Transformations of a Mythical Hero

According to Chinese legend and literature, the Monkey King was capable of seventy-two magnificent transformations. In the hands of as many artists, our stunning collection of newly commissioned artwork features artist from around the world.

Each artist was given the opportunity to draw the mythical Chinese hero, the Monkey King, in his or her own unique way. The result is a stunning collection of different interpretations, styles, and media. The artists also include step-by-step drawings and text to explain their creative process and what they gained from it, as well as their perceptions of the Monkey King.

illustration by Da Li

The legend of the Monkey King is that he was born out of rock, making him extremely strong and durable. His image is also open to vast interpretation, as this book makes clear.

illustration by Florian Satzinger

The Monkey King: 72 Transformations of the Mythical Hero will appeal to fans of fantasy art, Asian culture, and fairy tales.

Post Comic-con wrap-up

It's only been three days since Comic-con came to an end in San Diego, but we're all still recovering from the long days and even longer nights surrounding the annual event.

Here's a quick re-cap of what we at Insight Editions experienced during the 5-day event. If you're looking for pictures, check our our Twitter feed, Facebook page, Instagram and Pinterest accounts where we uploaded images during SDCC.

Thursday, July 12, 2012
Illustrator Scott Campbell came by to sign copies of his book, "Amazing Everything," delighting his fans with one-of-a-kind drawings and posing for photos with his legions of fans. 

At the same time, the Blizzard Entertainment panel was taking place upstairs, so we were able to sit in on that to hear the licensing products being launched for next year, including our book, "The Art of Blizzard," which is still on sale over at our website. 

Inside the Batmobile - the exclusive 22-minute sneak peek at the upcoming documentary, "The Batmobile" was shown at Comic-Con and fans were hyped by the fact that all 5 vehicles were outside of the San Diego Convention Center for a close-up look at the history of the Batmobile. Our book, "Batmobile: The Complete History" was put together as a written documentary to accompany the upcoming film.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Even though "The Art of Blizzard" will not be available until later this fall, two of the authors stopped by to sign some posters for fans. Chris Metzen and Sam Didier are recognized names and faces at Comic-Con and we were thrilled that they were able to swing by our booth.

 

Our invite-only art exhibit for "The Art of Blizzard" took place Friday night at the LoungeSD and the community winners who won an invite from Blizzplanet were stoked to hang out at such an intimate venue with their favorite guys from Blizzard along with seeing the framed art from pieces that will be included in the book. Check out the #ArtofBlizzard hashtag on Twitter to see more photos from the fans themselves or tag your photos in case we haven't seen or shared them on our social sites yet.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Continuing with the excitement surrounding the Blizzard team, the creative minds behind Diablo III: Book of Cain were at our Booth signing Limited Edition copies of the book. Matt Flint Dille, Matt Burns and Mickey Neilson joined us while the first 10 people in line got to take home a swag bag from our #ArtofBlizzard event the night before.

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures announced their next big film by acclaimed filmmaker Guillerom del Toro, Pacific Rim, and we were finally able to share with our fans that we're working on the book in conjunction with the film for next summer!

Jerry Beck came by our Booth to sign copies of his book, 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons and we spoke about some fun, upcoming projects he's working on for us as well.

 

Our last author signing for this year's San Diego Comic-Con was my personal favorite, since I was able to meet Iain McCaig for the first time and watch as he posed fans and created a custom drawing with them alongside his signature in the latest version of his book, "Shadowline." For nearly two hours, Iain told stories and sketched unique illustrations for those who were lucky enough to get in line for his book signing. He ran out of time, but hopefully we'll catch up with him at another event where more fans can get to know him and his work.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

While we did not have any author signings on the last day of Comic-con, it was probably the most exciting, as we were finally able to announce the news of our forthcoming books on Fringe and Supernatural.

 

All Comic-con titles are on sale through the end of August, including our pre-orders for the Fall and Winter releases. If you plan on attending the NY Comic-con in October, make sure to stop by and say hi. We'll be announcing our author signings soon for this event!

A sample from David Burnett's Photo Library

David Burnett, the co-founder of Contact Press Images in New York, has produced dozens of photographic essays for TIME, Life, Fortune, the New Yorker, and the New York Times Sunday Magazine. Burnett divides his time between New York City and Washington, DC.

Here's a wonderful video featuring a sample of David's photo library featuring historical moments from the 20th Century, including US Presidents, Olympic events and legends, such as Bob Marley.

National Inventors Month

What's the first thing you think of when hearing the word "invention?" Most people think of electricity, or other important things that we cannot imagine living without. But what about the Ice-Cream Cone, or  Bubble Wrap? Can you imagine what life would be like without Post-Its or Velcro?

These, and other "Accidental Inventions" are shared with vivid images and fun stories from author Birgit Krols in a small little gallery of items from pop culture, foods, gadgets, toys and tools that we now consider indispensable.

Birgit Krols is a former film journalist who earned her living interviewing international movie stars before becoming editor-in-chief of a city lifestyle magazine. The author of several books, Krols lives in Antwerp, Belgium.

The Art of Scott C.

Scott Campbell has been an artist his entire life, drawing potato dues in preschool, dragons in first grade, and by the time he was in sixth grade, had created his own comic books with his brother. As an adult, he has made video games, children's books, paintings, and illustrations, establishing quite the name for himself with a worldwide audience.

The watercolor illustrations found in the pages of "Amazing Everything: The Art of Scott C.," contain a pop-culture menagerie of lumberjacks, dinosaurs, zombies, and ninjas which will appeal to anyone who is curious and who enjoys cute and clever characters.

Just some of the things you'll find inside the book:

• Monsters.
• Cute things.
• Friends enjoy each other's company.
• Awkward moments.
• Amazing hats.
• Beautiful plant life.
• Gallant knights.
• Rainbows.
• Houses. Many types of unique and inspirational houses.
• Fighting.
• Pizza.
• People hugging.
• Goats.
• Maps.
• Video games.
• Famous people.

Scott Campbell lives in New York, but his artwork lives on inside these pages and continues to inspire artists of all ages.

Gotta Have It!

If you've ever been tempted to buy something from an infomercial, or if you have kids who watch television (and the commercials that interrupt their favorite shows), you'll appreciate Kirk Demarais' quirky new book, "Mail-Order Mysteries: Real Stuff from Old Comic Book Ads."

Demarais takes a detailed look at over 150 collectibles and shares the truth behind the novelty toys that kids just had to have based on the appealing ads found in the pages of comic books from the 60's and 70's.

Acclaimed artist and creator of SecretFunSpot.com, a curious collection of pop-culture artifacts, Demarais reveals the goodies he acquired over the years, including:

• 100 Toy Solders in a Footlocker
• Count Dante's World's Deadliest Fighting Secrets
• GRIT
• Hercules Wrist Band
• Hypno-Coin
• Life-Size Monster
• Mystic Smoke
• Sea Monkeys
• Soil from Dracula's Castle
• Switchblade Comb
• Twelve Elephants in a Bean
• U-Control Ghost
• Ventrilo: The Wonder Voice Thrower

The cover of "Mail-Order Mysteries: Real Stuff from Old Comic Book Ads"glows in the dark, revealing yet another quirky product feature that appeals to kids of all ages.

Kirk Demarais will be appearing at the Insight Editions booth #1939 at New York Comic-Con, Saturday October 15th at 1:00 pm.