The Art of Japanese Monsters (2014)
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Godzilla, Gamera & Japanese science fiction art conquer the world!
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— Back cover tagline |
The Art of Japanese Monsters[a] is a 2014 informational book by Sean Linkenback collecting poster and promotional art for Japanese science fiction and fantasy films, spanning from the release of Godzilla in 1954 to Godzilla Final Wars in 2004.
Information
Announcement
The book was announced on February 28, 2014 by Sean Linkenback, to release in hardcover on May 13, 2014. He stated, "Basically this is taking the poster section from [Unauthorized Guide to Godzilla Collectibles] and blowing it up to 230 pages while including all the monsters and films that people kept asking about before... A majority of the images are sourced from my personal collection which I have been assembling over the past 30 years, and have been augmented by a few select pieces from collector friends worldwide. The result is that there are tons of images that have never been printed in ANY book before (English or Japanese) from all over the world including many country of origin rarities."[5] Purchasers could get signed copies from Linkenback's Kaiju Posters Database Facebook page.[3][5]
Further editions
Leatherbound deluxe edition
A leatherbound deluxe edition was announced on March 16, 2014.[2] It had 20 additional pages of posters and an exclusive print by Bob Eggleton, with each print signed by Akira Takarada and Haruo Nakajima.[2][3] Linkenback said to SciFi Japan that the leatherbound edition was "something I had wanted to put together for a long-time... I had been working for a while trying to get the logistics figured out, and thanks to some help from Jim Cirronella it all came together. It started off with just wanting to do a more expanded edition in a keepsake binding and then the idea just kind of snowballed from there." The 20 new pages contained "almost all stuff from the 50s and 60s including some very rare items."[2]
Linkenback went to Eggleton about doing a painting for the leatherbound deluxe edition, and he created a sketch with Godzilla, Takarada, and Nakajima. Getting Takarada and Nakajima involved was "the icing on the cake", Linkenback said, and that "A really big hand goes out to Jim for helping that become reality." The actors hand-signed each print beside their likenesses.[2]
This edition was not available through Diamond Comics Distributors, Amazon, or regular booksellers, instead available only from Linkenback's Kaiju Posters Database page on Facebook and at conventions that summer. Those who ordered the hardcover edition could credit their purchase towards the leatherbound deluxe so long as the leatherbound was in stock. "Due to the logistics" of Takarada and Nakajima signing the prints, SciFi Japan wrote, the leatherbound "will not be able to ship until the first week of June. But Linkenback will start accepting pre-orders" on March 16, also through Kaiju Posters Database.[2]
Softcover edition
A softcover edition was announced on September 6, 2014, with a new cover by Alex Wald, and reduced by 24 pages.[1]
The softcover edition was created as Linkenback said he had "been fielding calls and emails from collectors all over the world" who were "wondering how they [could] get a hold of a copy", as the hardcover edition had sold out "amazingly quick". He explained that, "Wanting to stay true to my word that the hardcover would be a limited edition and not be reprinted... if I went back and did a softcover version... it would have to be abridged, thus ensuring that the people who stepped up early and purchased the hardcover still had their interests protected." He "made as few slices as I could to the pages" and settled on 24 to be "the number to be excluded from the new edition."[1]
About the cover, Linkenback got in contact with Wald and "worked with him on creating a cover that would be reminiscent of the joy and wonder of coming up to the theater for the first time and seeing images of giant monsters fighting it out. The posters represented on the cover are fantasy 'what if' films, but still manage to covey what you will see inside."[1]
Release
The hardcover edition was published on May 14, 2014,[2][3] and was limited to 1,000 copies.[2][3][5] The leatherbound deluxe edition was mailed to purchasers the first week of June 2014 and limited to 100 copies.[2][3] The softcover edition was released on October 13, 2014[1] and had 2,000 copies made.[4]
Description
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For over 60 years, Japan has produced an incredible array of science fiction and fantasy films to delight generations of moviegoers. From the King of the Monsters GODZILLA, and the space monster GHIDORAH, to the fire-breathing turtle GAMERA, and invading armies of aliens, this is the book that gathers them all together in a single, comprehensive volume. Featuring art and advertising materials from 65 different films and more than 1,000 color photos of items from 20 different countries.
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— Back cover synopsis |
Contents
- Note: Film titles here are written as they appear in the book's Contents list.
Softcover
Gallery
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Hardcover edition -
Hardcover announcement image -
Hardcover placeholder -
Leatherbound edition -
Leatherbound exclusive print -
Softcover edition -
Softcover work-in-progress preview -
Back of hardcover and softcover
Trivia
- SciFi Japan announced a competition on October 27, 2014, where three participants could each win a copy of the softcover edition of The Art of Japanese Monsters, courtesy of Sean Linkenback. Entrants had to email SciFi Japan their name, email address, and mailing address to qualify. It ran from October 23 to November 5, 2014.[8]
Notes
- ↑ Subtitled, The Art of Japanese Monsters: Godzilla, Gamera, and Japanese Science Fiction Film Art Conquer the World.
References
This is a list of references for The Art of Japanese Monsters. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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