When people first spoke of the manga influence on American comics, they were really speaking primarily of the Shirow Masamune influence. While a much broader manga pollination has since infused comics the world over, the most popular comics of the nineties had Shirow written all over them. He has been imitated, and his imitators imitated, for so long that it’s hard to imagine what modern comics would look like without him (and we won't even begin to get into his effect on the world of animation—we haven't got all day here). Truth be told, there’s a busload of artists out there who should cut him a check.
Appleseed, Dominion, Ghost in the Shell—some of the most exciting, imaginative, visually stunning, mind-bending comics ever created. Shirow makes his own rules and gleefully shatters them with equal facility. I don't know how he does it, neither do you; nor does anybody else. Which is why he’s so in demand beyond the confines of the comics and animation world. We aren't the only ones who know a great thing when we see it.
Luckily, we have Intron Depot, Shirow’s art books that document his rarely seen original work in illustration, concept design, and gaming. The fifth volume of the series, Battalion, is ready for action, and it flat-out rocks like Motörhead driving a fuel dragster through a minefield. Battalion focuses on his creative travels in the gaming world, and the book is absolutely packed to the gunwales with some of the most eye-popping character, costume, and tech designs you’ll ever see, all accompanied by the master’s commentary, which is as entertaining as it is informative.
If you’re an artist or a designer, this is a slam-dunk must-have addition to your swipe file. But if you just like to stare in wonderment at science fiction and fantasy art at its finest, this is right in your wheelhouse, too. Here’s your chance to plough through the legions of imitators and those who copied them, and get back to the real deal. That’s a trip worth taking. Intron Depot 5: Battalion lands in comics shops March 12.
—Chris Warner
Senior Editor
When people first spoke of the manga influence on American comics, they were really speaking primarily of the Shirow Masamune influence. While a much broader manga pollination has since infused comics the world over, the most popular comics of the nineties had Shirow written all over them. He has been imitated, and his imitators imitated, for so long that it’s hard to imagine what modern comics would look like without him (and we won't even begin to get into his effect on the world of animation—we haven't got all day here). Truth be told, there’s a busload of artists out there who should cut him a check.
Appleseed, Dominion, Ghost in the Shell—some of the most exciting, imaginative, visually stunning, mind-bending comics ever created. Shirow makes his own rules and gleefully shatters them with equal facility. I don't know how he does it, neither do you; nor does anybody else. Which is why he’s so in demand beyond the confines of the comics and animation world. We aren't the only ones who know a great thing when we see it.
Luckily, we have Intron Depot, Shirow’s art books that document his rarely seen original work in illustration, concept design, and gaming. The fifth volume of the series, Battalion, is ready for action, and it flat-out rocks like Motörhead driving a fuel dragster through a minefield. Battalion focuses on his creative travels in the gaming world, and the book is absolutely packed to the gunwales with some of the most eye-popping character, costume, and tech designs you’ll ever see, all accompanied by the master’s commentary, which is as entertaining as it is informative.
If you’re an artist or a designer, this is a slam-dunk must-have addition to your swipe file. But if you just like to stare in wonderment at science fiction and fantasy art at its finest, this is right in your wheelhouse, too. Here’s your chance to plough through the legions of imitators and those who copied them, and get back to the real deal. That’s a trip worth taking. Intron Depot 5: Battalion lands in comics shops March 12.
—Chris Warner
Senior Editor