Books

Published on February 13th, 2024 | by Chris O'Connor

The Art Of Star Wars Jedi Survivor HC Review

The Art Of Star Wars Jedi Survivor HC Review Chris O'Connor
Story
Writing
Artwork

Summary: The Star Wars franchise has a long history of fantastic concept art... The Art Of Star Wars Jedi Survivor HC is no exception.

5

Spectacular Survivor


Many years ago our family managed to come across a couple of poster books of Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art for Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It was easy to get lost in the beautiful artwork and instantly be transported to the world of Star Wars. The Art Of Star Wars Jedi Survivor HC has that same feel and is full of examples of lovingly crafted concept art that would be just as appropriate as stand alone artwork as it is concept art for the game.

Writing

The lovely thing here for Star Wars fans is that the book doesn’t just go through the process of what the artwork was trying to achieve (ie why they chose a given costume style over another), it also has elements of Star Wars Lore thrown in here and there. Little notes about characters that just help to flesh them out a little more and give some context for what’s going on with them when we encounter them. It’s also lovely to read about how concepts progressed and whilst we may have a page of a given range of designs… we may then learn that ultimately it was felt that wasn’t the right way to go… which may be reassuring for any budding artist out there… sometimes you have to go through many designs/iterations before you find the one that really works.

Artwork

This is obviously the focus of the book and it truly does shine. From individual characters and their range of tools to wide open vistas the art team have done an amazing job. It can’t be easy having to create art in a style that has been so distinctly forged in pop culture for decades now… but the team have managed to do it justice and yet still put their own touches on. It absolutely feels like part of the Star Wars universe… but also feels new and different to what we’ve seen before, yet somehow still “familiar”. There are so many images here that would look amazing blown up poster size and framed. Stunning work that has so much detail that you can enjoy it with a cursory glance then enjoy it again each time you look at it and see something new.

Final Thoughts?

Whether you are a Star Wars fan or just love Science-Fiction art… absolutely grab a copy. There are two versions with a deluxe version featuring “metallic printing treatments, a protective slipcase, and a folio enclosing an archive-quality lithograph!”

Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer: Lucasfilm Ltd, Respawn Entertainment
Genre: Star Wars, Science-Fiction, Action/Adventure
Format: 240pgs, FC, HC
Release Date: 21st February 2024


About the Author

chrisoconnor@impulsegamer.com'

Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.



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