scoop: What sort of technical work went into putting that one together?
Scoop
SD:Well, that 1 was adequately piece of cake, thanks to a couple of friends. David Mandel and Kelvin Mao were skilful friends of Dave and had been helping the estate after he died in 2008, just before I arrived at IDW. Kelvin had scanned most of the art himself, almost all was in the hands of the family unit, and the rest David, Kelvin and I managed to track down. Then it was just putting in the hours to get information technology done right.
Randall Dahlk did the blueprint for this and more than more Artist's Editions. Shortly afterwards the book was announced he posted his thoughts about it.
This was IDW's editor Scott Dunbier's dream project. This book contains the original artwork from the unabridged Rocketeer story shot at original size. That means the size of the volume is 12″ x 17." It is spectacular in it'southward enormity. The book weighs in at almost 4 pounds. It is a hefty, bulky, masculine volume.
Even though the artwork is basically blackness and white, all the pages were scanned in colour. Considering of this, you can see all the blueline art that was part of the creation process. This is the closest you lot can come to looking at a Dave Steven's original without owning one. When it comes to analogy work, I'thou kind of a procedure junkie. I dear seeing all of the peliminary sketches and pattern that get into creating a page of art. These pages are certainly an heart opening experience. The particular that Dave puts into each panel can merely exist appreciated at it's actual size. Information technology was almost similar discovering his art for the first fourth dimension. His ability to create atmosphere and character expression, forth with the adroitness of inking with a brush really shines on these pages. This takes the idea of "funny books" to a whole new level. The stuff is really cute!
The book will be sold straight through IDW, so check out their website. I have a feeling this will sell out rather quickly, remember the Deluxe Edition of the Rocketeer? The cost on it is $100.00, not really cheap, but certainly worth it for something as unique and beautiful as this.
Retro Randy blog
The Stevens' estate representatives David Mandel and Kelvin Mao were integral in the procedure only received little press. Here are Mao'south memories around the book.
It'southward hard to separate the work David Mandel and I did on The Rocketeer Artist Edition from the twelvemonth spent on The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures and The Complete Adventures Deluxe Edition as nosotros went direct from collecting the recolored Rocketeer stories to the Creative person Edition. To me it'southward one giant blur of late nights and weekend, endless scanning, cleaning upward images and laying out of pages.
One thing that sticks with me was the obsession of trying to locate all the pages in society to get print quality scans. Dave Stevens kept the vast majority of fine art from both Rocketeer stories but had gifted or sold 9 pages from the first story and four from Cliff'southward New York Adventure. This could take been a needle/haystack situation, but David Mandel and I were veteran original fine art collectors and had a proficient thought where to look. Editor Scott Dunbier was in fact a major comic art dealer prior to his career editing the books, so he had enough of leads too. In add-on to collectors, we contacted everyone who had ever worked on any of the original issues, publishers, editors, letters, colorists, artist friends of Dave who pitched in here and there, pretty much anyone we could think of, and managed to rail down all but 3 pages in time for Laura Martin to recolor both stories. Fortunately, we were able to employ old B/W moving-picture show for the missing pages.
Merely even after the Nerveless Adventures had gone to press, nosotros kept searching for pages. Months went by with no luck and we figured this might end upward being ane of those lifelong quests. While compiling The Collector Adventures, David and I would often discuss how cool it would be if everyone could run across how clean and cute the original art was. Dave rarely pulled it out to show people, so it sabbatum almost untouched in the bottom drawer of this giant cabinet in his studio for decades. Years earlier, Scott had an idea for publishing complete comic stories scanned from the original art and printed at full size – like a portfolio but the plates would be a consummate story. At the time I think he was looking at erstwhile Jack Kirby Marvel stories, but procuring licensing was an obstacle and he was busy with a total-time job every bit Group Editor at Wildstorm/DC, then it never really got off the basis. Subsequently finishing The Complete Adventures- with most all the original art scanned, he realized that fate had converged to provide an opportunity.
There was nonetheless the task of disarming the coin people at IDW to practice this. It sounded like an expensive vanity project- and I estimate it kinda was. I recall a lot of paw-wringing when it came down to figuring out the print run as no one had ever done a book like this- both from a concrete size standpoint or a cost point. I ever wondered if the odd print run size of the first printing wasn't just based on some kind of printing price break as opposed to whatever sales estimate. I think Scott sending out a ton of press comps. He was always savvy about that kind of thing and even got a write-up in the LA Times.
But back to the chase for the missing art. I had pretty much given up subsequently posting images of the missing pages on message boards and other online forums for months with no success. Just every bit The Rocketeer Artist'southward Edition was headed to press, a collector we'd never heard of contacted David to say he had a page. It was the one where Bettie'south tied upwards in the backseat, a page that Jaime Hernandez had worked on- and one of the missing pages! We notified Scott and got the owner to overnight a browse just in time to sideslip information technology into the volume. I remember that triumphant feeling… and and so thinking- there's two still out there!
In the intervening 10 years the last two pages have turned upward- one in auction, the other cached deep in a collection. And it'south my hope that someday we'll get to do a 3rd printing and supervene upon the two pages that read, "One of two pages not scanned from the original art."
And something else most people probably don't realize – dorsum then in that location weren't concrete plans to exercise other books. That came in the scramble after the Rocketeer Artist Edition sold out. We were all braced for the volume to potentially lose money.
Kelvin Mao, October 2020
IDW doesn't release impress runs or sales figures, but Comics.org lists the impress run at 1400 and Comichron shows outset-month sales of 531.
At the 2011 Eisner Awards, IDW took home two for their commencement Artist'due south Edition: Best Archival Drove/Project–Comic Books and Best Publication Design.
In February 2013 a second printing was offered with two unlike covers, both of which sold out.
Who could have imagined where this Artist's Edition would take us in x years.
It is our hope that Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: Artist's Edition will be the first in a series of books dedicated to showcasing outstanding artists in a format as special every bit their work deserves.
Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: Artist's Edition
As an bated, information technology took IDW three years and 15 Creative person's Editions to finally drop that colon from the title.
Sales must take been skillful enough, as a second Artist'due south Edition was announced at WonderCon 2011 for release at San Diego Comic-Con 2011. Walter Simonson'due south The Mighty Thor: Artist's Edition arrived at local comic shops on August 3, 2011. The press release.
Walter Simonson, legendary comics writer and artist of an overwhelmingly impressive itemize of books, volition announced at the IDW booth every day during the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, signing copies of WALTER SIMONSON'S THE MIGHTY THOR: ARTIST'S EDITION. In addition to the regular edition available in July at comic stores, IDW will offer a limited Comic-Con exclusive edition featuring a variant encompass, only available through IDW at the convention. Readers tin at present pre-guild both editions direct from IDW Publishing for option up at Comic-Con. The regular edition is also available for mail commitment, and orders will be filled afterward San Diego Comic-Con. The Comic-Con exclusive edition will simply be bachelor at the convention.
"I wrote and drewThe Mighty Thor for Marvel more than 25 years agone now, at a time when it was the fate of old comics to exist deployed to the back event bins in comic shops and at conventions. No one had any expectations of reprints or trade collections. Now, it's a new 24-hour interval," said Simonson. "I'm pleased that IDW and Curiosity have seen fit to become dorsum and revisit this piece of work as they have. I couldn't be more delighted to know Thor, Beta Ray Pecker, and all their friends turned out to have a much longer shelf-life than I would ever accept imagined."
An oversized, hardcover collection, WALTER SIMONSON'S THE MIGHTY THOR: Artist'S EDITION will presentThor 337-340, Simonson's first classic story arc, which introduced Beta Ray Bill, andThor 360-362, Simonson's option for the 2nd arc in the book. All the pages in the Artist'Due south EDITION take been scanned from Simonson's personal original art to ensure the highest possible quality reproduction. While actualization to exist in blackness and white, each page was scanned in color to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original fine art—for instance, white-out corrections and blue pencil notations.
"Walter's run onThe Mighty Thor is i of the all-time ever in comics—period," said editor Scott Dunbier, "and to be able to see it now as an Artist'south Edition, printed the same size equally drawn, and scanned from all the originals… well, I just can't look to get my paws on it!"
This will be Simonson's first visit to San Diego Comic-Con since 2004. Joining Simonson will exist his wife, Louise "Weezie" Simonson, a noted comic book editor and writer. WALTER SIMONSON'S THE MIGHTY THOR: ARTIST'S EDITION will be the commencement in a series ofArtist's Editions featuring legendary creators and comics from Curiosity.
IDW Publishing via Comic-Con Geek
It had been a year since the first announcement and just ix months since the beginning Artist's Edition was released. Clearly information technology met or surpassed sales expectations.
Dunbier told CBR that he'd long been interested in the Artist's Edition concept. "Information technology's something that I wanted to practise for a long fourth dimension, a cute fine art book that would collect stories in a purely natural course, without any coloring, without any cleanup, really photographing the piece of work then you can see information technology in its base of operations element, as original fine art," he said.
"['Rocketeer: The Artist's Edition'] was an expensive undertaking, but luckily people responded to it. And I thought they would, because people really do capeesh beautiful books and beautiful art, and you can't get much more beautiful than Dave Stevens," Dunbier connected. "Simply after we did the Artist's Edition, I started thinking most unlike types of things that are available. I had a few ideas, only I kept coming dorsum to Marvel. Marvel manifestly has an incredible publishing history. Some of the greatest artists ever to work in comics worked at Marvel. Leading upwardly to San Diego Comic-Con last year, I approached some people at Curiosity. I sent them copies of the Stevens Artist's Edition book when nosotros had advance copies, and I've got to say they were pretty blown away by it. It was a pretty refreshing mental attitude they came into this with. They looked at this book and said, 'Wow, this is something that nosotros would want to accept on our bookshelves. It took several months, but nosotros talked back and forth and somewhen we struck a deal. The first book will be 'Walter Simonson's The Mighty Thor: Artist'southward Edition.' That'll be coming out at San Diego Comic-Con. I couldn't be more excited about information technology. That will exist the get-go of the Marvel Artist's Editions we'll be doing."
As to what makes Simonson'due south art ideal for the format, Dunbier said "there are a number of different factors," including practical matters of accessibility. "1 of the most basic things, plainly to do an Creative person Edition you accept to have access to the original art. Walter is i of those artists who does not enjoy parting with his work, and and so he has a very big percentage of what he's washed over the years still in his possession. Then I was able to but go over to his business firm and scan the work," Dunbier told CBR. "Simply as far equally what makes his work in item suited to an Creative person'south Edition, yous look at his work and it's the raw vitality, the raw free energy, of a Walter Simonson page. Information technology bursts off the paper. You look at it and information technology'south glorious to behold.
Dunbier noted that Artist'south Editions differ from other art-focused books or publications reprinting original art because they collect consummate stories. "With 'Rocketeer,' we were missing a thousand full of ii pages, that we did print from black and white stats, but the pages were there — we were missing two originals in that case," the editor said. "In the case of Walter's 'Thor,' nosotros had every single page of the seven issues that we're collecting."
For aspiring artists hoping to learn from Simonson'southward, Stevens', and other artists' raw art, Dunbier said, a book such equally this "really is invaluable." "You tin can go to comic volume shows and see who's hanging out around original art tables, information technology'south always fans but also a lot of pencillers, inkers, people who want to learn from a great artist. Looking at this volume, or the Dave Stevens book since it'due south already out, you can come across every brush stroke. Y'all can see as of whiteout and blue pencil. You get the feeling of actually being able to piece together what an artist was thinking. It's there for y'all to discover if you can read it properly. And nothing beats looking at great art by a dandy artist."
Asked who might be the subject of future Curiosity Creative person's Edition volumes, Dunbier laughed, "I'm not going to tell you." He did offering that "nosotros actually have a off-white number of Artist's Editions that we're working on, at San Diego we'll probably announce a couple more than at least. I'k always trying to remember of new Artist Editions to practise."
Scott Dunbier via CBR
For the second Artist's Edition, IDW was offering a convention variant cover and an extremely express remarqued embrace. Plus the artist was signing at the IDW booth the entire evidence. It appears fifteen remarqued covers were done in total. Walter Simonson posted many of these covers on Facebook in 2011. These convention exclusives made a express product fifty-fifty more express and helped offset the cost of the book by selling directly to the consumer.
"We're also doing another edition of the book that'southward really nothing brusque of amazing," Dunbier revealed. "We're doing an edition that is limited to x copies — yeah, really, x copies! Each ane comes in its own hand-fabricated slipcase, which is unique to this edition, and each i has a hand-drawn cover by Walter. Which is why we're but doing ten! The drawing is a fully inked piece by Walter, each one unique. The slipcase was made to protect the cover art. It'due south really incredible! "I actually think that, in a convention full of cracking exclusives, this volition exist the most exclusive exclusive anybody tin can find at San Diego Comic-Con."
There will exist 1 copy on display at IDW's booth that Simonson has drawn, and fans volition have the opportunity to come by and wait at information technology. IDW will brand these rare editions available to collectors at a after date, one time all the covers have been created.
Scott Dunbier via CBR
A lot of printing was focused on IDW securing the rights to reprint Marvel fabric. And with this declaration was the news that more Artist'southward Editions were existence worked on.
…because it'southward actually non necessarily something that Curiosity would practise. Information technology's going to be probably a fairly small run and nosotros're such a small visitor that the projects are worthwhile for u.s., but they're non something that Curiosity looks for. The run is probably going to exist under 5000 copies and information technology's going to be a lot of try to put the volume together. It's going to be a very large hardcover volume and the art is scanned from the original art. One of our editors really went to Walter'due south house and gathered all the art with him and scanned the pages in and they're going to be re-printed at actual size. That's really what these books, the Artist Editions, are about showing people the original art in such amazing detail.
AnnaMarie White via Geeks Of Doom
That mention of a print run "under 5000" is quite interesting, since IDW doesn't release print runs. And a little groundwork on the process of the book and what was required.
As we announced at WonderCon this weekend, nosotros're publishing Walter Simonson'due south THOR in an oversize hardcover ARTISTS EDITION, similar to the Dave Stevens ROCKETEER book we did last year.
Which however blows me away. Not merely for the sheer fact of us publishing this textile in a articulation venture with Marvel Comics, but as well considering of the cloth itself. Anyone who picked up that original copy of THOR 337, with Beta Ray Bill dressed similar Thor and smashing the Thor logo with a new, stylized hammer, remembers the jolt of excitement and artistic that that event heralded.
It still remains the THOR run against which all others are measured, I call up — fifty-fifty seeing John Workman's paw-lettering on the new Matt Fraction run serves as a pleasant nod dorsum to Workman'due south amazing work on Walter's run. Information technology'due south rare that the letterer becomes an instantly recognizable and important part of a folio, merely Workman did that with his balloons, his fonts, everything he did to accentuate Walter'south work. And so running these pages at total size, scanned from the originals, is going to just make for a gorgeous book. I'yard really appreciative to Marvel for letting this happen.
Chris Ryall blog
Marvel has been fantastic. I wasn't sure nosotros could convince them to let us license this material but when I sent themDave Stevens' The Rocketeer Artist's Edition they were sold on the concept. Later on that it was just a matter of settling deal points.
Scott Dunbier, The Comics Reporter
Simonson did a few interviews at the time discussing the work and the volume. He sums up the process succinctly.
ROGERS: This kind of project has got to be something that'due south difficult to put together, in terms of having all the original fine art in one identify.
SIMONSON: I would imagine. Information technology'southward kind of funny, because when the news broke I saw stuff on the web where a lot of fans were excited about it, and a lot of them were going, "Wow, then we can exercise this, and we tin do that, and I would love to see this." And some of the stuff that they wanted–I know that artwork'southward out there scattered to the 4 winds, and I think it would be awfully difficult to pull all those pages back together. I'yard guessing at that place are a express number of projects that you lot could do this mode, where you would really take complete sets of art. I don't know what those would be. A lot of guys in my generation and younger sold a lot of their artwork when it became available to them, and so I do think that the general idea of publishing facsimile editions is something that's going to be a little tough to do on a broad scale. You'd have to kind of choice and choose, and y'all'd have to come across what was available.
Essentially, what these books are is facsimiles of the original fine art. I grew up in the Washington D.C. suburbs, and I retrieve dorsum when I was a kid—probably no more than ten or 11—my folks drove us around to a variety of historical sites in the expanse. Nosotros went, just for a couple days, down to Williamsburg and Jamestown and Yorktown, on the peninsula in Virginia. The thing I call back that's relevant to our word is that I was able to purchase an envelope with facsimile documents of the Annunciation of Independence and the Constitution, and mayhap the Beak of Rights. There were four or five documents on fake parchment. They smelled like vinegar, they were on yellowed paper, they were crinkly, and they had this feeling of historic period. And they were photographically reproduced from the original documents, and then they were facsimiles of the originals.
It'due south kind of the same matter here. The idea is, this would be as close to getting concur of the originals and seeing what they expect like earlier they get through product, where things are cleaned up and the editorial comments are taken out. Blueish lines, which y'all would not ordinarily see in reproduction, are nonetheless there. Editorial comments, whatever. And of grade the work isn't colored, so it's just in the black and white.
A lot of the paste-ups dorsum and then were all done with paper and rubber cement, which has a lot of acid in it, and so it turns the paper xanthous afterwards a while. Information technology just kind of destroys paper eventually. So you tin can run across the patches on the originals, you can see where people spilled coffee across the artwork. You lot can encounter the scratches where a true cat laid a dead mouse across the pages.
Part of the lure, for me, is that it humanizes the artwork. I got into Marvel comics in college, and there was no organized fandom at that time and so basically I knew nix almost the production of comics. As far equally I was concerned, comics kind of appeared like magic on spinner racks one time a month. I had never thought about the fact that somebody was slogging out midnight deadlines trying to become the art washed. Once in a while there'd be an issue where it'd say, "So-and-so was ill this month, so so-and-so is stepping in to assistance him out." And so I understood that people really did it, but boy, I just did non accept a clue. I had no idea what the actual artwork looked similar. Everybody'southward more familiar now with how artwork looks—you go to conventions, in that location are a lot of art dealers, auction houses on the web sell originals. So you can get a better look at that stuff. But I simply call up it'south kind of cool to be able to come across full-size facsimiles where the hand of the artist—and, to some extent, the hand of the author—are so clearly divers.
The Comics Journal, 2011
No print run numbers are available. Comichron reports commencement month sales at 974. A second press was released in 2014 with a standard and convention variant cover. This 2d printing also sold out.
I do think that the general idea of publishing facsimile editions is something that's going to be a little tough to do on a broad scale. You lot'd have to kind of pick and choose, and yous'd have to see what was available.
Walter Simonson, 2011
Another Eisner Awards win for Scott Dunbier and IDW, this time in the 2012 Best Archival Collection/Project–Comic Books category for Walter Simonson's The Mighty Thor: Creative person'south Edition. The second year in a row for a win in that category.
On the "About This Edition" page we go some good groundwork information about Simonson and his stockpile of original art. Nearly interesting is this line: "Walter Simonson's The Mighty Thor: Artist'due south Edition is the second in an ongoing series". Of course, when it was released at San Diego Comic-Con three more than Creative person's Editions were waiting in the wings to be announced.
Dave Stevens and his work on The Rocketeer was well known in artistic circles but it was never a mass success. With Walter Simonson'due south Thor an Creative person'due south Edition was released with virtually universal entreatment to mainstream comic book fans, who had nostalgic memories of the run and most likely the income to purchase a $100 book.
The third and fourth Artist's Editions were announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2011: Wally Forest's EC Stories: Artist'south Edition and John Romita'due south The Amazing Spider-Human being: Artist's Edition. Another was announced but it wouldn't send until 2013.
Kicking off the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con with a bang, IDW Publishing today appear the latest expansion to the company's revered art book series with WALLY Wood'Southward EC STORIES: ARTIST'S EDITION. The third in the Artist's Edition series, focuses on one of the all-fourth dimension greatest comic volume artists, and at the absolute peak of his artistic powers: Wally Wood. What Bill Gaines accomplished with EC Comics was quite likely, pound for pound, the finest comics line ever produced, and Wally Wood was one of their mainstays, who set an incredibly loftier artistic standard.
"It'south wonderful to see such an astonishing tribute to Wally Forest. IDW has done a top notch job," said Cathy Gaines-Mifsud. "My Dad would be thrilled, every bit would Wally."
An oversized, hardcover collection, WALLY Wood'Due south EC STORIES: Artist'S EDITION volition nowadays Woods's art the aforementioned size as it was originally drawn, and in a volume measuring an amazing xv inches by twenty-two inches. As with all of IDW's Artist's Editions, the art presented will exist scanned from the original pages to ensure the highest possible quality reproduction. While appearing to exist in black and white, each folio was scanned in color to mimic as closely equally possible the experience of viewing the actual original fine art—for instance, white-out corrections and blue pencil notations.
"I dearest EC Comics," said Artist's Editions Editor Scott Dunbier, "and Wally Wood is 1 of my all-time favorite artists—when he's at his best, no one tin bear upon him."
WALLY WOOD'Due south EC STORIES: ARTIST'S EDTION is the third of IDW'southward Artist's Edition series, following DAVE STEVEN'S THE ROCKETEER and WALTER SIMONSON'S THE MIGHTY THOR, which is launching at the convention. Two more volumes will exist announced throughout San Diego Comic-con.
WALLY WOOD'S EC STORIES: ARTIST'S EDITION ($125, hardcover, black and white, 144 pages, 15" x 22") volition exist bachelor in October. Pre-order through IDWPublishing.com or local retailer. ISBN 978-1-61377-098-half dozen.
IDW Publishing via Comic Volume Daily
Upping the game one more time with this annunciation of a twice-upwards volume at 15″ x 22″, for a $25 premium. And this was classic EC material, moving these books into even so another era. The announcement set ii new standards, that of IDW announcing the book would be 144 pages and showing a preliminary embrace that would differ from the final published embrace. This was standard for years, giving this page count before the books were finalized and an early comprehend. To be fair, twelve AE format books from IDW have been 144 pages, and a few had the final cover from their proclamation.
The second day of the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con featured yet another stunning announcement from IDW Publishing: the visitor'southward second Marvel Artist's Edition collection, JOHN ROMITA'S THE AMAZING SPIDER-Homo. This must-have collector'due south hardcover is the fourth in IDW's Creative person's Edition series and will offer one hundred and forty-four pages of original Romita Spider-Man fine art.
Romita took over the art duties on Spider-Man later serial co-creator Steve Ditko left the volume. It was a difficult human action to follow, only Romita would soon make the book his own and keep to be arguably the most pop Spider-Human artist to ever draw the wall-crawler.
"John Romita Sr. is 1 of the near love artists to ever pencil for Marvel," said Artist's Editions editor Scott Dunbier, "his work is beautiful, the lines he lays down exquisite!"
An oversized, hardcover collection, JOHN ROMITA'S THE Amazing SPIDER-Human: Creative person'S EDITION volition feature 144 pages of beautiful stories and a gorgeous encompass gallery. All the pages in the Creative person'South EDITION will exist scanned from original art to ensure the highest possible quality reproduction. While appearing to exist in black and white, each page will be scanned in colour to mimic as closely equally possible the feel of viewing the actual original art—for instance, white-out corrections and bluish pencil notations.
JOHN ROMITA'S THE Amazing SPIDER-Homo: Artist'S EDITION is the second Artist's Edition announced at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, following WALLY WOOD'S EC STORIES.
"At that place's one more Artist's Edition proclamation for this convention, and it'south as well huge," teased Dunbier.
IDW Publishing launched its commencement Marvel Artist's Edition at Comic-Con, WALTER SIMONSON'S THE MIGHTY THOR: ARTIST'S EDITION, with both a regular and convention sectional variant.
JOHN ROMITA'S THE AMAZING SPIDER-Human being: Creative person'Due south EDITION ($100, hardcover, black and white, 144 pages,) will be bachelor in stores in 2012.
IDW Publishing via Comic Volume Daily
These printing releases state the books are 3rd and quaternary in IDW's Artist'southward Edition series. With an ambitious launch schedule of October for Wally Woods'due south EC Stories: Creative person's Edition, the book was late. In fact, these ii books were released out of order, with John Romita's The Amazing Spider-Man: Creative person'south Edition hit stores February 01, 2012, and Wally Wood's EC Stories: Artist's Editions on February 22, 2012.
Speaking of Wonder Con, aside from the Wood book, we'll also have a limited edition ofJohn Romita'southward The Amazing Spider-Man: Creative person's Edition there likewise. It volition exist express to 250 copies, each signed past John Romita and Stan Lee, and with an original headshot of Spider-Human or another Spidey-related character. These will besides be available on our on-line shop by the time this posts, and yous can reserve a copy for option up at the evidence as well.
Scott Dunbier, March 2012, via The Comics Reporter
However some other twist on the format was waiting in the wings. A signed, numbered, and remarqued version of John Romita's The Astonishing Spider-Man: Creative person's Edition. Limited to 250 copies, signed past Stan Lee and John Romita, with a head sketch of various characters available.
When this was announced I placed my gild, March thirteen, 2012. $250 and $44.60 aircraft to Canada. But I didn't care: where else could I get a signature from Stan Lee, John Romita, plus a Spider-Man caput sketch, for $150, since the regular version was $100. I was in a scrap of a quandary since I already had the regular edition, only I found a buyer. Ah, the days when I was concerned with multiple copies.
Sales for their kickoff month every bit estimated past Diamond are 1021 for Wally Woods'southward EC Stories: Creative person'south Edition and 1395 for John Romita'south The Amazing Spider-Man: Creative person'due south Edition. Neither book took domicile an Eisner accolade. Wally Wood's EC Stories: Artist's Edition had a second press with a new encompass in July 2012.
The tertiary announcement at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 was for Volition Eisner's The Spirit: Creative person's Edition. The press release.
On this third day of San Diego Comic-Con 2011, IDW Publishing was proud to announce withal another impressive addition to the company's lauded Artist's Edition serial, with Will EISNER'S THE SPIRIT: Creative person'Due south EDITION. This fifth book in IDW'south serial, Volition EISNER'S THE SPIRIT: Creative person'S EDITION volition be only the 2d edition in the larger, Golden Age size and volition available in 2012.
Eisner created The Spirit in 1940 but was soon drafted. Upon his render from War World Ii, he over again took up the reins of his most notable cosmos. Eisner went on to produce some of the most memorable and influential stories ever published, and in seven page installments on a weekly schedule! Later on the Spirit ended in 1952, Eisner explored other commercial ventures until returning to popular sequential storytelling in 1978 with the groundbreaking A Contract With God.
"Will Eisner was a giant in the comics world," said Artist's Editions editor Scott Dunbier. "His piece of work is similar a how-to textbook for cartoonists, and absolutely breathtaking for fans."
An oversized, hardcover collection, Will EISNER'S THE SPIRIT: ARTIST'South EDITION will feature 144 pages of beautiful Will Eisner stories. All the pages in the ARTIST'Southward EDITION will exist scanned from original art to ensure the highest possible quality reproduction. While actualization to be in blackness and white, each page will exist scanned in color to mimic as closely as possible the feel of viewing the bodily original fine art—for instance, white-out corrections and blueish pencil notations.
"I've had the thrill of holding virtually Volition's original Spirit art in my hands," said Denis Kitchen, Eisner's longtime publisher and now art agent for the manor. "But no publication of The Spirit that I or any other publisher has issued over the years has done truthful justice to Will's originals. The delicate castor feathering, hint of pencils, even areas of White-out, are effectively lost with standard reproduction. That volition finally change when IDW's large Artist's Edition comes out. I'k delighted to finally be able to share the sheer pleasance of these accurate reproduction with other aficionados."
WILL EISNER'S THE SPIRIT: ARTIST'S EDITION ($125, hardcover, black and white, 144 pages, 15" 10 22") will be available in 2012.
IDW Publishing via Comic Book Daily
Breaking with the offset 4 Artist'due south Editions, this book would exist designed by John Lind. Alas, things didn't piece of work out as planned. Lind was merely able to complete the comprehend design, and Dahlk did the interior and variant encompass, shown here. Perhaps the design change caused the books' thirteen-calendar month delay, with a release in April 2013.
To date, this is my favourite Dahlk design. The chapter dividers especially, utilizing Eisner's fine art, shadow, and quotes from various interviews brought these across mere story breaks to go an integral office of the textile. Here are his thoughts on the work.
When this book was first appear, John Lind was going to be designing information technology. John is a very talented designer who has designed numerous books with his partner Denis Kitchen. John was able to design the comprehend to the regular edition of the Spirit book, but because of delays and scheduling conflicts, he was unable to blueprint the rest of the book. Merely, in the end, that was good news for me.
When designing this book, I wanted to emphasis the noir aspects of the art. Eisner was so talented in creating atmosphere through light and shadows. I wanted to pattern in that aforementioned direction. I used individual images, and bits and pieces of panel fine art to re-construct new situations and scenarios. I wanted the chapter dividers I created, to maintain the moodiness of the book. I chose colors that were "smokey" and somewhat dirty, so I added bright howdy-lights to the images. I wanted the art to have a strong straight low-cal source, that in turn would pull the figures out of the dark. It adds a sense of danger and drama. It was quite a treat to piece of work with Mr. Eisner's highly revered characters, and exist able to add my apprehensive spin to them!
Randall Dahlk via his blog, 2013
Sales from its initial calendar month were estimated at 1518. Between its declaration and publication, 6 other Artist's Editions were published.
This outset group of v, to me, represents the start wave of Artist's Editions, announced betwixt March 2010 and July 2011. Five books published, three with 2nd printings. Convention exclusive covers and remarqued volumes, adding to the exclusivity and collectiveness of the line.
First off, we're going dorsum to press onWally Wood'due south EC Stories: Artist's Edition. It was a difficult decision; from the start of the Artist's Edition programme we had made it articulate that these would be onetime ventures, [that] when they were gone they were gone. Part of that was based on pure financial reasoning — these are large books, expensive to produce. And you have to realize, we overprinted Woods past a good margin. But retailers deluged u.s. with reorders, and our directly-to-consumer sales were very brisk equally well. This might audio corny only information technology'southward actually truthful — people demanded that this volume be reprinted. I hateful, we got reports of fights breaking out in stores over copies, how crazy is that?
Scott Dunbier, March 2012, via The Comics Reporter
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