Artists Edition Gourmando Hardcover

This beautifully produced artist edition is worth every penny. It rewards multiple readings and constant study. I keep it next to my Andrew Loomis books. You get the finished pages, the pencils and inks along with bonus content from Steve and company. And if that wasn't enough this tome also has a great dissertation from Steve on the art of storytelling. Mike Baron also contributes his thoughts on writing. When artists like Rude and Baron share their knowledge you should pay close attention. Do yourself a favor and buy this book and study it closely.

Love the product. Love the customer service more.

First, I must compliment the great care with which this big, heavy, expensive book was packed and shipped. The book was wrapped in a plastic sleeve to prevent scuffing and scratches, then secured snugly with foam pads inside a sturdy box. The book arrived in great shape with sharp corners, much to my delight.

Second, the book itself is impressive, with quality paper and good binding. I haven't read all the contents yet, but it's great to see Rude's Sunday-newspaper-strip style art at this large size. I hope the Rudes are proud of the significant accomplishment this book represents.

The only suggestion I could make for any future volumes is in the organization of the contents. This book presents all the Gourmando pages in their final colored form, then in pencils, and then in inks. It makes sense to present all the colored pages together to be read as the final product, but I would have preferred to see the pencilled and then inked version of each strip on facing pages of the book, as was done in the fantastic Nexus Chronicles book from Flesk. Seeing these two successive stages of the pages side by side would make comparison easier and give further insight into the process Rude goes through to create his magnificent comics art.

Yoda wasn't talking about this book when he said "size matters not." The size of this book adds to the grandeur of the amazing art and story within. A treasure trove of art/storytelling education included as well. Highly recommend!

Mike Baron and Steve Rude’s epic "Nexus Newspaper Strips, Vol. 1: The Coming of Gourmando," is MASSIVE. The production quality is top-notch from front to back. The heavy stock gloss paper and gorgeous color and black and white reproductions are a joy for the senses. Once a suitable location is found to comfortably absorb it, the book’s enormous size presents a thoroughly engrossing viewing experience.

"The Coming of Gourmando" is an incredible tour de force that reaches far, far beyond the telling of the Nexus story. It is an entire history and technical course in the art and writing of sequential illustration between two covers. The level of professionalism in Steve Rude’s art on all levels is astounding: from thumbnails to finish and all stages in between, this is a top-notch revelation into the creative process. He is a born teacher.

Each of the various in-depth sections that make up the book stand brilliantly on their own, with the sum of the parts coalescing into an even greater whole. The result is a forward-looking throwback into the whole history of comics by a true master of his art at the peak of his powers. This volume should come with its own diploma!