The Masters of the Universe Book (2021)

The Masters of the Universe Book (2021)

Author: Simon Beecroft | Page Count: 200

A large format hardcover book (24 x 28 cm, aprrox) published by Dorling Kindersley Ltd.

I've owned plenty of DK books over the years, covering various topics and/or franchises. They typically have lots of quality pictures, in an attempt to detract from the shortage of interesting text. And like a lazy student's homework assignment, in some cases the text that is included is regurgitated content with little emphasis on original thinking.

I expected much the same from The MotU Book, but no, it's really quite good! Author Simon Beecroft seems to have actually cared about what he was writing, and has presented the content in a clear and concise manner. 

It has some real treasures within its pages that make it feel like it was lovingly curated, as opposed to thrown together like many DK books of the past. It's split into chapters, as you'd expect, and within that framework things roughly follow a chronological order.

The Art of Star Trek (1995)

The Art of Star Trek (1995)

Authors: Judith + Garfield Reeves-Stevens | Illustrators: Various | Page Count: 298

'If we define art as "the activity of creating beautiful things," then STAR TREK's futuristic, alien, often bizarre imagery most assuredly qualifies.'

I do sometimes 'state the obvious' for the benefit of folks that are curious but aren't a part of a particular franchise's fandom, but a book titled The Art of Star Trek explains itself. So if there's anyone still in any doubt as to what the content is, then you're probably reading the wrong blog.

What can't be gleaned from the cover alone is the sheer range of content inside, from rarely seen production sketches to familiar but still awesome key art, some of which has been used on posters and commercial home video formats for decades, and all presented on lavishly glossy paper stock.

Ghost in the Shell README: 1995-2017 (2017)

Ghost in the Shell
README: 1995-2017 (2017)

Author: Shirow Masamune (?) | Page Count: 160

'How am I supposed to stay motivated without my bassets?' - Mamoru Oshii

Described by publisher Kodansha as 'The definitive history of the most influential cyberpunk anime of all time!', the Ghost in the Shell README is perhaps more accurately described as being little more than a cash-grab tie-in detailing the plots of the various filmed versions of Shirow's original manga.

It opens with a brief look at the 2017 live-action movie. An attempt is made to sing its praises but it seems halfhearted at best, and a failure at worst. Having viewed the film, I can understand the trouble the writer must've had, because, besides its visuals, the live-action movie is the worst interpretation that GitS has had thus far - to put it more plainly, the movie is garbage.

Species Design (1996)

Species Design (1996)

Author + Illustrator: H.R. Giger | Page Count: 86

"I cast worms in silicon […] Instead, in the film, reddish brown computer-generated sausages burst out (but very quickly, to hide the computerised embarrassment)."

A large format coffee table book (approximately the size of a vinyl LP) that doesn't fit on any of my shitty Argos flat-pack shelving. Grrrr.

Inside its pages are a number of the Swiss artist's illustrations. It's primarily early stage concept sketches that rarely get released to the public, most of which are black ink on paper.

Giger's sketches have an almost obsessively hurried appearance. Seeing what he'd envisioned for the creature, that didn't make it into the film, is perhaps the only notable reason to purchase.

Akira: 35th Anniversary Box Set (2017)

Akira: 35th Anniversary Box Set (2017)

Author + Illustrator: Katsuhiro Otomo  |  Publisher: Kodansha | Page Count: 2530

I knew in advance that Katsuhiro Otomo's seminal six-volume AKIRA manga was 2000+ pages, in total, but I wasn't expecting Kodansha's 35th Anniversary box set to be as mammoth as it is. It's the size of a hat box and heavier than a baby!

The scale of the work deserves a review that's a lot more in depth than I've time to give — the phenomenal world-building alone is worthy of a mini dissertation — so I'll limit my words to the presentation of the physical product, pictures of which are at the end of the post. (The image to the right is edited to fit my posting template.)

I suppose that means it's partially a review of the packaging, but that's not my goal. Given the costly RRP, it's about whether I feel it's worth it or not, but opinions on value will, of course, differ.