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Beasts! #2
Beasts!: Book Two
In the spirit of 2007’s acclaimed Beasts!, editor/designer Jacob Covey has assembled an entirely new line-up of over 90 artists who did not appear in the first Beasts! volume. Like the first book, the deluxe collection includes a Who’s Who of the contemporary art world, collectively crafting a menagerie of mythological creatures, monsters, beasts and things that go bump in the night, superbly laid out in breathtaking two-page spreads per beast. Featuring all-new work by over 90 artists including Blex Bolex, Brian Chippendale, Craig Thompson, Dan Zettwoch, Dash Shaw, David B., Eleanor Davis, Ellen Forney, Femke Hiemstra, Gene Deitch, Jaime Hernandez, Travis Louie, Thomas Allen, Jon Vermilyea, Kim Deitch, Lilli Carré, Mark Todd, Olivier Schrauwen, Paul Hornschemeier, Peter Bagge, Ray Fenwick, Stephan Blanquet, Taylor McKimens, Tom Neely, Tomer Hanuka, Yuko Shimizu and dozens more.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published December 6, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 25, 2022
Beasts! Volumes 1 & 2: Artbook Apotheosis? No. Not Even Close. But... It's Really Fun Stuff
Jacob Covey has made my brain start boiling over with his book designs, but it's much less fatal than it sounds. Bibliophilia being my primary perversion -- and boring as fuck, I know -- both hyperbole and unheralded metaphorical nonsense are symptoms of the disorder. Anyway... these two books are evidence of Covey's unsung talent. Even in the insular world of design and illustration, guys like Covey and Jordan Crane (who contributed the wraparound art for the softcover edition, serving also as the 'Lystraegonians' spread inside) don’t get followed by the cloud of nerdy esteem that Chip Kidd or Chris Ware inhale everywhere they go... though they fucking deserve to... ah, inhale similar nerdy esteem clouds. Or whatever. Jordan Crane in particular is one of the best designers around; check out the hardcover edition of Michael Chabon’s ‘Maps and Legends’, shown below...
In this .gif you'll see: a lovely title page; Paul Hornschemeier's 'Nue', a Baboon-like monster with a snake for a tail; David B.'s awesome little gut-headed troll, the 'Huwawa'; a Jim Woodring-rendered charcoal detail of the 'Hippocamp' and 'Scolopendra', locked in combat (the full 2-page work is reprinted later in the review); other pages by Anthony Lister, Ray Fenwick and Blex Bolex; and Brian Chippendale's colorful 2-page spread featuring 'Al Miraj' -- a murderous yellow rabbit NOT made up by Monty Python:
These hardcover 9” x 9” monographs feature clothbound spines with silver-embossed lettering, and a black lacquer sigil with metallic text on faux-antique cover paper. Each volume looks fucking incredible on its own, but together… thrice-as-fuck-yes! Intricately designed endpaper art by Ray Fenwick (Vol. 1) and Aeron Alfrey (Vol. 2) signals that the beauty of Covey’s design continues within, using a variety of fonts and icons created specifically for ‘Beasts!’ Volumes 1 & 2. Covey is also the book’s curator, but he enlisted the aid of several writers/cryptozoologists who are young, but veterans all. They have shed and spilt blood of various ominous and glowing colors in the battle to solve the most persistent of monster mysteries. Real truth-seekers know that killing these freaks is just as important as studying them. That’s why Covey had all his soldiers spend a few rigorous minutes with the Bible, the Qu’ran, and animated religious propaganda starring vegetables, before getting to the real shit -- the first 10 seasons of 'Supernatural', and the 'X-Files' episodes not involving aliens. Super-soakers loaded with Holy Water, silver letter-openers, iron pokers, and shotgun shells packed with rock-salt are the tools of the trade… even though none of them owns a shotgun.
Behold! The terrifying talents of Tom Gauld (Wizard’s Shackle), Sam Gibbons (Namorodo), and Aleks Sennwald (Paiju):
Covey presents ‘Beasts!’ in the tradition of Grimoires and Bestiaries from the medieval to the Victorian, and appropriates the style of a latter-day supernatural encyclopedia from Time-Life Books. Even though the short descriptions accompanying each illustration are clear, concise, and admirably earnest, no one’s taking it SO seriously. The Appendix to Volume 1 includes a handy taxonomical chart for any budding cryptozoologists, and the ‘Keynote’ is an interview with an expert Yeti hunter. Apparently being an ‘expert’ in that field doesn’t require finding any actual evidence of the Yeti’s existence. Volume 2 includes a similar Keynote with a more well-rounded ‘monster hunter’, another chart, and some helpful advice for anyone hunting sea-serpents.
Behold! The macabre mindfuckery of Dann Zettwoch (Kraken), Jillian Tamaki (Tanuki), and Renee French (Bigfoot):
‘Beasts!’ Volumes 1 and 2 are the kind of books I’d probably risk getting beaten up or arrested to own, so I have to give them 5 stars, even though I was able to go the more conventional route and just buy them. That was nice. The art is provided by some of the best and brightest in the realms of cartooning, illustration, gallery art and animation. Standouts (beside the artists already listed): Dave Cooper, James Jean, Seonna Hong, Craig Thompson, Jens Harder, Sam Weber, Jon Vermilyea, Nathan Fox, Tyler Stout, Yuko Shimizu, Travis Lampe, Josh Agerstrand, Olivier Schrauwen, Kim Deitch, Aya Kakeda, Tim Biskup, Eric Reynolds, Jaime Hernandez, Chris Ryniak, PJ Fidler, Kevin Dart, Jeff Soto, Anders Nilsen, Meg Hunt and -- though I did mention him earlier -- Dan Zettwoch’s short story about the (probable) fate of the USS Northeastern, and the recovery of the lost transatlantic cable, in 1865. As is always the case with art anthologies, some of the contributions... suck. A few of these shit-sucking submissions come from Hoodafux? The remaining few, unfortunately, come from some talented artists being lazy or really, really stoned. For example: Pete Bagge painted a hideous – and not in a good way -- little acrylic canvas, depicting a vampiric demon called a Chichonyi, feeding on an elderly Japanese woman… despite the fact the demon isn’t from Asia (the style of the room and traditional sliding screens were the giveaway, not Bagge's gift for depicting subtle racial differences). Tony Millionaire, Martin Cendrada, and R. Kikuo Johnson provide similarly rushed and/or incorrect illustrations. The latter two are still enjoyable, but these are artists I’d hoped would go fucking crazy and own it. Well, not Bagge so much. Still, most of the artwork in ‘Beasts!’ is fantastic, with the second Volume being marginally better.
Behold! The grotesque glory of Lille Carre (Tikbalang), Tomer Hanuka (Khimakha), and Mat Brinkman (Chenoo):
Since these two books represent ‘Part the First’ and ‘Part the Second’ of the wonderfully redundant ‘New Modern Now Library Series’, I’m patiently awaiting ‘Part the motherfucking Third’. Get at it, Covey, you and the whole ‘Unflown Visual Arts & Crafts Guild’.
Behold! The monstroliciousness of Stephane Blanquet (Satyr), Jim Woodring (Scolopendra and Hippocamp), and Tom Neely (Skinwalker):
Jacob Covey has made my brain start boiling over with his book designs, but it's much less fatal than it sounds. Bibliophilia being my primary perversion -- and boring as fuck, I know -- both hyperbole and unheralded metaphorical nonsense are symptoms of the disorder. Anyway... these two books are evidence of Covey's unsung talent. Even in the insular world of design and illustration, guys like Covey and Jordan Crane (who contributed the wraparound art for the softcover edition, serving also as the 'Lystraegonians' spread inside) don’t get followed by the cloud of nerdy esteem that Chip Kidd or Chris Ware inhale everywhere they go... though they fucking deserve to... ah, inhale similar nerdy esteem clouds. Or whatever. Jordan Crane in particular is one of the best designers around; check out the hardcover edition of Michael Chabon’s ‘Maps and Legends’, shown below...
In this .gif you'll see: a lovely title page; Paul Hornschemeier's 'Nue', a Baboon-like monster with a snake for a tail; David B.'s awesome little gut-headed troll, the 'Huwawa'; a Jim Woodring-rendered charcoal detail of the 'Hippocamp' and 'Scolopendra', locked in combat (the full 2-page work is reprinted later in the review); other pages by Anthony Lister, Ray Fenwick and Blex Bolex; and Brian Chippendale's colorful 2-page spread featuring 'Al Miraj' -- a murderous yellow rabbit NOT made up by Monty Python:
These hardcover 9” x 9” monographs feature clothbound spines with silver-embossed lettering, and a black lacquer sigil with metallic text on faux-antique cover paper. Each volume looks fucking incredible on its own, but together… thrice-as-fuck-yes! Intricately designed endpaper art by Ray Fenwick (Vol. 1) and Aeron Alfrey (Vol. 2) signals that the beauty of Covey’s design continues within, using a variety of fonts and icons created specifically for ‘Beasts!’ Volumes 1 & 2. Covey is also the book’s curator, but he enlisted the aid of several writers/cryptozoologists who are young, but veterans all. They have shed and spilt blood of various ominous and glowing colors in the battle to solve the most persistent of monster mysteries. Real truth-seekers know that killing these freaks is just as important as studying them. That’s why Covey had all his soldiers spend a few rigorous minutes with the Bible, the Qu’ran, and animated religious propaganda starring vegetables, before getting to the real shit -- the first 10 seasons of 'Supernatural', and the 'X-Files' episodes not involving aliens. Super-soakers loaded with Holy Water, silver letter-openers, iron pokers, and shotgun shells packed with rock-salt are the tools of the trade… even though none of them owns a shotgun.
Behold! The terrifying talents of Tom Gauld (Wizard’s Shackle), Sam Gibbons (Namorodo), and Aleks Sennwald (Paiju):
Covey presents ‘Beasts!’ in the tradition of Grimoires and Bestiaries from the medieval to the Victorian, and appropriates the style of a latter-day supernatural encyclopedia from Time-Life Books. Even though the short descriptions accompanying each illustration are clear, concise, and admirably earnest, no one’s taking it SO seriously. The Appendix to Volume 1 includes a handy taxonomical chart for any budding cryptozoologists, and the ‘Keynote’ is an interview with an expert Yeti hunter. Apparently being an ‘expert’ in that field doesn’t require finding any actual evidence of the Yeti’s existence. Volume 2 includes a similar Keynote with a more well-rounded ‘monster hunter’, another chart, and some helpful advice for anyone hunting sea-serpents.
Behold! The macabre mindfuckery of Dann Zettwoch (Kraken), Jillian Tamaki (Tanuki), and Renee French (Bigfoot):
‘Beasts!’ Volumes 1 and 2 are the kind of books I’d probably risk getting beaten up or arrested to own, so I have to give them 5 stars, even though I was able to go the more conventional route and just buy them. That was nice. The art is provided by some of the best and brightest in the realms of cartooning, illustration, gallery art and animation. Standouts (beside the artists already listed): Dave Cooper, James Jean, Seonna Hong, Craig Thompson, Jens Harder, Sam Weber, Jon Vermilyea, Nathan Fox, Tyler Stout, Yuko Shimizu, Travis Lampe, Josh Agerstrand, Olivier Schrauwen, Kim Deitch, Aya Kakeda, Tim Biskup, Eric Reynolds, Jaime Hernandez, Chris Ryniak, PJ Fidler, Kevin Dart, Jeff Soto, Anders Nilsen, Meg Hunt and -- though I did mention him earlier -- Dan Zettwoch’s short story about the (probable) fate of the USS Northeastern, and the recovery of the lost transatlantic cable, in 1865. As is always the case with art anthologies, some of the contributions... suck. A few of these shit-sucking submissions come from Hoodafux? The remaining few, unfortunately, come from some talented artists being lazy or really, really stoned. For example: Pete Bagge painted a hideous – and not in a good way -- little acrylic canvas, depicting a vampiric demon called a Chichonyi, feeding on an elderly Japanese woman… despite the fact the demon isn’t from Asia (the style of the room and traditional sliding screens were the giveaway, not Bagge's gift for depicting subtle racial differences). Tony Millionaire, Martin Cendrada, and R. Kikuo Johnson provide similarly rushed and/or incorrect illustrations. The latter two are still enjoyable, but these are artists I’d hoped would go fucking crazy and own it. Well, not Bagge so much. Still, most of the artwork in ‘Beasts!’ is fantastic, with the second Volume being marginally better.
Behold! The grotesque glory of Lille Carre (Tikbalang), Tomer Hanuka (Khimakha), and Mat Brinkman (Chenoo):
Since these two books represent ‘Part the First’ and ‘Part the Second’ of the wonderfully redundant ‘New Modern Now Library Series’, I’m patiently awaiting ‘Part the motherfucking Third’. Get at it, Covey, you and the whole ‘Unflown Visual Arts & Crafts Guild’.
Behold! The monstroliciousness of Stephane Blanquet (Satyr), Jim Woodring (Scolopendra and Hippocamp), and Tom Neely (Skinwalker):
February 8, 2009
it gets five even though there was art in here i HATED, because the book is very thoughtful and beautifully designed, and this volume even has interviews and essays and it just seems so lovingly collected. its a great idea and i definitely would appreciate a volume 3. but seriously, if they put out a "second" volume of this hardcover the way they did with the first volume and make me buy another 35$ book just 'cuz theres like 10 new drawings in it, i will be very cross, and send the tailypo after them. thats you, covey!
November 16, 2020
I love Jacob Covey's Beast books. I wish he would come out with another one. Both are collections of artwork by different artists, each illustrating a different mythical monster or other creature. Many of the illustrations are truly breathtaking. Alongside each picture, there is a brief description of the creature depicted. A lot of fun and often genuinely informative.
January 30, 2019
The folklore and cryptozoology was interesting, but much of the artwork was hideous. Also, all the genitalia means I can't share this with the largest segment of monster fans, namely children.
December 17, 2008
I gave this to my boyfriend for his b-day, good fun book, esp. for underground or alternative art lovers. And by that I mean, lovers of alternative art, and people who love alternative art and are incidentally lovers. (J/K, this book has few to no aphrodesiac qualities, unless you're into crazy tentacle stuff. It's pretty useless, but so gorgeous. And it smells great. I'm a sucker for good paper)
March 29, 2024
I love beasts, love art, love art about beasts, but weirdly enough didn't love this beast-art book. Some moments were glorious, but I felt the book focused on cryptobiology kooks instead of what's best about beasts: their many sides, their cultural grounding, the deep metaphors they carry.
I found a lot of the art uninspiring, but that's because it grows out of the comic/cartoon tradition and that just isn't my thing. If it's yours, then give the Beasts a try.
I found a lot of the art uninspiring, but that's because it grows out of the comic/cartoon tradition and that just isn't my thing. If it's yours, then give the Beasts a try.
March 20, 2014
With every turn of the page, readers will journey into the wondrous myths and legends of the world. The illustrations are a colorful, modern, and enticing feast for the eyes and offer a sampling of a wide variety of today's underground art culture ranging from illustrators and comics to gallery artists. Highly recommended for any graphic novel, art enthusiast or cryptozoology fan.
Want to read
January 2, 2009...long-awaited!
May 29, 2009
Both Beasts books are beautiful and well executed. Definitely on my list to purchase.
March 28, 2009
Another visually stunning collection with historical and anecdotal descriptions of each illustrated beast. Many new artists featured.
June 17, 2009
Just as informative and fun to browse as it's companion volume.
November 25, 2010
Just as awesome as the first one. I hope there's a third, fourth fifth sixth - this series can go on as long as it likes.
Read
July 3, 201234.99
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews