Magic: The Gathering: Rise Of The Gateway: A Visual History by Wizards Of The Coast and Jenna Helland (book review)
I am not a fantasy fan let alone ever played a card game associated with it. If anything, the only thing I can really explore here is the art in ‘Magic: The Gathering: Rise Of The Gateway: A Visual History’ by Wizards Of The Coast and Jenna Helland.
How much of the art played is the front of these cards or from elsewhere isn’t revealed. The visual history is of the reality than how the game was created.
The art obviously focuses on the individual characters, as portrayed by different artists, in various poses. Multiple poses are battle scenes and gave the impression that they probably weren’t on the back of cards. No doubt, those of you who play the game will tell me otherwise.
Of all the characters, the leonine Ajani Goldmane is the most striking. Obviously, there is some diversity of characters and I suspect you players have your own favourites. How they play in a game, only you can decide.
Images copyright – ©2019 Wizards of the Coast LLC.
You’re going to buy this book for the art and it’s a good selling point although I do wonder at its small size.
Images copyright – ©2019 Wizards of the Coast LLC.
If there is a flaw, I wish there was a complete list of the artists at the back of the book. I thought the chapter list at the beginning of the book was a list of nine people but, as I read, discovered that these were actual characters.
Images copyright – ©2019 Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Don’t forget to look inside the dustcover.
GF Willmetts
July 2019
(pub: Abrams ComicArts. 256 page illustrated small hardback. Price: £13.99 (UK), $19.99 (US), $24.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-1-4197-3647-6)
check out website: www.abramcomicarts.com
