Author: Masamune Shirow
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Language: English, Japanese Size: 214mm x 284mm x 14mm Pages: 128 Publication Date: 2014 Format: Paperback with dust cover Available From: Amazon, Book Depository, J-List Publication Quality: Gloss paper, glue binding, high resolution colour illustrations and diagrams. |
Intron Depot 5: Battalion (ID5) is orientated towards the fans of Shirow’s artworks and animations, and also the fans of the Japanese computer / console games that feature Shirow’s creations. ID5 could also be of value to readers who have an interest in (both hand drawn and computer created) Japanese style character creation, fantasy and futuristic artworks, vehicle and landscape designs.
ID5 is the fifth installation of the Intron Depot art book series, though it is not the latest. The art collection called Barb Wire, which is spread across two volumes (01, 02), is the most recent addition to the Intron Depot art book series. The purpose of ID5 is to showcase and promote the artistic talents of Shirow, to introduce curios readers to the various media that feature Shirow’s work, and to briefly cover how Shirow’s characters, vehicle designs and landscapes were created.
ID5’s content includes a collection of Shirow’s artworks, along with their concept sketches and artist’s notes, that were created for various computer game titles (such as Asura Fantasy, RF Online, and Fire Emblem). ID5 also presents the readers with an insight into how the artworks were developed from initial sketches, to colour concept designs, to 3D models or detailed colour prints, to the works’ final presentation.
A majority of ID5’s information and content is depicted in a pictorial manner. Shirow’s artworks, concept designs, and sketches are allocated most or all of the available page space. The descriptive text elements, used to complement the artworks, are presented at the edges of the page or superimposed over vacant sections of the artworks.
ID5 can work well by itself as an art book that features a select high quality collection of Shirow’s works, or as a visual reference guide for the computer games that feature Shirow’s art. However, to compile a more detailed cross section of Shirow’s professional biography additional publications will have to be acquired. For example, other additions of the Intron Depot series, or Shirow’s manga productions and their anime adaptations.
ID5’s content includes a collection of Shirow’s artworks, along with their concept sketches and artist’s notes, that were created for various computer game titles (such as Asura Fantasy, RF Online, and Fire Emblem). ID5 also presents the readers with an insight into how the artworks were developed from initial sketches, to colour concept designs, to 3D models or detailed colour prints, to the works’ final presentation.
A majority of ID5’s information and content is depicted in a pictorial manner. Shirow’s artworks, concept designs, and sketches are allocated most or all of the available page space. The descriptive text elements, used to complement the artworks, are presented at the edges of the page or superimposed over vacant sections of the artworks.
ID5 can work well by itself as an art book that features a select high quality collection of Shirow’s works, or as a visual reference guide for the computer games that feature Shirow’s art. However, to compile a more detailed cross section of Shirow’s professional biography additional publications will have to be acquired. For example, other additions of the Intron Depot series, or Shirow’s manga productions and their anime adaptations.
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