Blanche: The Rise of Grimdark

Blanche: The Rise of Grimdark was a really enjoyable and informative read about one of finest fantasy and science fiction artists of this generation. It was great to gain additional insight into John Blanche's expansive career, from how he started drawing on spare wallpaper in his youth, since he didn’t have access to paper, to eventually go on to shape fantasy and science fiction as a whole and define Games Workshop’s iconic universes. It contains passages from different artists and friends, which were all a delight to read, as they provided further context to his life and provided personal anecdotes that help show the person behind the genre-defining artwork.The book is well printed and has some great examples of Blanche's artwork, but buyers should be aware that it is focused on being a biography rather than an artbook, with its size not being ideal showcasing many of the pieces. It is soft-back with a nice soft-touch cover that does not collect fingerprints. The binding is good and the book opens easily without creasing the spine.Ultimately, I would highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to learn a little more about John Blanche and his connection to many of the founding and important members of Games Workshop!

This wonderfully non-pretentious book is really well put together. Congratulations to its creators and contributors. It’s stuffed to the brim with gorgeous art, much of which many of us (people who have enjoyed John’s art) have never seen. As far as the written content goes, I found it riveting, particularly the details of John’s family history, his formative years and his early steps into science fiction and fantasy art. The tributes from his colleagues and friends are really touching and give you a great sense of the man behind all the glorious art. They contain wonderful anecdotes and tales of John’s adventures. The gold star, in terms of tributes, definitely goes to John’s wife, Lin. I’m not ashamed to admit I got a bit misty eyed reading her beautiful tribute to her soul mate. I highly recommend this book.

Like so many others, I grew up loving John Blanche’s artwork, never considering the person that imagined and produced it. This book does a considerable job of telling his story from the perspective of his considerably talented peers; all of whose work, I have likewise grown up loving.My copy was delivered right before leaving for a trip and it has made the time spent waiting in the airport and on the plane fly by. I wish the print was half the size so I could carry it more easily in my pocket, and about four times larger so I could see all the details on all the art plates.

Love John, Thank you for all you’ve done

The print quality is very low. And that for an artist book is not good at all

I guess it’s interesting enough if you want a Blanche bio, but for a book about an artist, you’d think that the pictures of his art would be high resolution. But this book has a self-published vibe, and terribly grainy photos of the art that inspired me to buy it. Not an art book, if that’s what you’re looking for.

I love it. Amazing art and narrative about it and the artist.

Having worked in the GW design studio for 16 years and worked on Johns concepts for sculpting and spent many hours with him. this book is still a revelation to me on his life and work. The authors have done a fantastic work in this book. Full of John's artwork and a fascinating revelation of his life history. I highly recommend this tomb of history of one of the most influential artist's at GW and beyond.

Esto debería haber sido un libro tamaño A4 de tapa dura y papel de calidad. Es un libro tamaño A5 (apenas un palmo de alto), de tapa blanda y con una calidad de imágenes lamentable. Algunas de las ilustraciones a color parecen impresas en una impresora casera y han perdido todo el detalle. No me cabe en la cabeza que este libro valga 50 euros cuando otros libros de arte a color y de mayor tamaño y excelente calidad rondan la mitad de precio. Si buscas un libro del arte de Blanche para disfrutar de sus ilustraciones y recrearte en cada detalle, este definitivamente no lo es. Si lo que quieres es la historia de su vida cobrada a precio de oro, adelante, cómpralo. Devolución instantánea.

I was quite disappointed at what I got for my 50€. If this were a hardcover book, as it should be, I would be fine with the price. But this whole book is like something you get in a museum gift shop.The content is great, but the make up is just...subpar, double so for the price. 30€ would have been a good price for this.I would have easily given the book five stars were it not for the whole cheap feel for such an exorbitant markup. Seems like if the content has anything to do with Warhammer, prices wlll receive the corresponding extra charge.

Great in all regards!