New IDW Artist Editions

IDW have announced a new wave of their beautiful artists edition hardcovers. 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.

 

These include:

 

 

Allan Moore & Dave Gibbons Watchmen. (March '14)

 

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.

 

 

Jack Kirby's New Gods. (Date TBC)

Jack Kirby's New Gods Artist's Edition will be released in March and feature five complete issues of Kirby's inaugural Fourth 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.

 

Jim Steranko's Nick Fury and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

 

The first volume, The Steranko Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Artist's Edition, will feature the initial twelve stories by Steranko 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.

 

 

Jim Steranko's Nick Fury and Captain America. (Date TBC)

The second volume, The Steranko Nick Fury and Captain America Artist's Edition, will collect the remaining Nick Fury stories 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.