The work of one of the most influential artists in comics gets the Artist’s Edition treatment! Michael Golden is a true “Artist’s Artist”; his work has inspired several generations of comic artists, and fans across the globe eagerly await his new releases. This Artist’s Edition of Golden’s Marvel work will include four stories (two short NAM stories from Strange Adventures, and the Wolverine Christmas story), including one of his most fondly remembered, the Spider-Man/Hulk from Marvel Fanfare #47, considered to be one of his very best! Additionally, this collection will include pages from Doctor Strange #55, Avengers Annual #10, and covers galore! If you are a Michael Golden fan then this is the Artist’s Edition you have been waiting for!
- IDW, August 08, 2023
- ISBN 978-1-68405-919-5
- 12″ x 17″, 176 pages, hardcover
- Order online: Amazon, Forbidden Planet, Books Etc, AE Index Store
As with all AE format material (Artist’s Editions, Artifact Editions, Gallery Editions, Art Editions, Studio Editions, etc.), this is a collection of classic comic material and I’ll be reviewing the book and not the story. For a complete list of all current and announced editions, with review links, please visit our Index. Also, see What is an Artist’s Edition and our Artist Index. This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
A career spanning look at Michael Golden’s Marvel Comics work. The book is divided into four sections: pages, covers, random pieces, and complete stories. No introduction, but a table of contents for each section and a one-page biography to close it out. Plus, four foldouts for some truly large pieces.
How important is the layout and flow of the work? Previously the full stories were at the front, and here they are at the end. Pages start off, then covers, then commissions and single works, all sorted alphabetically. Should these be treated as monographs, with the work in chronological order to show the artist’s development?
The scans are clean and clear, but I can’t shake the feeling some of the pages could be better. Fifty-seven people were thanked on the colophon, and that’s a lot of different sources; not sure how many editor Scott Dunbier was able to scan himself. Not a lot of gradients in the blacks. Minimal correction fluid use, but some nice Zip-A-Tone. Margin notes are minimal; small corrections and production items. The pages have aged quite well, with most being slightly tanned to light yellowing. Very little blue pencil but frequent red marker. Paste-ups here and there, with the rubber cement really yellowing.
A departure from Dahlk’s design aesthetic for Artist’s Editions. The colour palette established on the cover is not used in the interior, instead using a pattern, enlarged ben-day dots perhaps, with image enlargements and free form grids. Each chapter gets its own colour and offers a solid divider between works. The enlarged images look great and fit well with the play of blocks, but the moving between horizontal and vertical blocks doesn’t have any order to it. It’s great to see Dahlk still innovating after so many volumes. Of course, getting page numbers in there would also be great.
Another excellent IDW production of heavy matte paper in a sewn binding. The book lies flat after smoothing the center, except where the signatures meet and are glued. The book comes shrink-wrapped in a cardboard case that bears a sticker showing the cover, ISBN and price. Oddly, the sticker is put on sideways so the box is turned landscape to read it. And there is a slightly new box design, with the spine side of the box fitting into the short ends to keep the lid from opening all the way. I’m not sure what was attempting to be accomplished. You can see me wrestle it open in the flip through video.
Golden is not an artist I consider myself a fan of. There are issues and illustrations he has done that blow me away and others that leave me cold. I started flipping through this and was immediately struck by the pages from Doctor Strange 55 and the Doctor Strange portfolio; clear memories for me of comic excellence. The cover illustration on its fold out is worth the cover price alone, and then add that Marvel Fanfare complete story; the Fury in space panels took my breath away. There is some nostalgia being tugged at, since I bought the Doctor Strange, Nam, and Marvel Fanfare issues as they were published. Yet the more modern images are a style shift one step away from my taste. The beauty of a book that encompasses a large span of an artist’s career: something for everyone.
This book came out several weeks ago and I was waiting for my copy to arrive. Because of the delay I eventually gave up and purchased a copy at my local comic shop, at which point my other copy arrived in the mail. This means I have a brand-new sealed copy for sale in the AE Index Store for $100 USD to cover my cost.
