{product_snapshot:id=1515,true,false,false,left}Beasts! is a classic mythological menagerie, comprised only of creatures that were thought at one time to actually exist, depicted by about a hundred of the most acclaimed artists and cartoonists coming from the most avant-garde ambits of the art world. The Beasts project has fired the imaginations of luminaries such as Craig Thompson, Souther Salazar, Jeff Soto, Glenn Barr, Dave Cooper, Tim Biskup, Seonna Hong, Jeremy Fish and Jay Ryan, who present never-before-seen art completely original to this book, superbly laid out in breathtaking, full-color two-page spreads. Beasts! collects many of the best visual artists from the worlds of comics, skateboarding, rock graphics, science-fiction, children’s books, commercial and fine art. The book is conceived and designed by Jacob Covey, lead art director for Fantagraphics (Dennis the Menace, Billy Hazelnuts, Popeye, etc.) and a well-regarded designer and artist in his own right in the Northwest rock and arts community. Other contributors include: Anders Nilsen, Art Chantry, Brian Chippendale, Brian Ralph, Bwana Spoons, Colleen Coover, Jason Miles, Jesse LeDoux, Johnny Ryan, Jordan Crane, Keith Shore, Kevin Scalzo, Marc Bell, Martin Cendreda, Mat Brinkman, R. Kikuo Johnson, Richard Sala, Sammy Harkham, Stan Sakai, S. Britt, Steven Weissman, Ted Jouflas, Tom Gauld and many more.
The first two editions of Beasts! sold out quickly. Four artists did new versions of their beast especially for the second edition. Other enhancements to the second edition include new endpapers illustrated by Ray Fenwick, crisper printing, and a slightly redesigned cover in a new color.
2008-2009 will see the release of a softcover edition, which will most likely have the same contents and a new cover design, and a sequel, tentatively titled Beasts 2. You can keep track of the progress of both projects in the “Beasts” category on Flog, the Fantagraphics blog (which can also be followed via RSS), and on Jacob Covey’s own Beasts blog.
“Really kick-ass, fun and well-done.” – The Comics Reporter
“Another stroke of genius from the folks at Fantagraphics.” – Boston Globe
“The Best Cryptozoo Art Book of 2007,” Cryptomundo.com
Sample Pages:
{slimbox album=|beastc|}images/stories/books/beastc-3.jpg{/slimbox} {slimbox album=|beastc|}images/stories/books/beastc-4.jpg{/slimbox} {slimbox album=|beastc|}images/stories/books/beastc-5.jpg{/slimbox} {slimbox album=|beastc|}images/stories/books/beastc-6.jpg{/slimbox} Download a 20-page PDF preview (0.87 MB)!