What happens when you combine a novel with a coffee table artbook? More so than a comic, you get what I see as a cinematic experience in your lap! The gold standard creator of these right now is Simon Stalenhag, whose sci-fi works *Tales from the Loop* and *The Electric State* have been made into Hollywood productions. The other two titans who deserve a shout out are James Gurney for his *Dinotopia* series and Wayne Barlowe for *Expedition* and his Hell mythos.
These books are obviously hard to make and usually rely on a singular dynamo author/painter to make the work. So naturally, they are few and far between – mostly found through used books or fresh Kickstarters if you’re lucky. Anyone have a similar addiction? I always wondered what it would be like to read those illustrated *Harry Potter* editions before the regular novels or movies.
by ThisEndsTonight
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I googled images for one of those and though there’s text on facing pages I don’t know whether that’s the case throughout it. How would you define a narrative art book? what distinguishes it from a heavily-illustrated novel, from a book whose design is relevant, from a work with embedded photos? or is it a book iwth scanty text telling a story primarily through pictures? I’m curious now.