Art books are a strange beast of the comic world. They hold no narrative and they’re usually for some other form of entertainment outside of the world of comics (i.e. video games, animations). The issue is that they’d never find a home at a regular publisher because it’s just a gorgeous looking book with a somewhat limited fan base. That’s honestly why I think comic publishers love them though; they have a fan base and gorgeous art and a lot of the times that’s enough to validate a purchase. Because my nose is glued to comic books and I run the site your currently on, my video game time is very limited. It’s a sacrifice I’ve had to make to deliver the content so many people enjoy and while it’s worth it, I miss playing a lot of games… or just games in general. That being said, I don’t know much about Remember Me, but after watching the trailer and going through this book I’m really looking forward to it.
The book is broken up into chapters and in a way walks you through the entire game minus any real story details or spoilers. Each image is accompanied by a caption or blurb about the piece and either its significance or what it meant to the process of the game. It’s a lot of concept art and basically all of it is digitally drawn, but all very gorgeous. I love video concept art because even in its lowest denominator, it can still manage to be extremely detailed.
About midway through the book you begin to see the different character designs and this is where the book really shines. To see the different looks each character went through before reaching their final design is very cool. Occasionally you’ll see one that you like that was unused, but the notes fill you in on what they were thinking and their process during it all.
The game isn’t actually out yet and the book itself isn’t actually out in book stores until a couple of weeks after the games release, but comic shops ship on a different schedule so it’s available this week (as far as I know). Obviously if you’re not excited about the game you’re better off waiting for its release before committing to this book, but if you’re already sold on the game and excited then why not grab it early.
Score: 4/5
Writers: Aleksi Briclot, Michel Koch and Jean-Max Moris Artists: Various Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $39.99 Release Date: 5/15/13 – Comic Shops / 6/18/13 – Book Stores