Upcoming Artbook Rereleases
February 20th 2025
A lot of artbooks that have been released are now hard to come by, they sell through their stock and can end up being very rare and expensive. For the vast majority of artbooks, there is only one print run, making almost all of them the first and only edition.
When there are releases then, they are worth highlighting and 2025 already has a bunch of these coming. Check them out below and keep them on your watch list, so you don't miss out a second time!
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
The original copy of Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar was released back in 2004, which is pretty early for the world of video game artbooks. It came with 288 pages of art and commentary about the making of the game from the team at Valve. This was published before the two add-on episodes were released, so the content is for the base game only. You can still find this book online, but it could hurt your bank account.
In 2025 the book is getting a rerelease, as announced for the 20th anniversary of the game. Better yet, it will feature additional material, including art for Episode 1 and 2, as well as unused art and ideas for never the released, Episode 3. This makes is not only a rerelease, but an expansion with details fans won't want to miss, especially given that the missing third DLC has been a talking point in gaming for a long time.
Last week the gaming world was informed of the passing of Viktor Antonov, the art director on Half-Life 2. You will find his work in this book, a reminder of the legacy he leaves behind, especially with this being such an iconic game. He was only 52 when he passed, but leaves behind the worlds he helped create, which no doubt players will enjoy for years to come. As well as this game, he also worked on Dishonored, DOOM, Fallout 4, Wolfenstein and Prey, among others. This book will serve as another way to enjoy his talent as an artist.
No exact date has been given in 2025 for when it will become available, but you can read the full details, along with everything else included in the celebration of the 20th anniversary, on the official website here.
Okami Official Complete Works
The original release of Okami Official Complete Works was back in 2006 and was released in Japanese. As is often the case, it took some time to be translated for the West and the English edition was eventually published by Udon in June 2008. It is a showcase of the art for the game, from Capcom and Clover Studio, with the Japanese watercolor inspiration found throughout.
While copies are still around at different prices, a book this old isn't always in the best condition, made worse by the fact it was paperback. These were always prone to coming apart at the binding, but this is now being resolved.
Udon are publishing the book again, but this time as a hardcover, with shipments currently expected in April. It can only be pre-ordered on the Udon official store however (found here), so keep this is mind for when it comes to shipping, as they are based in Canada. This is also timely as the sequel was recently announced the The Game Awards, though that game is likely a long way off from getting into the hands of players.
Marvel Studios' The Infinity Saga Artbooks
With Marvel still publishing artbooks for the new movies and shows, the handling of their rereleases was given to Titan Books. The first book was published in November of 2023, as part of the new 'Marvel Studios' The Infinity Saga' series, with 9 having been released so far. The entire Infinity Saga series is due to be reprinted, including 2 of the 'Road to' books, making this a huge set for fans.
The Marvel Studios artbooks come highly recommended, they feature some of the best art and artists, with great presentation in each book too. Some of them can reach page counts of over 300, which gives people a lot of art to pore over. The new versions are slightly smaller than the originals and without a slipcase, but the price point gives them incredible value. Currently on Amazon, you can pre-order the books for £30/ $40, which doesn't include discounts that are often placed on the books. This value for money can't be beaten, especially as the original books can get up to triple digits with the pricing on second hand markets. This is the perfect time to pick up the books and there are currently another 9 announced for this year.
If you want to see more on the books, check out my comparison from last year of Marvel Studios' The Infinity Saga - The Avengers: The Art of the Movie to the original release.
These are the titles scheduled for this year, you can check each one out for more details, with links to pre-order too; April 1st - Marvel Studios' The Infinity Saga - Avengers: Age of Ultron: The Art of the Movie
May 27th - Marvel Studios' The Infinity Saga - Captain America: Civil War - The Art of the Movie June 17th - Marvel Studios' The Infinity Saga - Doctor Strange: The Art of the Movie
December 23rd - Marvel Studios' The Infinity Saga The Road to Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War - The Art of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Keep an eye out for the books mentioned above and if any more get the rerelease treatment for games, movies, shows or animation, I'll post about it here!
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