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I just received a special gift from Richard A. Knaak and Susan Hale (Tokyopop Director of Public Relations). Many thanks to both of you. This is a priceless gift. I had no idea this Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy Ultimate Edition would be so cool. I already have the trilogy as stand alone manga books. However, this Ultimate Edition blew my mind.
First off, when the UPS package arrived I was wondering if this would be the Manga or something else. It was so flipping heavy. Once I opened the package, I saw this huge book of 592 pages, approximately 7.5" width x 11" height. Sturdy and thick Hardcover, rock solid with a new front cover artwork by Jae-Hwan Kim. This Ultimate Edition will last many years to come with such solid materials. Sadly, the Manga is still black and white.
So what's different. Why not just pick up the three smaller stand alone Manga books? Well, get a napkin to contain the excessive drooling.
1. An eight-page, full-color prologue written by Richard A. Knaak and illustrated by Jae-Hwan Kim, not available in the three original volumes, featuring the story of the arrival of Dath'Remar Sunstrider and the highborne to the place they would name Quel'Thalas. The use of the Vial of the Well of Eternity to create the Sunwell. How they rose from scratch the spires of High Elven architecture from nothingness just by commanding the arcane magics of the Sunwell. The artwork matches perfectly the in-game architecture shown in World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade.
2. An afterword letter from Chris Metzen - Blizzard Vice-President of Creative Development
3. Artist's sketchbook: behind-the-scenes development art by Jae-Hwan Kim: Anveena, Jorad Mace, Tyrygosa, Sylvanas, Kalecgos, and Groth.
4. Alternate Cover and concept sketches.
5. Color art gallery including covers to all three original volumes, including the alternate cover from the KAPLAN edition and an alternate colored cover with Tyrygosa.
6. A full-color unbound Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy Ultimate Edition pin-up suitable for framing.
7. An Upper Deck World of Warcraft trading card illustrated by Jae-Hwan Kim, titled: Leader of the Bloodscale Rajis Fyashe. Not only you get the card, you get a full-page big-size copy of the card within the Ultimate Edition.
The Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy Ultimate Edition is a very good choice for a special Christmas Gift for your Warcraft lore addict loved one: be it your son, daughter, wife, girlfriend, husband, boyfriend; or a nice gift for someone you know is a Western manga fan. The standalone Warcraft Manga books have been reprinted a few times, after sold out. Grab this special bonus collection.
Reading Chris Metzen's letter made me wonder if we were twins separated at birth. Except I am roughly a year or two older. He leaks out so much passion for the Warcraft universe. Some times I wish I was working at Blizzard as a Quest Designer.
To boot the upcoming 2008 Warcraft Manga based on Burning Crusade is finally titled. Seems like ages since Knaak revealed to me a Burning Crusade-inspired manga was coming. It was merely in conversation stage between Metzen and Knaak. Not official or guaranteed back then. Now it is titled and aiming a 2008 release.
Knaak recently revealed some details of the upcoming Burning Crusade manga and the new novel in our recent video interview, hosted by Kazo and Rafo at the Istrocon manga expo in Slovakia.
Want more warcraft? Then don't miss the new trilogy debuting in 2008 from Richard A. Knaak and Jae-Hwan Kim!
WARCRAFT MANGA: DRAGONS OF OUTLAND
Tyrygosa and Jorad Mace may have triumphed over the undead in their quest for the Sunwell, but can even this dauntless duo survive a ruined dimension populated by dragons that should not exist?
Read Chris Metzen's letter below ...
AFTERWORD
You know, this whole "Warcraft" thing really seems to be working out ...
It's been amazing to watch World of Warcraft grow over the past few years and see the communities of gamers across the world embrace the fiction of this strange little world and its mighty denizens.
Even stranger for me, has been watching this manga series take form and develop a distinct energy and import of its own. I was first introduced to manga back in the 80's with Otomo's Akira (The colored version published by EPIC ... I know, I know - get off of me, ya purists!) and Koike and Kojima's Lone Wolf & Cub series (with covers by Frank Miller, no less) published in America by Dark Horse comics. Those books featured art and stories that were unlike anything I was seeing from the more traditional comics publishers I was giving my allowance to every week. The style dynamism and sheer energy of those books was undeniable. The resulting effect they (amongst others) would have on western comic art and pop-culture was inevitable.
So here I am, some twenty years later, and I'm trying to decide exactly WHY it is that I'm tripping out - holding my copy of the Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy - Ultimate Edition. Is it because of the fact that Warcraft has grown so huge around the world that developing a manga series based on it was even a possibility? Or is it the fact that the same exotic sensibility and dynamism that struck me as a kid have once again knocked me for a loop - and made me look at the Warcraft universe in a whole new way?
I don't know. Probably a bit of both, I guess. But I'll tell ya what -- I can't stop grinning as I flip back through the pages of this story. This book is pretty friggin' cool. While sure, the Warcraft setting has some serious pepper, there are two real reasons why this manga series sets my bookshelf on fire ...
Richard A. Knaak and Jae-Hwan Kim.
Now, I don't know what the odds were on these two guys ever meeting in real-life, but the meeting of their repsective talents has produced an amazing work of art. Richard and I have collaborated on eleven Blizzard-related novels up to this point - five of which have been set in the Warcraft universe. Of all the writers we could have called upon to conjure up this tale, Richard was the obvious choice. It didn't hurt that the editors at TOKYOPOP were also familiar with his skillz. Richard's knowledge and passion for the Warcraft setting were crucial to envisioning this latest chapter of Azeroth's epic history.
And while I was only familiar with Jae-Hwan's work from the visceral King of Hell series, it was clear from the get-go that his super-detailed (yet tonally gritty) art style would capture the Warcraft feel perfectly. Translating Warcraft's over-the-top, hyper proportionate art style to the 'manga style' was trickier than one might think - but Mr. Kim made it look effortless. Now, I know I'm a bit biased, but I think this book is one of the most strikingly illustrated manga series on the market today.
Clearly, both Richard and Jae-Hwan Kim brought a lot of passion and energy to this project. You can feel it explode from every page - merging the story and the art into a dizzying fusion of imagination and adventure.
Pretty cool, indeed.
Peace.
Chris Metzen
Vice President of Creative Development
Blizzard Entertainment |
