New York Comic Con 2011: Diablo III: Book of Cain

First thing I did when I entered the New York Comic Con with my Press badge was to visit the Insight Editions booth # 1939. The Diablo III: Book of Cain poster was hanging on the booth’s wall for everyone to see.

There the booth staff provided me the Insight Editions Complete Catalog to take home. The catalog offered me some of the artists who contributed exclusive art for Diablo III: Book of Cain.

Artists

Brom (Blizzard Entertainment Artist)

Mark Gibbons (aka Red Knuckle, Blizzard Entertainment Artist)

Jim Gurney

John Howe

Alan Lee

Iain McCaig

Jean-Baptiste Monge

Adrian Smith

Petar Meseldzija

Gerald Brom (Brom) is a commercial artist who has done illustrations for Diablo III and World of Warcraft. In the film scene he’s provided art for Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, Galaxy Quest, Ghosts of Mars, Scooby Doo, Van Helsing.

Mark Gibbons (Red Knuckle) is a veteran artist who worked for Welsh kid’s TV, Games Workshop, Eidos Interactive, Lead Artist at Sony’s Cambridge Studio, and currently a Senior Artist at Blizzard Entertainment.

ScorchHellfire, in the comments section, pointed out a mind-blowing detail about two of the artists behind the artwork of Diablo III: Book of Cain.

John Howe and Alan Lee were both Conceptual Designers in the film trilogy … (gasp and awe) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings (2001), Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).

Jim Gurney is the artist and author of Dinotopia, and a recurring illustrator for the National Geographic Magazine. His bios says: “He specializes in painting realistic images of scenes that can’t be photographed, from dinosaurs to ancient civilizations. He is also a dedicated plein air (outdoor) painter and sketcher, believing that making studies directly from observation fuels his imagination. His most recent book, Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (2010) was Amazon’s #1 bestselling book on painting for over 52 weeks.”

Iain McCaig is an internationally recognized and award winning artist and one of the motion picture industry’s leading conceptual designers. His exceptional command of human anatomy, character, emotional expression and visual narrative make him on of the most sought after artists working in the entertainment industry today. He has worked for Lucasfilm as one of the principal designers on Star Wars Episode One—The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode Two—Attack of the Clones, and: Star Wars Episode Three—Revenge of the Sith (He designed Queen Amidala and Darth Maul), and he shares credits for Terminator II and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Jean-Baptiste Monge is a French fantasy author and illustrator who won the 10th edition of the International Science-Fiction Festival’s 2009 Art & fact Award. The award was given to him by … Jim Gurney (Dinotopia). Hello there!

Adrian Smith is a well-known British artist among video gamers. He is credited for his illustrations for Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40k, Wizards of the Coast, Fantasy Forge, Kryomek Games, The Black Library, and Magic: The Gathering cards.

Petar Meseldzija is a Serbian fantasy and comic book artist and illustrator who began his career in 1981, publishing the comic strip “Krampi” in the Stripoteka, one of the best known comic magazines in the country. He worked in the European version of the Tarzan comic book, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (Grimm Press), Children of the Lamp series, and worked for Scholastic Corporation.

Looks like Blizzard Entertainment and Insight Editions hired the top guns of the industry to develop the best-quality product possible for the very demanding Diablo III fans.

Illustration Samples

Another interesting bit I found out in this catalog will be welcomed by international Diablo III fans. An eBook version of Diablo III: Book of Cain seems to be in plans for $9.99 — the ISBN for the eBook version is: 978-1-60887-082-0 … doesn’t show up yet on search engines.

There are two small images from interior pages which show the Diablo character entry and the Angiris Council. The image on the Angiris Council seems to show a massive temple with the front having the sculpted face of an unknown angel. The Temple is located in The Silver City.

The images are very high resolution, but without an amplifying lens, it’s very difficult to read. The text is so tiny. I managed to zoom in with my HD video camera and Photoshop CS4.

Excerpt

Deckard Cain: DIABLO, THE LORD OF TERROR, is the most powerful of the three Prime Evils, despite being the youngest of the brothers. The other two being Mephisto and Baal. In his previous incarnations on Sanctuary, Diablo has possessed a human vessel and transformed the host body. These humanoid forms have a number of features in common: a pointed chin, sharp teeth that protrude from bony gums, and a pair of horns that curve upward. His true form could be vastly different. In the lore of the ages, it is said that Diablo takes the form of his viewer’s greatest fear. According to one source, he once terrified himself with his own reflection. Some sources make reference to an almost insectoid or reptilian true form for Diablo, with overlapping plates or scales of skin and a deadly tail or tentacle. More contemporary reports theorize that the lord has been affected permanently by the time he has spent in Sanctuary, his forehead scarred by an enduring gash where the Soulstone was embedded.

Diablo III: Book of Cain – Description

In Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo and Diablo II, the recurring character of Deckard Cain delivered quests, accompanied the brave adventurer, and, as the last of the Horadrim, provided a link to the greater history of the world of Sanctuary. Ever mysterious during these appearances, Cain hinted at a larger story, providing snippets of it in his notebook.

Diablo III: Book of Cain is Cain’s formal record of this greater tale — a dissertation on the lore of the Diablo universe, told by one who has witnessed and participated in some of the epic events that make up the eternal conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells.

Designed as an “in-world” artifact from the Diablo universe, Diablo III: Book of Cain includes Cain’s revealing meditations, as well as dozens of sketches and color artworks by Brom, Mark Gibbons, Jim Gurney, John Howe, Alan Lee, Iain McCaig, Jean-Baptist Monge, and Adrian Smith depicting the angelic and demonic beings who wage constant war with one another.

Known for blockbuster hits including world of Warcraft and the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes thirteen #1-selling games and numerous Game of the Year awards.

Diablo III: Book of Cain (Hardcover) 7 1/4″ x 10″ – 160 pages.

If you loved the preview, “Like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest flash updates on Diablo III: Book of Cain. I requested preview images to Insight Editions back on July, and a week ago again to a Blizzard Entertainment representative.

NYCC – Insight Editions Booth

This short video shows the Diablo III: Book of Cain displayed at the Insight Editions Booth # 1939 in New York Comic Con — October 13-16, 2011. Remember to pick the video resolution — available in 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p HD.

Insight Editions Complete Catalog – Diablo III: Book of Cain

This video shows me browsing the Insight Editions Complete Catalog at page 8 where the publisher describes the book, two illustrations, and plans for a eBook version. Remember to pick the video resolution — available in 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p HD and 1080p HD.

UPDATE: An 8-page preview is now available.

Blizzplanet: 2011 New York Comic Con Coverage