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Book
Offers Never-Before-Published Collection of Game Art From the Caldecott
Honor Recipient and New York Times Bestselling Author and Illustrator,
Who Was Inspired to Become An Artist After Playing Dungeons & Dragons As A Kid
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MILWAUKIE, OR– Dark Horse Comics and Kitchen Sink Books are thrilled to announce Realms: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony DiTerlizzi (June
3, 2015) the first comprehensive collection of game art by the
award-winning New York Times bestselling author and illustrator.
Known for his distinctive style depicting fantastical creatures,
horrific monsters, and courageous heroes, DiTerlizzi’s illustrations
reshaped and defined the worlds of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Planescape, and Magic: The Gathering in
the imaginations of legions of devoted roleplaying gamers during the
1990s, before he transitioned to children’s book creation.
Among his most renowned works are the chapter book series The Spiderwick Chronicles, a literary phenomenon which has sold millions of copies and has been translated into 30 languages. In 2008, Spiderwick was adapted into a successful feature film by Paramount and Nickelodeon Pictures. Tony also wrote and illustrated the WondLa trilogy, Ted, Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-of-this-World Moon Pie Adventure and The Spider and the Fly
– the picture book for which he received the Caldecott Honor, one of
the most prestigious awards in children’s publishing. DiTerlizzi
currently has over 12 million books in print worldwide.
REALMS will
be filled with hundreds of illustrations reproduced from the original
art, unpublished sketches, and photographs from DiTerlizzi’s archives.
In addition, DiTerlizzi will be creating a number of new paintings
exclusively for this edition.
Along with commentary by the artist, Christopher Paolini (Eragon)
provides the introduction while seminal figures in fantasy – such as
Guillermo del Toro, Brom, Jane Yolen, Holly Black, Zeb Cook, Jeff
Easley, and Donato Giancola, among others – provide personal
appreciations.
”There is no question that the work I did in gaming early in my career
shaped me as an author and illustrator for children,” says DiTerlizzi.
“In RPGs, I was not just tasked with illustrating a character, but also
the artifacts they use, the armor they wear, the places they inhabit and
the monsters they vanquish. It was my introduction to worldbuilding and
an experience I will forever cherish.”
"Dark Horse has been fortunate enough to work with some of history's
greatest artists" said Dark Horse president Mike Richardson. "I am
excited to add Tony DiTerlizzi's name to a list that includes the likes
of Mike Mignola, Frank Miller, and Geof Darrow.”
“Tony was one of the most respected and well-known names in gaming when
he made a risky decision to make the leap and pursue his lifelong dream
of illustrating books for younger readers,” says Kitchen Sink Books
co-founder and REALMS editor/designer John Lind. “His unique
artistic style and success in that genre is a tribute to his roots in
gaming. For fans of his work, REALMS is a dream project and one
that we’ve spoken about assembling for years. We’re thrilled to finally
make this book become a reality—we hope fans will feel the same!”
Praise for REALMS: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony DiTerlizzi
“Tony’s work has a distinct flair, a love for monsters if you will.
His creatures have the charm of Henson or Rackham but they carry with
them hints of their own ecosystem. He stands alone as a creator of
worlds and a weaver of tales. May you treasure these art pieces as much
as I do.” - Guillermo del Toro (Director of Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, and Pacific Rim)
“Tony draws and paints some of the best dragons around, which is a lot harder than you might think. And I should know!” - Christopher Paolini (Author of Eragon, from his introduction)
Realms: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony DiTerlizzi Full color hardcover, 9x12, 224 pages is available June 3, 2015. Two special deluxe editions of REALMS
will also be offered in limited quantities: The "Double Damage"
edition features an enclosed signed and numbered print of a new
exclusive image produced for REALMS. The very limited "Critical
Hit" edition will contain an original DiTerlizzi drawing bound into the
book. More details on these exciting deluxe editions will be announced
in the coming months.
About Tony DiTerlizzi
A New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Tony DiTerlizzi
has been illustrating books for over two decades. From picture books
he’s written and illustrated, like Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-of-this-World
Moon Pie Adventure, Ted and The Spider & The Fly (a Caldecott Honor
book), to chapter books like Kenny and The Dragon and the WondLa
trilogy, Tony always imbues his stories with a rich imagination. He also
co-created and illustrated the middle-grade series, The Spiderwick
Chronicles, which has sold millions of copies, been adapted into a
feature film, and has been translated into over 30 languages. Earlier
this year he teamed up with Lucasfilm to retell the original Star Wars
trilogy in picture book format featuring artwork by Academy
Award®-winning concept artist Ralph McQuarrie (release date: October 7,
2014). His association with roleplaying art goes back to 1992 when,
after graduating from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale with a degree
in graphic design, Tony began working freelance for TSR, publisher of
Dungeons & Dragons – a game that had inspired him to become an
illustrator as a child. He illustrated many fantastical images of
warriors, wizards and monsters throughout the 1990’s, and contributed
many images to the collectible card game Magic the Gathering.
About Dark Horse
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a
solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique
storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an
industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and
creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In
addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Frank Miller,
Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and
Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams,
and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful
properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful
line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star
Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, EVE Online,
Halo, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is
the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized
as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content
and licensed comics material.
About Kitchen Sink Books
A near namesake of the legendary underground and alternative publisher
Kitchen Sink Press (1969–1999), Kitchen Sink Books was founded in 2013
by partners Denis Kitchen and John Lind, and is exclusively affiliated
with Dark Horse Comics. In 2013, the Kitchen Sink Books imprint
published The Best of Comix Book: When Marvel Comics Went Underground
(which was nominated for multiple 2014 Harvey Awards). In 2014, Kitchen
Sink Books will publish Harvey Kurtzman’s Jungle Book, the first in
their ambitious Essential Kurtzman library series; Popular Skullture (by
esteemed art director/editor/designer Monte Beauchamp); and cult
favorite Bob Powell’s Complete Cave Girl. Since 2005, the Kitchen &
Lind team has garnered numerous award nominations, winning Eisner and
Harvey Awards for their books from various publishers, including Abrams,
Chronicle, Bloomsbury, and Hyperion. An exciting publishing program of
artist monographs, classic comics reprints, original graphic novels, and
Gallery Editions from a surprising array of talent are on Kitchen Sink
Books’s horizon.
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