Dungeons & Dragons: Art & Arcana: A Visual History Hardcover | Kindle
By Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, and Sam Witwer
Foreword by Joe Manganiello
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Release Date: October 23, 2018
This book made me cry. No, I am not exaggerating, I literally shed tears while I read this. Dungeons & Dragons: Art & Arcana: A Visual History is filled with so much gaming history and nostalgia that I found myself wishing I was a teenager again and could structure my weekends around role playing games and close friends. If nothing else, I sat back and enjoyed the flood of great memories that came as I flipped from page to page. It was both a sad and a happy time spent with this massive tome.
Visual Funk: Jim Mahfood Art isn’t an examination of Jim Mahfood‘s comics work, that is, the work that made him famous (a brief look at Tank Girl notwithstanding), so there’s no narrative structure, nor a chronological exploration. And unlike similar books examining an artist’s oeuvre, there’s minimal text, save for brief subject introductions by Mahfood.
What it is, is a compendium of mostly posters, showcasing Mahfood’s angular, cartoony, street-level, graffiti, hip-hop via manga style “” page after page crackling with energy and attitude. I also saw many elements in his ink work that reminded me of the art of Bill Sienkiewicz, Ted McKeever, Ralph Steadman, and Joe Ollmann.
We’ve spotlighted Fro Design Co‘s art on the site before, but as fan of art prints and Doctor Who, I couldn’t pass the opportunity to talk about this new piece.
In celebration of the show’s return, Fro Design has released a new print focused on the episode “Let’s Kill Hilter.” Dark and TARDIS blue, the image captures the time image in a menacing silhouette of the Nazi villain. Titled “I Think I’ll Kill The Fuhrer,” the print measures 11×17 and is $30.
On sale now, there will only be 50 of these produced, so snag one while they’re hot. We’ve included am image of the full print below (click the thumbnail) — what do you think about the design of it? Will you be picking one up?
It’s effective even in cases of long standing — oh, wait, that’s a different letter. Today’s letter is M…for MINIATURES!
In my previous article, I introduced you to the wonderful world of painting miniatures. I gave you a quick overview of the kind of things this column will be covering, and let you know what kind of tools you would need in order to paint your first miniature. Before you get started, though, you’re going to need to prepare your miniature to be painted. Below is a quick list of the things you’ll need for this. Several were explained in the previous article, but the rest were oversights on my part — sorry “˜bout that!
When all is said and done Tron: Legacy is going to be the movie of the year for me, regardless of whether or not it lives up to its boundless potential or the exciting previews that have been trickling out of the Mouse House’s mighty marketing division.
The original 1982 Tron is one of my personal favorite films of all time; I love just about everything about it, from the performances to the snappy writing to the musical score by Wendy Carlos (with awesome contributions from Journey) to the spectacular visual effects which gave the film a look that has and always be ahead of its time.
There’s a timeless, ethereal beauty to the computerized world of Tron that could never be dated in my mind and only grows as a cinematic work of art with each passing year as most video game-based and influenced films seem to embrace a grittier look deprived of any sense of wonder or imagination. It’s an absolutely perfect film to me so the idea of a sequel emerging nearly three decades after the release of the original both excites me and fills me with dread.
Be sure to click over to get a little taste of Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy score!
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
