Graphics Books

i havent read it yet but i have a feeling that this will be an excellent novel

I have almost 80 DL novrls and Ive never heard of thes

I've already read the original chronicles and I noticed some differences, but this book is still great! The illustrations are wonderfully drawn and it really gets the point across. I highly recommend this book to all!

I started reading DL in the mid-90's, but I started by being given one of these as a gift. They're hard to find, but well worth it if you can find them. They're based on the books, but even if you've already read the chronicles trilogy, it's well worth it. Recommend these with the highest regards.

This book is an adeptation of the last half of Dragons of Winter Night. It is a very thick comic book that was written in 1985 after the original chronicles came out. I have only books 1,2,3, and 4 and all of them are pretty acurate in there interpretation of the original.

Very nicely done system. Taking D&D to the stars in a fairly hard science way. I really have been impressed with what they came up with, but DAMN they need the next book shipped printed...

An actual working ranger class! I just about had a heart attack at this one. The races and equipment are cool as well. The new classes are great, I like the mecyhanist best. All in all hte only truely negative thing is that there are no description of the spell ware, but regaurdless, it is a good book.

An interesting, if brief set of rules for running DnD in outer space with futuristic weapons and vehicles. Now, I realize that Fantasy Flight Games is probably a smaller company with limited resources, but please, GET SOME REAL ARTWORK. The sketch of the soul mech looks like a cross between a bi Mr. Rogers and some reject from the band REM. The pictures consistently look something I might draw on my notebook out of boredom during class. Also, they could have included more pictures of the vehicles. More and better artwork may cost more, but I know I am glad to pay extra for it.

This product, along with The Witchfire Trilogy from Privateer press, are tied for the best D20 products by third-parties on the market - and may well come out on top of ANY D20 product, barring the core rules.

Dragonstar is a game that takes D&D to the stars. Unlike spelljammer, it isnt magic that drives the starfaring races, but hard sci fi - but magic is there, still, and often integrates with technology seamlessly.

The setting is very compelling; with the rise of technology, Dragons formed a great empire and conquer the rest of the galaxy. Each Dragon clan, good and evil, rules for 1,000 years. The first 5,000 saw the rule of the 5 good dragon clans. Now, it is mere decades into the first rule of the first of the evil dragons, Mezzebone the Red. He has formed a Secret Police Force of Drow, and the galaxy groans under their lash.

The rules are excellent, the setting is incredible. As with any product, there are a couple of weak points. For instance, the lack of Spellware, and the lack of variant gravity rules, both of which are referenced in the book. They will be included in the upcoming Galaxy Guide, as magic items were in the DMG, so this is understandable, but a tad frustrating. Nevertheless, if you like the D20 system, and if you like the Sci Fi genre, you cannot go wrong with this product.

The artwork does leave a little to be desired, but I don't buy products for their artwork - I buy them for the content, and this product has that, in spades.

well, maybe not totally as SJ relied more heavily on magic than hard core science and Dragonstar reverses this trend, but it still fits to some degree. In someways this is SpellJammer advanced in timeframe to the era of Star Wars or Star Trek. The people at Fantasy Flight Games continue to push for their Thug NPC class, which could just as well be served by the generic Warrior NPC class but I digress. The ranger has been altered from a mellee to a missile specialist and fighting with two guns has been relegated to a seperate feat away from two weapon fighting. Wizards now have the option of trading in their spellbooks for a datapad. New stuff is in abundance in this book and in this settings. New skills, new classes, new races and new feats, including one that for many classes is a freebie feat that serves as a gateway into the new toys away from the traditional sword and sorcery fare. Fans of Brent Spiner's role in the ST series he starred in with Levar Burton, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Merina Sertis and Michael Dorn, will be pleased to note the offering of a new type of construct, the SoulMech which in many ways is science fantasy version of the android. The two new core classes are the Pilot and Mechanist both of which are pumped up Experts but offer a unique flavor to the game and to any party that includes them. All in all a wonderful setting that offers a real alternative to the tried and true formula of the D20 genre. If you prefer the future to the past and don't mind a bit of whimsy Dragonstar is a good setting to explore however a word of caution: Much of the setting is designed as a dark and scary place so if you are turned off by that sort of thing you can still work with it, although alterations may be necessary.

Duane Barnharts Cartooning Basics has just been so much fun for my kids ages 12, 10, and 7. Using the Books step-by-step guidelines to cartooning they have created some of the most fabulous characters and cartoon strips. Not only is it great from a drawing perspective, but it also has some fun and interesting facts about the history of cartooning. Love this book!!!

'Cartooning Basics' is a wonderful tool for young aspiring cartoonists. No. 2 illustrates how to create friendly, familiar characters from simple shapes, which every child can relate to (ie circles, ovals, squares, triangles, etc.). Art teachers can gain lesson ideas that are effective and easy to implement. This is a great buy and a must read for any aspiring cartoonist, art teacher and student alike. Duane and Angie have created a fun, creative, well-illustrated tool in 'Cartooning Basics'.

Great how-to book, lots of practice exercises. The most helpful, how-to book I've read so far, and I've got a ton of them. Wish I'd found this one sooner!

'Cartooning Basics' is a wonderful tool for young aspiring cartoonists. No. 2 illustrates how to create friendly, familiar characters from simple shapes, which every child can relate to (ie circles, ovals, squares, triangles, etc.). Art teachers can gain lesson ideas that are effective and easy to implement. This is a great buy and a must read for any aspiring cartoonist, art teacher and student alike. Duane and Angie have created a fun, creative, well-illustrated tool in 'Cartooning Basics'.

This book has helped me learn to cartoon, and now, I teach it to my 2nd grade class!

All I have to say is that this series is by far the best manga/graphic novel I've ever read... This is not the plotless violence that you see in many manga series', Eden's story line is one of the better plots that I've read in quite some time. This series is absolutely incredible and a 'must-read' for everyone who loves... well... anything.

Having read the first three volumes so far, I'm blown away. I haven't found a manga this engaging since Akira. At first glance, what appeared to be a typical "post-apocalytic" story is actually deeply fascinating on multiple levels, most especially characterization. The technological elements are as well done as anything by Shirow (Ghost in the Shell), perhaps even better, as they are more clearly explained and shown to be a logical extension of present-day technologies. The future the author has created here is totally coherent and convincing. Like the best sci-fi, you feel like you are simply glimpsing one aspect of an enormous world.

The visual storytelling is extremely well done. The battle scenes are clearly sequenced and paced in a way that is very cinematic. I found myself racing from panel to panel, my eyes frequently bugging out at dramatic and gory moments that are perfectly presented in service to the larger narrative and the emotional content.

The characters are quite convincing and engaging.

This is a fantastic piece of entertainment!

A worldwide plague has struck Earth, and there's no cure in sight. The disease is particularly nasty because your skin hardens into rock-like consistency and then your internal organs liquefy and drain out through your orifices! So you have all these statues of people laying around like so many victims of Medusa. A bio-dome named Eden is constructed under UN control to quarantine uninfected humans from the pandemic sweeping the world. Many years later, all that's left of the once hopeful experiment are two adolescents named Enoah and Hannah, who have genetic resistance, and their dying guardian Layne, who is rapidly succumbing to the sickness. The rest of this first volume fills you in on how Eden, which was once a bastion of Man's hopes, has now become an empty shell of its former self. We're also introduced to Cherubim, a military robot which Eden's now dead inhabitants blamed for their destruction. The second half of the book takes up a different thread, 20 years later as a young boy named Elijah, accompanied by Cherubim, fights to survive in the ruins of civilization.

This first volume of Eden had it all: Sci-fi, Violence, love, human fears, religious symbolism, and realism. The characters at times feel like mythological, if not Biblical, figures given human shape, but they retain our sympathies. They are protagonists trying to live in a world that has been destroyed by forces on a different level than themselves. As in all times of chaos, factions arise to take advantage of the situation and take control. It's difficult to see how these characters are going to fit into the scheme of things. The little violence in this book is graphic but necessary to tell the story. Death isn't pretty. The art in Eden is some of the best I've ever seen in a manga and is reminescent of a more refined Ghost in the Shell style-wise. Video Girl Ai is another series that is similar in art. This is a gripping and thought provoking first volume in what looks to be a great series.

Eden is simply an amazing graphic novel set in a world ravaged by a killer virus, that wipes out the majority of the population. We start with three survivors on an island. A dying man confined to a wheelchair and two children. From this simple begining we delve into complex subject matter. The concept of sin, sexual desire, explore the meaning of life, question the existence of god and man's role in the natural order. Heady stuff to say the least and then there are the mecha robots, cyborgs, mercenaries and global conspiracies. Breathtaking in it's scope and imagination, Hiroki Endo has created a tribute to the cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic survival genre.

Eden is an awesome manga. If any manga has achieved a literary state it has to be this one. For example, it doesn't exactly present characters the way other manga do, by showing what they look like, and having them act out in a way that would be characteristic. What Eden did in this volume was present the setting first, and have the characters interact with that setting. Being a post-apocalyptic tale, the setting is key, and having certain people react a certain way to the setting will reveal a lot about that character. Personally, I thought this was brilliantly done, and I felt that I knew Elijah, the main character, well enough to like him, even though he was only in three short chapters of this volume.

The story in Eden--in this volume at least--begins with two teenagers, Enoah and Hannah, as they care for their guardian Layne, who's dying of a disease that hardens the skin and turns the insides of a human to mush. While caring for Layne, these kids learn of their responsibility to human-kind, as well as the tragic past that aided in bringing about the apocalypse in which they are living in. Later, the story moves to young Elijah, a boy whose only companion is a robot named Cherubim, as he goes about the everyday job of survival, including scavenging and hunting, as well as dreaming of girls.

Though admittedly the story is slow, and very little is given away as to what direction Eden is heading in, I can't knock it for the simple brilliance in which it is unfolding. Hiroki Endo put an emphasis on presenting the stark setting and conditions of living in the volume, and also made it clear that it is an intelligent plot no matter how slow it is. The back cover states that Eden is "a brilliant love song to post-apocalyptic survival genre" and I would have to agree on that. Eden is a smart story rivaling even Akira, and one I highly recommend for fans of darker, smarter manga.

"The Blood of wolves flowed through ten generations of Wolfrider Chiefs and their Tribefolk...It tied them beyond all untying to the world and it's cycle of life. And if the price was mortality then no one knew it, for rare indeed was the Wolfrider who died peacefully of old age." Once again, the Pini's proved that Cutter was the exception to that rule! The Son Ten Chiefs carried his tribe into a future they were never meant to see, in the name of love. Elf Quest is a classic story, well told and immensly inspiring, proving noone is truly bound to a single fate. I hope Elf Quest will never really go away. I hope Cutter and the Wolfriders will continue and beat the odds and carry us along with them on their incredible journey!

I love it when the characters, plot and storyline all flow as nicely as this one did. Great Job!!!!

I thought that it was a wonderful story full of our favorite characters. It was one of the best of the elfquest books that I've read in a while.

The plot of this story was great! The art was great! It was Wendy's best work!!!!!!!! Buy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yet another masterpiece by Wendy Pini. I had only just finished "Forevergreen" (I constantly read them out of order), and to see the crisp, smooth drawings was like a breath of fresh air. This is in no way an insult to Barry Blair, or any other Elfquest artist; I merely mean that Wendy knows best what her elves look like, and captures the essense of each personality. The artwork looks three-dimensional, so that it seems to have a depth that some of the other Reader's Collections lack. I look at each page, marveling "That's how Shenshen and Cutter look like!"

Dreamtime's story wasn't skimped on, either. The dreams add new insights and facets to each Wolfriders' personality, and were told in an inventive way. In favorites, i'm torn between Pike's story and "Dreamtime - Pt?" I don't want to give too much of the story away, though, so I won't tell you too much about it: Just that it's terrific!

An Important Business Man runs into another Important Business Man on Wall Street:

I.B.M. 1: So, have you heard about the story/illustration merger?

I.B.M. 2: Yes, yes, but that's only affecting teens.

IBM 1: Well that's true, male teenagers have been reaping big rewards. But it's having trickle-down effects to younger children as well.

IBM 2: Ha! Look, the next thing you're going to be telling me is that girls will be seeing some benefits. Man, are you out of touch or what?

IBM 1: Well then let me show you (hands over a copy of "Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen Will Travel"). The evidence is right here. The merger has been very successful. It's about a girl who is forced to go camping with relatives she doesn't like. The book itself is the sketchbook that she brought on her trip. It's amazing, she documents everything that happened.

IBM 2: Alright, some kid's drawings. How is this a book?

IBM 1: The story is in there too. It's sort of like a cross between a sketchbook and a diary. Over the course of seven days, Ellie gets to know these people that she had judged as being weird. You ever meet someone you didn't think you'd get along with and end up becoming friends? Ellie goes through that in this book.

IBM 2: So there's some stuff in there about being open-minded and giving people a chance?

IBM 1: Yep. There's a lot of humor too. If you've even been camping you know there's a lot of situations to draw from.

IBM 2: What's camping? It that like when you have to go to your second choice restaurant?

IBM 1: Uh, no. I'm sure you've seen it: tents, forests, campfires. Although in "Have Pen, Will Travel" Ellie and her relatives do "fake camping", as she calls it - they stay in a cabin. Look, you're a friend, so I'm going to let you in on this. I just bought 1000 shares of Graphic Novels for Upper Elementary Girls, and I suggest you do the same.

IBM 2: Well that stock has been on the rise lately, especially when the "Babymouse" IPO went public. I may just take your advice.

IBM 1: (iPhone rings) Well, I have to take this call. Back to work!

IBM 2: (Putting book in briefcase) Is it okay if I borrow this book? I think my daughter might be interested.

IBM 1: (Cracking a sly grin) Not a problem.

This story is the book I would have loved to have read as a kid. It is on for 9-12 year olds, and makes the reader feel every part of what it is like to feel unheard, unseen, and unappreciated. A great debut for this new writer/illustrator. Can't wait for the next book!

In the tradition of the delightful illustrated Amelia books by Marissa Moss, 11-year-old Ellie McDoodle details her funny and insightful adventures in this travel journal.

When Ellie's parents must go to a funeral, Ellie and her wild toddler brother, Ben-Ben, are forced to go camping with other family members. Unfortunately, these relatives are not people Ellie likes enough to be confined in a cabin with. Aunt "Ug" spits when she yells, Uncle Ewing has no sense of humor and the cousins are as bad as their parents. Eleven-year-old "Er-ick" lies, steals and licks any available cookies so that no one else will eat them. His twin, Deanna, is holier-than-thou, and little Tiffie sulks.

Happily, at the campground Ellie meets friendly 13-year-old Scott, who is not only nice but knows tons of fascinating nature facts. Along the way, Ellie learns much from him. Readers also become familiar with several games, thanks to Ellie writing down exactly how to play them. Spoons, sardines or hunka bunka, anyone?

Ellie is wise beyond her years, in a sly, wisecracking and enjoyable way. She shares her Rules for Life (including: have courage, learn from the past, respect the earth, play many games, don't drink a lot before bedtime) with Tiffie (who particularly needs the warning about bedtime drinking). Ellie also gives readers "Tips for Surviving Camp with relatives you can't stand," which warns sufferers to "keep your distance" and "don't pick up any of their bad habits." But after the cousins survive a life-threatening adventure by joining forces, Ellie begins to consider her relatives in a whole new light.

There is nothing to dislike in this charming tale, which is heavily illustrated with whimsical cartoonish drawings. It realistically portrays the characters (even the adults!), giving readers much to consider about the pros and cons of relationships, along with hilarious situations and witty asides. There's also a mystery regarding some frogs, nuggets of facts about creatures and plants in the wild, and a bit of spot-on preteen philosophy.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon

As far as I can tell, there's no known solution to the problem of being an adult reviewer who reviews children's books from an adult perspective. I don't care how immature you are or how stuck you might be in your second childhood, since you will never be able to replicate the feeling of being a kid picking up a book and reading it for the very first time. It just ain't gonna happen. No, see, when YOU pick up a book you're carrying years worth of baggage on your shoulders. You're viewing the story through the filter of your own perspective and what you see will inevitably be tainted by your past. I'm telling you all of this up front because in order to convey just how much I adored "Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel," I need to make it clear that a significant percentage of that love is rooted in my own experiences as a kid. Author Ruth McNally Barshaw has successfully nailed what it feels like to be a child going on a summer vacation in Michigan. I was a Michigan child. I "camped" in cabins and experienced many of the same things as the heroine of this book. But even if I'd grown up in Bemidji, Minnesota or Walla Walla, Washington, I'm almost certain that I would still have adored this book as a kid. It's another example of the "illustrated novel" brought to brilliant, vibrant life.

How would you go about defining the word "torture"? If you were Ellie McDougal (McDoodle, to those in the know) you might define it as, "a family vacation with your monkey-boy little brother, annoying cousins, and boring aunt and uncle in the woods of Higgins Lake." Which, of course, is exactly what Ellie has been subjected to. Stuck with intolerable relatives, she decides to make the most of her ordeal by recording everything in her sketchbook (the one you, the reader, are reading) and getting some time away from the craziness. Of course, a series of incidents shows Ellie that maybe her extended family isn't the crew of monsters she thought they were. Maybe, in fact, they can all be a lot of fun and the summer isn't totally ruined after all. Maybe.

So what is this book exactly? I mean, on the outset it looks like a sketchbook with sentences in between the pictures. Obviously there are a lot more written sections than drawn sections, but the pictures are pretty steady throughout. So how do you categorize this book? It's not a graphic novel, since the pictures are sporadic and pop up only at random intervals. It's not a comic book either, nor is it a straight written novel. At this point in time, the only option left is the phrase, "illustrated novel". It's not perfect, but it's the only thing I've found to describe Barshaw's style. Plus it's a style, moreover, that I think is going to inspire a whole generation of kids. I can picture young 'uns bugging their parents to buy them sketchbooks and blank pages, just so that they can create highly illustrated personal diaries like Ellie/Ruth. Heck, while reading this I myself wished I knew how to draw, just so that I could jazz up my own life with pictures galore. And I know I can't be alone.

And man, did I like it. First of all, there were the obvious Michigan connections that drew me in. Using your hand to describe where you live in the state (complete with an image of a bunny jumping a mitten, in terms of the Upper and Lower Peninsulas). A kid from Kalamazoo (woo-hoo, hometown!). Visiting with other kids and finding that you don't like their cereals. Man, did that ring some bells! Ms. Barshaw has an almost eerie ability to either remember or channel instances from a kid's daily life that are all but forgotten by adults. Plus she just hits characters dead on. The "villains" at the beginning successfully become real three-dimensional people by the story's end. The sketches are great fun, and then there are some great ideas for games. Ms. Barshaw knows that you have to break up your narrative sometimes with an interesting little sidenote here and there. In this case, the sidenotes are games complete with instructions for Human Pretzel, Spoons (something I'd like to try out), Sardines, and others.

The temptation here is to call this book something trite like, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid but for girls!" or some such nonsense. Don't get me wrong. I loved "Diary of a Wimpy Kid too, but I am of the firm belief that, like this book, it is a title that goes beyond gender. Everyone can relate to Ellie. I mean, seriously, who likes to be peed on in the middle of the night? Nobody. But any book with a girl on the cover can be a hard sell to boys. Here's what I'm suggesting, then. When a kid comes to you asking for a copy of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and you're all out of copies, cough surreptitiously into your hand and say, "Sorry, kid. All out. We got something just as good in the back, y'know. As funny as `Wimpy Kid' and there's a lot more pranks and games and wars between kids but ...," shake your head, "I dunno. You might not get it. I mean, it's hilarious, and gross, and it has all these great drawings and sketches, but maybe you're just too young..." After that, reel `em in, give them the book, and watch it fly off your shelves in no time.

Part Harriet the Spy, and part Amelia's Notebook, "Ellie McDoodle" is just one of those books you can't help but enjoy. It flies low on the radar, so I suggest discovering it for yourself. There's never been a better time to indulge in a book that can offer you cool pictures, great characters, a fun story, and a little redemption on the side. A small pure gem.

It's camping time for Ellie McDougal but she's not happy about it. Ellie's parents have to go out of town, so she and her baby brother, Ben-Ben, will be going with their Aunt Ug, Uncle Ewing and cousins Erick, Deanna, and Tiffie. All of the camping supplies are packed and ready to go, including Ellie's sketchbook. Will the trip be as bad as Ellie is afraid it will be?

Through the pages of Ellie's sketchbook, she tells the story of her camping trip. She meets a 13-year-old boy by the name of Scott. He is one interesting character, as he speaks French, Japanese, and English. He wants to learn to draw, which is something that Ellie can help him with. He has to leave but never tells Ellie that he is leaving Campsite 137. She is saddened by her friend leaving. Her opinions of her relatives change throughout the book. In the beginning, she thinks of Erick as being a dinosaur but that changes as it goes along. Erick also collects frogs and thinks he has found the best frog, but holds him too tight -- Oh, no!

The illustrations are very cute and add meaning to the story. The characters you meet in this book are very unusual. The storyline keeps young readers interested. This is a must read for children ages 9-12 who would love to be entertained with a good story and a very easy read. With fewer words and many pictures on each page than most books for this age group, this is a delight. Pack up your bags and get ready for a camping adventure with Ellie along -- it's bound to be a great time! I hope that there are more exciting adventures of ELLIE MCDOODLE books in the future.

Reviewed by: Bri P.

It's essential for any chick who is drawn to the darker things in life to own at least one Emily item but once you enter her bizarre world it's hard to go back. I received both "Emily's Book Of Strange" along with the 2004 calendar for my birthday and those were a perfect introduction to this quiet (but nowhere near shy) cat-luvin' Goth grrl who's preferred favorite color is everything black...or red. Her attitude is anything but cheery but sometimes us open-minded people have to shield ourselves from the ones that are afraid to venture outside the box and to explore what's beyond the edges. I could be wrong but I believe her image is a symbol of encouraging individuality. Or, in other words, to think for yourself without following the crowd by listening and dressing according to what's considered "normal".

There's not a lot of text within these pages (there's often a bare minimum of two words) but the illustrations by Rob Reger and Buzz Parker are creatively "strange" and pure (or is that tainted?) candy for the eyes.

I especially enjoy perusing this on cold, rainy days.

Hey there, my name is Emily, that's not why I love Emily The Strange. I am also 12 years old, but 2 years ago, thanks to someone special, I got into Emily stuff. My friend Ashley, well, her big sister showed me some of her Emily stuff, I really liked Emily then, she told me to look out for some Emily the Strange stuff and that it's probably right up my alley. And she's right, 2 years later, I'm an Emily the strange freak! I collect all the cards, I 've got tons of stuff, actually, I think that's all the stuff I have, Emily the Strange stuff. Maybe a few hello kitty stuff, but nothing else. I went onto hot topic, and spent some of my birthday money on Emily the Strange stuff, I have a really nice bed spread and pillow cases that match. Anyway, about the book, I love every single thing about it. It really inspires me. I like the way Emily can speak cat, I like the plan with the cats to attack the dog, I'm an animal lover, and I would never hurt one, I wouldn't hurt someone either. I like the way in one of the pages it says hell-o-kitty, you have to see that. I have 2 cats, who are very friendly, I have my own posse. This book is a must have, I do recommend the Emily's good nightmares book, I only have 2 of Emily's books, I'm looking out for the other one. I know Emily's morose code all by heart, so does my friend Ashley, we do all sorts of letters to each other with the morose code, that way, no one knows what it says but us!But this book is really cool, I like that it has such big, and discriptive pictures, but with such little words, I like that it's simple. A good item for a strange collection, like mine!
Now, get strange, or get lost!
Emily the strange, the stranger!

I actually had never heard of the Emily books, untill my friend showed me her autographed copy of this book & I fell in love, my copy is on the way via mail, this book has neat pictures with very cool secret writing on each page. A fun book for anyone.

I really like the Emily's Secret Book of Strange because it has really cool pictures. Although, it doesn't really have that many words in it either but the pictures are amazing and fun to look at. the secret messeges that are on the pages are really cool, but you have to look closely to see them. If you like to look at a lot of pictures, Emily's Book of the strange has a lot of them.

Emily is an intelligent little black and white child who started out as a small internet idea but spawned into a large merchandise line and nows the chance to see for yourself why this little goth girl is so popular. With wit, sarcasm, insight, and her four dangerous cats, Emily will show you the dark side of life that has already been favored by many of us. I love the awesome cover, the illustrations and each page in the book has many secret codes and messages for you to find. I've had this book for months and theres still things i find myself noticing for the very first time! Rock on Emily!

This incredible book for me is a totally new
way of illustrating a fairy tale.
The description of this fantasy world using
postcards is innovative and very interesting.
I strongly suggest this book to all the
art lovers.

As an artist of middle age, I sometimes think of my art as good and my growth as complete... that is, until I look at work like this.

Suddenly I feel like a beginner again, with nothing to do but learn and get better at my art. Mr. Scheurer teaches this teacher how to teach better, just by the inspirational settings he creates and the drawings he does from deep in his imagination. There is a whole world residing in him that is too fanciful to describe. He is my new favorite artist.

Even though this book, at first glance, appears to be an art book, there is a very charming story woven into the "stamp" descriptions, as well. Each page features an illustration of a stamp from the imaginary realm of "Entropia" and a description of the event or history the stamp is commemorating. I read this book in two sittings, only because I had an appointment to keep that tore me away from such a beautiful book. Once finished, this book left me with a strong desire to read and see more of Christian Lorenz Scheurer's "Entropia".

Christian is one of my favorite artist. This new book is full of great stories and wonderful pictures! It's great for all ages.

Bought this book as a gift for a friend but then ended up keeping it for myself.
The fantastic story and beautiful illustrations felt like a mix between Nick Bartock's Griffin and Sabine and Miyazaki's Spirited Away.
This is most inspiring fantasy book I read this year!:)

Exploring Digital Video provides well-organized and reliable information. This book is quite appealing, with distinct photos and graphics, lucid text, and clear-cut chapters.

Notably, a beautiful full-color insert offers a look at Star Wars. And the DVD-ROM that comes free with the book contains surprising and useful free offers and specials and a feature on The Philadelphia Eagles! A must-have.

This book covers so many areas of digital video that I'm sure it will have what you need. It talks about topics such as purchasing video cameras and includes technical specs and quality. It also discusses bluescreen technology, capturing video and audio, scriptwriting, storyboarding and so on. And this is all just the beginning. It goes on to discuss how to edit, render and output film for the internet, television, or for multimedia presentations.

Other than just being a great source of information this book also has a lot of fun extras that will keep you interested. At the end of each chapter there is a quick question formatted review to make sure that you understood and remembered the important aspects of the chapter. There are also various inserts with profiles and interviews of some of the professionals in the field. Although all of the inserts are interesting and informative, the best was the piece about Star Wars. This particular insert is about Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) which is part of Lucas Film LTD. It discusses how one of the scenes from Star Wars was created. It's really cool to hear how they created something and made it look so amazing on film.

As if this weren't enough already, this book comes with a DVD/DVD-ROM with interviews with the Eagles Television Network and a number of tutorials. For those unfamiliar with the ETN, it is the Emmy award winning network of the Philadelphia Eagles. You get to hear about digital video from experts in the field through watching the DVD and reading the book. For such a low price it is one of the best literary investments you can make if you want to learn about digital video.

The book does a great job of offering an overview of digital video, including things like using still photos, what type of equipment would you need, and how to set-up a shoot.

Only complaint is that the author occasionally states opinions as fact example: wide screen is better than standard, when in reality, it is an artistic choice, and it is how you use the space provided that makes something like widescreen better or worse.

Finally! A book that makes a difficult subject easy to understand - creating and working with digital video (DV)! Each chapter is well laid out with great illustrations and nicely sized titles for each section and lesson. It also enhances its content by making good use of sidebars, to add relevant information.. Each chapter ends with an very useful set of questions and exercises, which furthers the reader's comprehension.

Lesson 6 was a highlight for me because I often incorporate photographs into my videos. This sometimes results in a badly distorted photo, forcing me to omit some great photos because of that distortion. Other times, I've been lucky and able to successfully place a photo without any distortion. Until I read this book, the causes were unclear; the author demonstrates the correct way to prepare a photograph for digital video in a way that I could understand and will remember. Though math and computations are a turn-off to many, she successfully covers the meaning of pixel values without confusion. The DVD included with the book contains tutorials which do an excellent job of taking the viewer step-by-step through cropping a photograph vertically and horizontally, so it is properly proportioned for video. The reader therefore has a visual and a written source for future reference at any time.

As a bonus, the author interviews Fred Meyers and Ben Snow, the makers of the Star Wars movies from George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Meyers and Snow re pioneers in the DV field. She interviews several other DV professionals as well, adding their vast experience to the subject.

The DVD also includes discounts from major retailers, saving readers money on computer and electronics products.

This book is a keeper-excellent for the both the beginner and the experienced hobbyist.

The book is great. All you have to do is open it up and glance through it to see that it will be helpful.

The Companion DVD is even better with step by step tutorials. The DVD also offers discounts with retailers on equipment, stock video and a great DVD duplication offer from Action Duplication in West Conshohocken, PA (800-847-3827).

Actually, this is directed to the Author: "Tracy Lee you have a vivid sense of expression. Extremities set me off in a world-wind; sort-of-speak. Open are your characters and Real is your material. Your style of writing is fresh - keep it up - I'd like to see you on our 10 list someday soon!"

Rarely has a book left me with such a feeling of wonder and empathy toward it's characters. I felt as if I knew each player in this grand drama personally. I can hardly wait for the next release! This an author that is going places! Bravo!

I started to read it on a Tuesday and finished it on Wednesday (the next day)!! Extremities definately kept me interested and anxious as to what will happen next. Real life, real people, real issues are at hand. The story deals with love, happiness, desire, sisterhood, deceit, and pain. All the ingredients of life. I aniticipate reading another novel by Tracey Lee.

This book provides a complete visualization of the characters and what they go through from beginning to the end. Once I started reading it, I found if very difficult to put down. Even as I write this, I still can visualize each character/person and have even placed faces with each of them. I have given this book 5 stars and look forward to reading more books from Tracy Lee.

Loved it. Just loved this book. I can see it on the big screen.... only, I want to play the part of Brian. I think there should've been more to this character and I can make that happen on the screen. Extremities is everything you can ask for in a basic reading explosive, un-edited, story. I give this story of the nineties 5 stars.