IDW Publishing has announced Artist’s Editions for Steranko’s Marvel work, Kirby’s New Gods & Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen.
Kirby & Gibbons Official Press Release
San Diego, CA (October 12, 2013) – IDW Publishing dropped a bombshell today, announcing two blockbuster Artist’s Editions produced under license from DC Entertainment. And these offerings are truly blockbusters—Jack Kirby‘s New Gods Artist’s Edition and Dave Gibbons‘ Watchmen Artifact Edition. For the first time ever, readers will be able to see up close Kirby‘s energy and dynamic storytelling, and Gibbons‘ intricately designed and beautifully realized pages, as they never have before—as close as possible to how they looked on the artist’s drawing boards!
Jack Kirby‘s New Gods Artist’s Edition will be released in March and feature five complete issues of Kirby‘s inauguralFourth World book. Kirby, often called the King of Comics, is arguably the most important and influential comics creator of all time. His work on New Gods, which he wrote as well as drew, clearly reinforces that notion. Filled with amazing imagery and giant concepts, this book will measure 12 x 17 inches.
Dave Gibbons‘ Watchmen will debut later in the year.Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, is the story most often cited as the greatest graphic novel ever published. This Artist’s Edition will be atypical in that the stories will not be complete, and will be an Artifact Edition, the first released by IDW. It will be produced to the same exacting standards as an Artist’s Edition, and will feature a cornucopia of individual pages and covers from Watchmen, each image a testament to Gibbons‘ elegant and nuanced style. This book will also measure 12 x 17 inches.
“IDW’s Artist’s Editions are among my very favorite comic art books of all time, so I’m thrilled that they’re publishing aWatchmen collection,” said series artist Dave Gibbons.
“We’re equally thrilled,” said IDW President Greg Goldstein. “Watchmen is obviously one of the most acclaimed and influential series of all time, and New Gods is arguably the greatest of Kirby’s works during his tenure at DC. It’s a true privilege to publish these books.”
“Wow,” added editor Scott Dunbier, “there’s not really a lot more to say, is there?”
Steranko Official Press Release
San Diego, CA (October 12, 2013) – Legendary comics artist Jim Steranko will be the subject of notone but two Artist’s Editions from IDW Publishing, with nearly all pages shot from the artist’s personal art collection. Steranko, one of the great innovators in comics history, produced a comparatively small body of work for the House of Ideas from the mid-1960s to the early ’70s, most notably his runs on Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America.
The first volume, Steranko Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Artist’s Edition, will feature the initial twelve stories bySteranko that appeared in Strange Tales #151 through #162. All of these stories were drawn in the “twice up” format, meaning the original art is rendered at twice the size of the printed comic. The final book will measure 15 x 22 inches and is currently scheduled for release in May of 2014.
“I believe that I changed Nick Fury’s life as much as he changed mine,” Steranko says, “and looking over the original art again celebrates a flood of memories evincing the kind of rampant, seismic creativity that went into their creation. I can see my artistic evolution expand by the story, even by the page, and revisiting that experience can be simultaneously reassuring and shocking—a kind of microcosm of comic book history. As one of the architects of the Marvel Age, I’m pleased to share the sweep and nuance of the S.H.I.E.L.D. epic with all my fans and friends.”
The second volume, Steranko Nick Fury and Captain America Artist’s Edition, will collect the remaining Nick Furystories from Strange Tales 163-168, as well as issues 1, 3, and 5 of the Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. comic series. As icing on the cake, Steranko’s three stellar issues of Captain America will also be included. This volume will measure 12 x 17 inches, and the release date is still to be determined.
“Jim Steranko’s impact on comics as an art form cannot be understated,” said editor Scott Dunbier. “He is an artist and trailblazer of the highest order.”
WHAT IS AN ARTIST’S EDITION? AN ARTIST’S EDITION PRESENTS COMPLETE STORIES WITH EACH PAGE SCANNED FROM THE ACTUAL ORIGINAL ART.
While appearing to be in black and white, each page was scanned in color to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—for instance, corrections and blue pencils. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.
