Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind
Story and Illustrations by Hayao Miyazaki
Translation by David Lewis & Toren Smith
Lettering & Retouch by Tom Orzechowski
Viz Media
Release Date: November 6, 2012 (Hardcover, Box Set)

Tackling a review of the manga version of Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind is an ambitious undertaking for any writer, but especially this one, given my love of Hayao Miyazaki‘s entire catalogue, especially his lesser-known efforts as a mangaka. The manga’s storyline is a lot more complex than that presented in the feature-length film version. The characters are deeper and Miyazaki is allowed to give full rein to the themes that are a constant in all of his films.

The long and storied history of cinema is one to be studied, admired, and treasured for the many timeless classic feature films it has brought to our astonished eyes. But beneath that history lies buried a mass grave of unrealized films that were either killed at the treatment or script stage or were permitted to proceed in front of the cameras before being shut down and virtually forgotten about for the remainder of time infinite. In an alternate universe many of those unmade movies completed the journey from random idea to the new release section of your neighborhood Target and irrevocably changed the face of cinema forever.

This is the story of one of those great unmades. This is the story of Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s Dune.

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when my fear is gone I will turn and face fear’s path, and only I will remain.”

The Book of Alien
Written By: Paul Scanlon and Michael Gross
Published by: Titan Books
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Paperback

The Book of Alien by Paul Scanlon and Michael Gross was originally published by Heavy Metal Books in 1979. Ridley Scott’s return to science-fiction with Prometheus has sparked a renewed interest in the Alien mythos once again, so Titan Books has reprinted this 112-page art book, which features conceptual designs and illustrations that would come to define Ridley Scott‘s Alien as a science-fiction masterpiece.

The book features minimal information about the genesis of Dan O’Bannon’s script and the film’s production. Instead, The Book of Alien is an art book that focuses strictly on the visual aspects of Alien, filled with countless illustrations and photographs from the film’s production.

Artists Ron Cobb created hundreds of preliminary sketches of the interiors and exteriors of the Nostromo ship, which went through many design concepts, as well as the escape shuttle, Narcissus. Joining Cobb on the more human aspects of the film was artist Chris Foss, known for his covers of science-fiction novels and spaceship illustrations.

The first clip from the forthcoming documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune has been released. You can watch it here below.

The universe works in perplexing ways, especially when it comes to the cinema. There have been more than a few books written about the great films that went unmade for a variety of complex and infuriating reasons. I own three of the best books about the subject: David Hughes’ The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Never Made, Tales from Development Hell, and Chris Gore’s The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made. And every time I read about how we could have had a Spider-Man movie written and directed by James Cameron or a Marx Brothers comedy that would have paired the esteemed comedy trio with legendary filmmaker Billy Wilder or Arnold Schwarzenegger and Paul Verheoven’s medieval war epic Crusade I feel saddened.