THE ART OF DEAD SPACE
ART BY: Various
COVER BY: Amazing15.com
PUBLISHER: Titan Books
COVER PRICE: $34.95
It might be true that “in space no one can hear you scream,” but in Titan Books‘ The Art of Dead Space fans can certainly see the terror. In fact, you can see the entire Dead Space universe – or at least bits and pieces of it – from past seven years the franchise has been in existence, including artwork from both the games and the graphic novels the survival-horror series has spawned.
Naturally, with the launch of Dead Space 3, the release of Titan’s book has been perfectly timed to coincide with the new game, however, it’s far more inclusive in its scope. Right from the start the book makes it clear how Dead Space ties into the long history of the horror genre, both in film and video game history. What emerged in 2008 as quiet, unassuming game has sprawled into legacy of fear worthy of any horror fans attention.
Rather than starting things chronologically, the book takes a more categorical approach beginning with the origins of series’ hero, Issac Clarke, and expanding to touch on the creatures, tech, spacecraft, planets and fictional cultures that encompass the Dead Space universe. More than that, the comments from artists like Ben Wanat (Production Designer DS1, DS2, Creative Director DS3) or Ian Milham (Art Director DS1, DS2) go a long way to show just how much consideration went into each design.
What we were trying to do, as much as possible, was reference real world things that gave us an emotional response. We wanted Necromorphs to evoke injury – actual people that have been injured as opposed to exotic aliens. For horror to really work it needs to be relatable…
FINAL THOUGHTS: Worth checking out.
The Art of Dead Space is much more rewarding than Robinson’s previous effort, Awakening: The Art of Halo 4, and packed with just the right quotient of horror and science fiction to satisfy either fan base. Definitely worth checking out.
