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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is without a doubt one of the most visually arresting films in some time. I adored it, and we love the Official Movie Special companion book too. Titan Books knows what it’s doing, giving readers in-depth detail into making this incredible film that will surely spawn many more. In this art book, insight into the making of the film is robust which also includes early design choices not seen in the film, where the inspiration came from, and even deleted scenes!
So what’s it about?
The official summary reads:
Unmasking the artistry behind the hotly-anticipated movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse The Art of the Movie contains concept art, sketches, storyboards and will give you fascinating insights into the creative process. With exclusive commentary from the creators, plus a foreword written by Brian Michael Bendis, this extraordinary collection of art will take readers into the Spider-Verse. Here are my three major takeaways.
Why does this matter?
As Brian Michael Bendis aptly says in the foreword of this book, art books can show readers deeper truths as well as give you a deeper appreciation for the final work. This book does that and more.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
The interior artwork in this book helps lift up the characters and their traits.
Credit: Titan Books
I’ve reviewed quite a few art books over the years including the recent art book for the Spider-Man PS4 video game and I can say for certain this book offers unique takes compared to others. There is quite a lot of insight from the art team as well as a great foreword from Bendis detailing why Miles is so important. It’s clear from the very start longtime Marvel focused producer Avi Arad and others understood how important Miles and the deeper message is for audiences. It’s inspiring to read this book because it gives you clear insight into the messaging this movie produced and, from the onset, how hard they nailed this film. That includes the unique style that played with camera tricks to produce something a bit imperfect so as to capture that comic book experience. And that was early on. This book does a good job capturing the inspired nature the creators took when taking on the project.
There are quite a few surprises in this book when you dig in too. There are details on how Ganke was originally going to be involved in the adventure (maybe that’s a hint for future sequels) as well as interesting character designs for Green Goblin. If you’ve seen the film you’ll know Green Goblin is rendered in an unconventional way. There were a few character designs vividly recreated in this book that give comic fans additional insight into this wonderful film. Additional character designs for the Spider characters are detailed very well too.
The biggest surprise in reading this work is the detail they put into locations and interior designs. A set dresser typically sets up a set to tell a story you might not pick up on immediately, but subliminally you get insight into a character. This book offers up amazing imagery revealing Miles’ whole home at his parents, his boarding school room, and locations throughout the film. These are impressive 3D renderings that give further insight and include a ton of easter eggs too. Alchemax gets some incredibly beautiful pages in this book took as far as interiors and exteriors.
The @JimMahfood sketches from Thr Art of @SpiderVerse are so good! pic.twitter.com/yix65PSARq
— David Brooke (@Nosocialize) December 23, 2018
It can’t be perfect, can it?
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They were probably trying to avoid spoilers, but there’s only one sequence broken down in this book. That’s the scene where Miles and Peter Parker meet at the cemetery. It’s a great section of the book, but I wanted more detail into other scenes in the movie. They just aren’t here.
Is it good?
Reading this book gives you further insight into the film and a rich look at a world you’ll only want to explore further. This is an art book that’ll only increase the hype to rewatch and enjoy the incredible film.
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