Hey UDON fans! We’re hope you’ve recovered from the March avalanche of awesome new art books, because in-stores this week we’ve got a great new artbook (with a very long name!).

Atelier: Artworks of Arland – Rorona & Totori & Meruru is a brand new collection of artwork from the hit ATELIER Japanese RPG series (more than 15 games!!), covering the “Arland” trilogy. But whether you’re a die-hard-fan of these adorable girl alchemists and their adventures, or you just like amazing moe art by internationally renowned character designer Mel Kishida, we guarantee you’ll love Atelier: Artworks of Arland.

This is a massive book, 256 pages and on some of our nicest paper stock. Atlier: Artworks of Arland also totes a very special feature that you may not notice on first viewing–a special, extra ink! A neon pink ink has been added to the mix, meaning skin-tones, costumes, and special effects are almost glowing (they don’t actually glow, but wait until you see the art in person…). This extra ink allows us to show a new kind of detail to the artwork, with soft, feathery shadows and gradients that can’t be experienced on the computer screen. If you’re a fan of cute girl artwork, Mel Kishida artwork, or the Atelier series of games, this is a must-own book!

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Atelier Artworks of Arland

The ATELIER series has become a favorite of many Japanese RPG enthusiasts with its unique mix of alchemy and action set in a vibrant and magical fantasy world. ATELIER: ARTWORKS OF ARLAND collects the wonderful artwork behind the Arland trilogy – ATELIER RORONA, ATELIER TOTORI, and ATELIER MERURU. Included are the spectacular character designs of Mel Kishida, plus promotional art, pin-ups, rough sketches, character profiles, and more.

Release date: April 24th 2013 (Comic Stores)
Price (U.S.): $44.99

ISBN: 1-926778-63-4
ISBN-13: 978-1-926778-63-1

Format: Softcover
Page Count: 256, Color
Size: 8.25″ x 11.75″

Buy at Amazon.com | Buy UDON Books

Check out a 13-page preview of Atelier: Artworks of Arland – Rorona & Totori & Meruru

UDON Entertainment Proudly Presents:

Valkyria Chronicles 3: Complete Artworks

The third and final entry in the stunning
Valkyria Chronicles series of artbooks!

www.UdonEntertainment.com

April 3, 2013—Fans of the Valkyria Chronicles series of artbooks—we’ve been listening! For months you’ve been begging, pleading, and demanding the release of the third and final artworks collection based on SEGA’s critically acclaimed Valkyria Chronicles tactical RPG series… well the wait is over! Today UDON Entertainment releases the complete, English-language localized version of Valkyria Chronicles 3: Complete Artworks.

Completing the series of amazing artbooks that began with the UDON releases of Valkyria Chronicles: Design Archive and Valkyria Chronicles 2: World Artworks, this third entry in the series also features a wealth of amazing illustrations by lead character designer and famed illustrator Raita Honjou! Chock-full of character designs and profiles, vehicle and weapon designs, promotional art, and tons of creator commentary and long-form interviews, this is one spectacular collection!

Perhaps most importantly to hardcore Valkyria Chronicles game fans, Valkyria Chronicles 3: Complete Artworks features a thorough story summary of the game, which is unreleased in English. Valkyria Chronicles 3 is a side-story to the first game in the series, making it a unique entry but also allowing cameos and crossover appearances by characters from the first two games, including Welkin Gunther, Alica Melchiott, Avan Hardins, and more! While there are no plans (that UDON knows of) to localise the game for English-speaking and reading fans,Valkyria Chronicles 3: Complete Artworks a great way to experience and enjoy the vast story of the game!

“The Valkyria Chronicles artbooks have been blockbusters for UDON,” said UDON Entertainment Marketing Director Chris Butcher. “The Books are gorgeous and incredibly thorough, mixing illustration art with technical military-style drawings, and a complex story. I’m so happy we could work with our licensing partners to bring out the third volume. This one is definitely for the fans!”

Valkyria Chronicles 3: Complete Artworks is now available in comic book stores. It will arrive in book stores, and begin shipping through online retailers, in the next 7-12 days.

KEY FEATURES:

• The Valkyria Chronicles series is a critically acclaimed tactical RPG video game for the Sony PlayStation® PS3™ and PSP®, with a very dedicated fan base, and has sold over 1.7 million copies worldwide.
• Valkyria Chronicles 3 was released exclusively in Japan, and so, the info in this art book finally gives North American fans a chance to enjoy the continuation of the story.
• Valkyria 3 takes place as a side story to the first game, so there are cameos from many popular characters of the first two games (including Welkin Gunther, Alica Melchiott, Avan Hardins, and more).

Valkyria Chronicles 3: Complete Artworks
Publisher: Udon Entertainment

ISBN: 1-926778-61-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-926778-61-7
Price US: $44.99

Size: 8.25″ wide X 11.75″ long
Format: Softcover
Page Count: 256, Color

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Pre-order Valkyria Chronicles 3: Complete Artworks at Amazon.com
or
Find out where to buy books from UDON

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Check out the 9 page preview!

No, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke – we’ve just finished up the selections process for the World of Warcraft Tribute collection! We’ll be sending out emails to all the selected artists later this week, so if you’ve been waiting to hear back about your submission, your wait is almost over!

Massive thanks to all the great artists who sent in their work – you guys really blew us away with your talent and passion for the World of Warcraft game, characters and setting. We are thrilled with how the book is shaping up and can’t wait to show off everyone’s hard work to the world this summer!

Hey UDON Fans! We’re excited to announce that now available in stores is our newest art book release, Takehito Harada: Art Works 1! This is our second great art book collected illustrations and designs from the Disgaea video game series, following-up on the fall 2012 release of DISGAEArt!!!: Disgaea Official Illustration Collection. 

This new collection features hundreds of illustrations by Takehito Harada, lead character designer of the Disgaea series! And sure, this volume collects illustrations from Harada-sensei’s work on all four of the Disgaea titles, but it also includes never-before-seen illustrations from magazines, strategy guides, CD covers, goods illustrations, and much more! And speaking of more, Takehito Harada Art Works also contains more than just Harada-sensei’s Disgaea work–it also includes illustrations from Prinny 1 & 2, Makai Kingdom, and Phantom Brave!

Need more to convince you? How about this:

Takehito Harada: Art Works 1 – Page 2 Preview

That’s right! Almost every illustration in the book includes the rough sketches and process drawings that show you how Harada-sensei ‘built’ his illustration… from the pencils up! We know that art book fans love the peeks behind-the-scenes just as much as they love the lush finished art work, and Takehito Harada: Art Works delivers on that! Every image in the book explore’s the artist’s creative process, making it invaluable for artists and illustrators who want to achieve those same looks and styles!

Finally, the book concludes with 10 pages (!) of commentary by Harada-sensei, as he talks about every illustration in the book! Everything from the emotion or style he was trying to convey to funny anecdotes about the illustrations’ creation!

Whether you’re a die-hard Disgaea fan, an aspiring artist or digital painter, or just a fan of great art books, we think you’re going to love Takehito Harada: Art Works 1. It’s now available in better comic and book stores everywhere!

Check out the 10 page preview of this book below!

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Takehito Harada: Art Works

Featuring the works of video game artist extraordinaire Takehito Harada, lead character designer of the hit Disgaea RPG series! Takehito Harada Art Works covers the artist’s work on all four Disgaea titles, as well as Prinny 1 & 2, Makai Kingdom, and Phantom Brave. Inside you’ll find game covers, rare promotional art, rough layouts, creator commentary, and a detailed look at Takehito Harada’s creative process.

Release date: Available Now!
Price (U.S.): $39.99

ISBN: 1-926778-67-7
ISBN-13: 978-1-926778-67-9
Diamond: JAN131297

Format: Softcover
Page Count: 208, Color
Size: 8.25? x 11.75?

Buy At Amazon.com | Buy UDON Books

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The Art of Brutal Legend
Art Show and Party
Thursday March 28, 6pm-9pm
@ Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission St., San Francisco, CA
FREE!
https://www.facebook.com/events/462264333842522/

UDON Entertainment and DoubleFine Productions have teamed up to release the amaaaazing THE ART OF BRUTAL LEGEND, and now we’re throwing a party to celebrate!

Head to the Cartoon Art Museum this Thursday night to see an amazing array of original artworks from the game (and featured in the book!) and meet the awesome team who put it together, including Tim Schafer, Lee Petty, Scott Campbell, Nathan Stapley, Razmig Mavlian, Mark Hamer, Levi Ryken, and more Double Fine staffers!

Don’t miss it!

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…but if you have to miss it, check out this amazing 16 page preview of The Art of Brutal Legend, now on sale!

The Art of Brütal Legend

Behold the Power of Rock! The Art of Brütal Legend is the monumental collection of metal-themed paintings, drawings, and sketches from Tim Schafer and the Double Fine Art Team. Lavishly reproduced artwork is complemented by candid commentary about the vision, inspirations, and black-magic artistry used to bring THIS fiendish nightmare to life. With more than 600 pieces of concept art and the complete illustrated lore of the game, The Art of Brütal Legend will melt your face with its awesomeness.

Release date: Now Available!
Price (U.S.): $49.99

ISBN: 1-926778-64-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-926778-64-8
Diamond: DEC121258

Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 252, Color
Size: 12? wide X 12? long

Hey UDON fans! Head to your local comic book store today to grab copies of 4 of our brand new releases!

The Art of Brutal Legend
Growlanser Art Works
Midori Foo’s Book of Pictures
Takehito Harada Art Works Vol. 1

Look for a comic store near you by visiting the Comic Shop Locator Service.

And if you’re more of an online-buyer than an in-person one, Amazon is saying that the books will begin shipping March 29th, which sounds about right to us.

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March 22: Today on the WORLD OF CAPCOM panel at PAX East in Boston, MA, UDON Entertainment and CAPCOM jointly announced the signing of 5 brand new, hotly-demanded art books featuring CAPCOM properties. These artbooks will be fully translated from the Japanese editions, and will be published by UDON in the second half of 2013.

Please note: All Images are taken from the Japanese editions of the books, and may not be the final book designs.

Asura’s Wrath: Official Complete Works
- 192 pages
- Includes character designs, CG art, storyboards, creator commentary, and exclusive interviews

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Dragon’s Dogma: Official Design Works
- 312 pages
- Includes character designs, armor and weapon designs, monster designs, locations, and creator commentary

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Monster Hunter Illustrations 2
- 400 pages
- Covers all third generation MH titles – Monster Hunter Tri, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
- Includes monster designs, character designs, weapons, armor, rough sketches and more

- This book will be accompanied by a MUCH demanded reprint of the sold-out Monster Hunter Illustrations!!!

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MM25: Mega Man & Mega Man X Official Complete Works
- 432 pages
- All the classic artwork from the Mega Man and Mega Man X series
- NEW artwork, and rough concepts from Mega Man 9 and 10
- New game developer interviews
- New Tribute art from Hitoshi Ariga, Toru Nakayama, Shigeto Ikehara, and more!

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SF25: The Art of Street Fighter
- 448 pages!!!
- Includes art from all of the classic Street Fighter games
- New art from Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter X Tekken, and more
- New game developer interviews
- New Tribute artwork from Akiman, Shinkiro, Hyung-tae Kim, Daisuke Ishiwatari, and more!

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And there’s even more to come in 2013 from UDON and CAPCOM, including the graphic novels Street Fighter Origins: Akuma this summer, Super Street Fighter 2 this fall/winter, and more Darkstalkers, more Resident Evil, and for the first time from UDON – Devil May Cry!!

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UDON is shaping up to have its busiest and strongest year ever, with nearly 40 planned releases in 2013. We couldn’t do it without the support of our strong relationship with CAPCOM, and fans can get ready for a truly astounding year!

Growlanser Art Works

UDON is proud to present Growlanser Art Works, collecting an amazing assortment of artwork from across the fan-favourite Growlanser tactical JRPG series! Featuring art and character designs by manga and character design legend Satoshi Urushihara! Featuring strong, sexy characters and outstanding design, this is the ultimate art collection for Growlanser fans!

Growlanser Art Works faithfully reproduces the hit Japanese edition, including faithfully translating the copious artist notes throughout the volume! Better still this volume contains a feature-length interview on the history of the Growlanser series, with an all-star cast of creators who worked on the series including Satoshi Urushihara (character designer and illustrator), Shinjiro Takada (Growlanser series Producer, Atlus Producer), Yo Hazuki (Growlanser series Writer), and Akira Odagaki (additional art design).

With games released across the PlayStation®, PS2™, and PSP®, the series has legions of devoted followers and this book is sure to be a favourite among many.

Growlanser Art Works will arrive in better comic book stores everywhere on March 27th, and begin shipping through traditional book outlets shortly thereafter.

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Growlanser Art Works

Release date: March 2013
Price (U.S.): $39.99

ISBN: 1-926778-65-0
ISBN-13: 978-1-926778-65-5
Diamond: DEC121259

Format: Softcover
Page Count: 176, Color
Size: 9″ wide X 11.75″ long

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Buy on Amazon | Buy UDON Books

Good news everyone!

One of our comics-retailer-pals got their invoices for next week, and the following UDON products are confirmed to be shipping:

DEC121258F ART OF BRUTAL LEGEND HC 49.99
DEC121259F GROWLANSER ART WORKS SC 39.99
JAN131294F MIDORI FOO BOOK OF PICTURES SC 44.99
JAN131297F TAKEHITO HARADA ART WORKS SC 39.99

That means better comic book stores everywhere will have these books in stock and ready for sale on March 27th!

These were delayed from the beginning of the month due to some pretty heinous shipping problems involving Chinese New Year and a flood of new materials being shipped from overseas all at the same time. We’re happy they’re ready to go now, and all of these books look AMAZING!

The Art of Brutal Legend is the most elaborate and largest art book we’ve ever produced!

Growlanser Art Works features stunning reproductions of illustrations by Satoshi Urushihara!

Midori Foo Book of Pictures is one of our most surprising and beautiful releases ever!

Takehito Harada Art Works 1 features tons of new illustrations by the famed DISGAEA illustrator, and amazing behind-the-scenes looks into how he creates his artwork!

To answer your questions before they come: No, Valkyria Chronicles 3: Complete Art Works is not listed. Because this book missed its shipping window, it had to go through a process called “Order Adjustment” at our distributor. This should only take a week, maybe 2 at most, and fingers crossed it will arrive in stores the first or second week of April. We’ll update the blog when we know for sure.

So for the next 4 days get ready for some amazing book previews as we try to prepare you for the awesome onslaught of artbook goodness coming your way next week…!

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The following titles will appear in the Diamond Comics Distributors’ March Previews Catalogue, for items shipping to comic stores in May 2013 and to book stores and online sellers in June 2013. ALL IMAGES PENDING LICENSOR APPROVALS.

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Devil Survivor: Official Material Collection Sample Page – PENDING LICENSOR APPROVAL

Devil Survivor: Official Material Collection

In seven days, Tokyo will fall. Demons have invaded the city, and unless a group of teenagers does something about it, fear and chaos will reign. Devil Survivor: Official Material Collection is the ultimate companion to the hit role playing game, and includes character designs, promotional artwork, storyboards, a detailed demon guide, and creator interviews.

• Like the Persona series, Devil Survivor is part of the Megami Tensai RPG franchise from Atlus.
• Devil Survivor was originally released for the Nintendo DS. An updated version, Devil Survivor Overclocked, was released for the Nintendo 3DS on 2011.

ISBN-13: 978-1-926778-73-0
Price US: $39.99
Size: 8.25″ wide X 11.75″ long
Format: Softcover
Page Count: 176, Color
Release Date: May/June 2013

IMAGE PENDING LICENSOR APPROVAL

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Disgaea 3: School of Devils Volume 1 Sample Page – PENDING LICENSOR APPROVAL

Disgaea 3: School of Devils Volume 1
By SASAKI Shin

In the Netherworld school known as the Evil Academy, students learn to be proper demons! Truancy, poor hygiene, and unfinished homework are what’s needed to make the honor role at this evil alma mater. But there is one diminutive demon not content with being the most sinful kid in school… The mischievous Mao has his sights set on superseding his own father, and becoming the new overlord of the Netherworld!

• The Disgaea property has been spun off into a 12-episode animated series, and several manga series.
• The 5th game of the core Disgaea series, Disgaea: Dimension 2, will be released for the Playstation 3 in Japan in March 2013.

ISBN-13: 978-1-926778-72-3
Price US: $13.95
Size: 5.75″ wide X 8.25″ long
Format: Softcover
Page Count: 160, Black and White
Series Volumes: 2
Release Date: May/June 2013

IMAGE PENDING LICENSOR APPROVAL

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Haruhi-ism: Noizi Ito Artworks Sample Page

Haruhi-ism: Noizi Ito Artworks
By ITO Noizi

Haruhi Suzumiya is an energetic Japanese girl who craves excitement and adventure! The members of the SOS Brigade try their best to keep Haruhi happy, because if they don’t — she could accidentally destroy the universe! Seriously!

Haruhi-ism collects the spectacular artwork of Noizi Ito, the artist behind the original Haruhi Suzumiya novel series. Included are book and DVD covers, magazine pin-ups, rare promo images, and more!

ISBN-13: 978-1-926778-69-3
Price US: $39.99
Size: 8.25″ wide X 11.75″ long
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 120, Color
Release Date: May/June 2013

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Hatsune Miku Graphics: Character Collection CV01 – Hatsune Miku Edition Sample Page - PENDING LICENSOR APPROVAL

Hatsune Miku Graphics: Character Collection CV01 – Hatsune Miku Edition

Superstar Japanese idol Hatsune Miku stars in her own character artwork showcase! CV01 collects more than 40 artists’ spectacular takes on the Vocaloid diva. Over 150 illustrations feature themes from high-fashion to everyday activities, pin-up style pieces to musical performance, and more!

• Hatsune Miku is the mascot character for the popular Vocaloid voice synthesizer musical software.
• Hatsune Miku’s live concerts, where she performs as a virtual holographic idol, draw thousands of fans.
• Hatsune Miku’s official English Facebook page boasts over 850,000 members.

ISBN-13: 978-1-926778-74-7
Price US: $29.99
Size: 8.25″ wide X 11.75″ long
Format: Softcover
Page Count: 96, Color
Series Volumes: 3
Release Date: May/June 2013

IMAGE PENDING LICENSOR APPROVAL

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