Walter Simonson’s Ragnarök Artist’s Edition Portfolio features all 12 covers—main and variants—from the acclaimed writer/artist’s first six-issue story arc. Simonson, an Eisner Award-winning creator of such classics as Thor, Alien: The Illustrated Story, Manhunter and Star Slammers, has returned to his love of Norse mythology in the pages of Ragnarök. Like all our AE books and portfolios, each image has been meticulously scanned and reproduced to the same exacting standards that have made Artist’s Editions the most imitated line in comics. Limited to 250 copies.
- IDW Publishing, September 2015
- ISBN 827714010060
- 10″ x 15″, 12 plates
- $40 USD
- Order online: eBay
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 second Walter Simonson Artist’s Edition Portfolio, after Walter Simonson’s Lawnmower Man: Artist’s Edition Portfolio, this time a convention exclusive. Collecting the covers from the first six issues of Ragnarök, the regular and variant versions, for a total of twelve plates.
This is the smallest I’ve seen Simonson’s work, with these plates at 10″ x 15″, the same size as the Locke & Key portfolios. Does IDW work at this size for original art?
Scans are clear and without any visual issues. Being a new title all the pages are very white, except for one image which appears to have been done on a different paper style. The only margin notes are if Simonson labeled the page.
On the back of each plate is copyright information for Walter Simonson and Idea And Design Works, 2015. The portfolio’s back cover features a pencil rough of issue one’s variant.
The design is by Shawn Lee based on the portfolio design of Randall Dahlk. Lee used one less colour than the other portfolios, using the portfolio’s red as the logo colour and white and black as the accent colours. No Table Of Contents this time around, and the plates didn’t come in order. Took some internet searching to determine the order, so I put them as regular cover and variant cover for every issue.
Production is excellent: heavy matte paper stock in a thick cardboard cover. The fit and finish of the portfolio allow for the plates to fit snugly. As always I wasn’t able to slide all plates into the pocket without the last plate hitting something and refusing to slide in.