A few days ago, Udon Entertainment announced a wealth of book titles which they will be releasing over the rest of this year and beyond. Similar to their release of Persona 3: Official Design Works which I reviewed HERE, their artbook releases are not always there just to present brilliant artwork from whatever series their book is focused on, but provides interesting incites into the produce with developer interviews, design comments and sometimes even acting as a guide to the developed world.
Their announcements have been split into a couple of specific categories – “Street Fighter Announcements”, “Video Game Art Books”, “Anime Artbooks” and also a few manga series, all of which I have included in more detail below.
Street Fighter Announcements
Super Street Fighter: New Generation
UDON Comics tackles the next level of Street Fighter action with Super Street Fighter: New Generation! Fan favorites like Ryu, Sakura, Ken, and Guile are joined by newcomers Alex, Juri, Dudley, Hakan, and more for all-out excitement and pulse-pounding battles! This 144 page deluxe hardcover graphic novel hits stores in November 2012.
Street Fighter Origins: Akuma
Learn the secrets behind Akuma’s dark powers and even darker past in this original graphic novel featuring artwork by UDON’s Joe Ng. Release date TBD 2013
Street Fighter X Tekken: Artworks
Based on the hit 2012 fighting game, Street Fighter X Tekken: Artworks collects 192 pages of amazing insight into the game! Inside you’ll find character artwork, rough sketches, and costume designs, with creator commentary on almost every page! September 2012
Street Fighter Online
Launching this summer, enjoy your favorite Street Fighter storylines on the web atStreetFighterComics.com! Street Fighter Online will be updating five days a week with fresh content pulled from the pages of UDON’s renown Street Fighter comics.
Video Game Art Books
The Art of Darksiders 2
A companion to the new Darksiders 2 video game and The Art of Darksiders book previously released by UDON, The Art of Darksiders 2 features all-new visuals from the legendary Joe Madureira. October 2012
Marvel Vs. Capcom: Official Complete Works
An amazing collection nearly 20 years in the making, this is a brand-new art book collecting all of the official artwork, sketches, and bonus material from all of Marvel and Capcom’s video game collaborations—from 1993’s The Punisher arcade game right up to 2012’s smash-hit Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for the PLAYSTATION 3, PSP, and X-BOX 360 platforms! Includes stunning artworks by Akiman, Bengus, Shinkiro, Joe Madureira, Adi Granov, and more!
Marvel vs. Capcom: Official Complete Works is making its international debut at Comic-Con International: San Diego on Wednesday, July 11th, in an exclusive hardcover edition that will not be sold in stores. The softcover edition was originally planned for release in November 2012, but due to fan demand, UDON is working with Diamond Distribution to get the book into comic stores early – stay tuned for more details!
Shining Hearts: Collection of Visual Materials
Featuring more of the wonderful artwork of Japanese pinup artist and character designer Tony Taka! Shining Hearts: Collection of Visual Materials gathers the beautiful artwork from the third installment in the Shining spinoff series. The book includes full-page pinups, character designs, rough sketches, and interviews with the creators behind the SEGA video game. September 2012
The History of Sonic the Hedgehog
UDON has teamed up with Pix’n Love Publishing to bring fans the ultimate guide to SEGA’s spiky blue speedster — The History of Sonic the Hedgehog! This hefty 300-page hardcover book covers every 2D and 3D Sonic game in detail, plus very spin-off game, every crossover, and even rare cameo appearances by Sonic across the gaming universe! September 2012.
Art of Brutal Legend
Featuring the awesome artwork of Double Fine Studios, this amazing collection will reveal the design process behind the fantastic characters and setting of Brutal Legend, the most metal video game of all time. Available in both regular softcover and a limited deluxe hardcover version, in stores for November/December 2012.
Anime Art Books
Evangelion Chronicle: Illustrations
Evangelion Chronicle: Illustrations collects all the original artwork created for the Evangelion Chronicle encyclopedia series, plus new pieces produced exclusively for this volume. You’ll also get rough sketches and creators’ comments, offering a true behind-the-scenes glimpse into the rich world of Neon Genesis Evangelion. November 2012
Evangelion Chronicle: Side A
Evangelion Chronicle: Side A covers the first 13 TV episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion in great detail with original artwork, a character relationship chart, character and EVA profiles, a timeline, and comprehensive episode guide with checkpoints covering each Angel, vehicle, weapon, and character appearance in each episode. Release date 2013.
Evangelion Chronicle: Side B
Evangelion Chronicle: Side B covers episodes 14-26, plus original movies. Release date 2013.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Art Book
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Art Book, Haruhi-ism, featuring the work of illustrator Noizi Ito. Release date 2012.
Read or Die: R.O.D. Official Archive
The Read or Die anime features the story of Yomiko Readman and the British Library Special Operations Division, a secret group dedicated to the location and protection of rare books! R.O.D Official Archive is your ultimate guide to the world of both the original 3-episode OVA and the 26-episode TV series. December 2012
Manga
Disgaea 3 Manga
UDON brought you the artwork with DISGAEArt!!! Disgaea Official Illustration Collection. Now fans can delve even deeper into the amazing story of DISGAEA with this fantastic manga by Shin Sasaki.
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends Vol 2
The conclusion to this thrilling tale of Samuri honor and glory! Sengoku Basara takes real Japanese historical events and figures and makes them larger than life with dynamic character designs and all-out action; it also serves as a prequel to the action-packed Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii game Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes.
