The groundbreaking masterwork that literally changed the face of comics and launched the “Bad Girl” revolution returns in this premium formatted, 112-page hardcover edition featuring the “Story of Shi,” never-before-published, remastered original artwork and files from the book that started it all, 1994’s Shi: Way of the Warrior #1.
- Crusade Entertainment, May 08, 2024
- ISBN 978-0-96587-513-4
- 8″ x 12″, 114 pages, hardcover
- $64.99 USD
- Order online: Things From Another World, Walt’s Comic Shop, Forbidden Planet
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.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Shi: Way of the Warrior #1, collecting that complete issue, cover creation, then the inked pages opposite the coloured pages, plus an interview about how that first issue came to be.
Scan quality is excellent: no issues with any of the original inks or colours. Blue pencil and correction fluid used throughout. Gradients are not visible in the inks. Minimal margin notes, with the page number bottom center and some production notes.
The design works well, with a table of contents, page numbers along the outer edge, and a consistent layout. There is purple on the back cover, red and yellow for the page numbers, with no colour used elsewhere.
Production is good: a sewn binding of thin glossy paper. The first and last page is a thick cardstock so Tucci could draw in the book for that tier of crowdfunding. The thin glossy paper is a mistake, with a terrible glare and some ghosting from the other side of each page.
This book appeals right to Tucci’s fanbase and was funded twice, once on Kickstarter and once on Indiegogo. The campaign stretch goals had a dust jacket and a sewn-in satin bookmark ribbon. It’s surprising they did a second binding of the book for the satin ribbon and didn’t include it in the Diamond distributed edition, while they included the cardstock in all.
