And the final book review tally for 2022 stands at a very respectable number of 71 ( see the full list here ), not quite as high as the 80 we hit last year but by any measure it was still a very bountiful year for some really quality art books. One of the biggest treats this year was the release launch of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Complete Works titles, a few of which made it into my list. The titles are arranged in chronological order of my review dates ( earliest to latest ) and as always, please bear in mind that some of the books might have been published before 2022.

I hope you’ll find something that will excite or interest you in the list, and if you do decide to make a purchase please consider doing it through my Amazon affiliate links; it will cost you absolutely nothing, but will go a very long way in helping me to keep this blog sustainable. Have a Happy 2023 ! –

1) Domu ( Otomo The Complete Works Edition ) Manga

The first title to be released from Katsuhiro Otomo’s highly anticipated The Complete Works collection, Domu is a tightly wrought narrative that follows the destructive battle between an old man and a little girl imbued with extrasensory powers. The manga blazed the trail for his magnum opus Akira and is one of Otomo’s most popular and well known comic works. The title has been out of print both domestically and international for a very long time now, so this new edition is very welcomed news by fans who wanted to get a copy of the manga.

I do not have an earlier regular edition of the comic to do a side-by-side comparison, but on initial browsing, the reproduction quality of this new edition is great; crisp and sharp images printed on good quality paper ( not the light pulpy stock that tends to yellow very fast ), and it even comes with color prints on some select pages, although only with a few warm tones and not full blown color art work like in the Dragonball Deluxe edition.

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2) Tech Noir : The Art of James Cameron

I’ve always known James Cameron to be a good illustrator and that he often draws the concept art pieces for his own films, but I didn’t know he was THIS good. It seems I know very little indeed, because apparently he did it for a living and supported himself by illustrating theatrical posters and concept art for low-budget films before creating the visionary concept pieces that would help greenlight his first feature, The Terminator.

This over-sized hardcover art book showcases a comprehensive collection of his illustrations, from his earlier personal works to unrealized projects, as well as concept art pieces and storyboards for many of the films he has directed like Aliens, The Abyss, The Terminator, Titanic and Avatar. I’m particularly impressed by his detailed drawings for Aliens, including the Power Loader, APC and the Dropship; with all the designs faithfully reproduced and realized in the final film.

A unique journey into the mind of a creative powerhouse, Tech Noir is the ultimate exploration of one of cinema’s most imaginative innovators.

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3) Los Angeles – Sylvain Despretz Art Book

The image of its city namesake, Los ángeles is a multifaceted book teaming with angels and gods. It’s where Sylvain Despretz has lived for the past twenty years, behind the scenes and next to the mightiest of the mighty. A renowned artist who works in the shadows, he has helped pen the visions of Ridley Scott, David Fincher, Andrei Konchalovsky, Mike Newell, Tim Burton and Stanley Kubrick, to name a few. Storyboards, concept art, paintings and illustration – his palette of talents has been deployed to bring emblematic (The Fifth Element, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Eyes Wide Shut) and other lesser-known works to fruition.

Sylvain Despretz is an independent writer-director who has worked extensively in the USA and in Europe in the fields of storyboarding and illustration. His mentor in the early part of his career was none other than the late Jean “Mœbius” Giraud, the world-renowned artist.

This 400 paged giant tome showcases a dizzying collection of the artist’s most impressive concept art work and storyboards for major Hollywood films as well as his own personal work, and is pure eye candy from cover to cover. It was published in 2020, but is definitely one of my best art book finds for 2022.

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4) Hayao Miyazaki ( Academy Of Motion Pictures Exhibition ) Art Book

A richly illustrated journey through the extraordinary cinematic worlds of beloved filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki

For over four decades, Hayao Miyazaki has been enchanting audiences of all ages. His animated films, often featuring children navigating unfamiliar and challenging worlds, offer timeless explorations of youth and what it means to grow up. Celebrated and admired around the globe for his artistic vision, craftsmanship and deeply humanistic values, Miyazaki has influenced generations of artists. The universal appeal of his evocative natural settings and complex characters, many among them strong girls and young women, cuts across cultural boundaries.

This book is published on the occasion of the 2021 inaugural exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, in collaboration with Studio Ghibli in Tokyo. It accompanies the first ever retrospective dedicated to the legendary filmmaker in North America and introduces hundreds of original production materials, including artworks never before seen outside of Studio Ghibli’s archives. Concept sketches, character designs, storyboards, layouts, backgrounds and production cels from his early career through all 11 of his feature films, including My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001) and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), offer insight into Miyazaki’s creative process and masterful animation techniques.

Flipping through the pages of this book, I am fairly certain that most, if not all of the art work, illustrations and storyboards featured in the book can be found in the individual Ghibli Art Of / Storyboard books as well as Japanese Roman albums. What is of added value in this book is of course the context provided by the English write-ups, as well as some of the archival photographs of Hayao Miyazaki in the earlier days of his career, many of which are not easily found either online or in publications.

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5) Akira Storyboards Vol 1 / Vol 2 ( Otomo The Complete Works Edition )

A blueprint for director Katsuhiro Otomo’s magnum opus animated film AKIRA, this 2 volume storyboard collection is a thing of beauty; Otomo is renowned for his ridiculously detailed and refined storyboards, and every panel is just delightful to look at.

This release has been highly anticipated because just like Domu, the older edition of the storyboards ( called The Continuity Of Akira ) have been out of print for the longest time, and this new and improved release is what Otomo fans have been hoping for. This edition is printed on smoother, better quality paper that helps to better reproduce Otomo’s drawings in their original state, with more values in the midtones; there are also some select pages printed in color.

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6) Witchcraft – The Library of Esoterica ( Taschen )

I’m a sucker for illustrations and paintings exploring age-old themes of folklore, fairy tales & mythology, and with so seductively a cover as this; Circe Invidiosa by my artistic hero John William Waterhouse I could not pass this up. Thankfully, the book’s contents are every bit as excellent as the cover.

Initiating readers in the fascinating and complex history of witchcraft, from the goddess mythologies of ancient cultures to the contemporary embrace of the craft by modern artists and activists, this expansive tome conjures up a breathtaking overview of an age-old tradition. Rooted in legend, folklore, and myth, the archetype of the witch has evolved from the tales of Odysseus and Circe, the Celtic seductress Cerridwen, and the myth of Hecate, fierce ruler of the moonlit night. In Witchcraft we survey her many incarnations since, as she shape-shifts through the centuries, alternately transforming into mother, nymph, and crone―seductress and destroyer.

About the series –

The Library of Esoterica by Taschen explores how centuries of artists have given form to mysticism, translating the arcane and the obscure into enduring, visionary works of art. Each subject is showcased through both modern and archival imagery culled from private collectors, libraries, and museums around the globe. The result forms an inclusive visual history, a study of our primal pull to dream and nightmare, and the creative ways we strive to connect to the divine.

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7) The Art of Star Wars : The Mandalorian Season 2

Following up on the success of the first season, Mandalorian season 2 delivers yet more fantastic Star Wars action, topped by popular characters from the universe like the Jedi Ahsoka Tano, the bounty hunter Boba Fett as well as a mysterious character in the season finale. The production quality is exceptionally high, in particular the visual effects that utilizes Industrial Light & Magic’s revolutionary Stagecraft technology.

This oversized hardcover book explores in detail the stunning concept art work created for season 2 of the series, with over 250 pages of content including character and costume sketches, vehicle and creature designs as well as interviews with key cast, crew, and creatives, including executive producer/showrunner/writer Jon Favreau and executive producer/director Dave Filoni.

Produced in the same hardcover format and dimensions as the art book for season 1, the amount of material covered is very substantial, certainly on par with any of the “Art Of Star Wars” books for the new feature films like The Last Jedi and Rise Of Skywalker.

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8) The Art Of Ron Cobb

It is with considerable embarrassment that I profess knowing little of Ron Cobb‘s most illustrious career in concept art design for films until a few years back when I saw his work featured in the excellent The Making Of Aliens art book; what struck me the most besides the obvious technical excellence and artistry is his particular style of marking a thick bold outline around his drawings, giving them a rather distinctive look that is hard to miss. With this visual marker, I started seeing his work and designs literally every where ( well, where the good sci-fi films dwell ) and my respect for his immense craft continues to grow.

This new hardcover art book showcases the sheer scope of his concept art/design contributions to some of the best and most highly acclaimed sci-fi films we love, including titles like Alien/Aliens, Total Recall, Rocketeer, The Abyss, Back To The Future and more. Also included are some of his personal work, side projects as well as satirical cartoon/comics, as well as exclusive insights from the talent he worked with along the way, including James Cameron, Joe Johnston, Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, and Nick Castle.

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9) Mateusz Urbanowicz – Uncollected Works Illustration Book

I’ve been following Tokyo based Polish illustrator Mateusz Urbanowicz for a good many years now ever since discovering his beautiful work Bicycle Boy (2016). A seasoned artist who has worked on anime films like Space Dandy as well as Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name, Mateusz has since going freelance in 2017 published two highly popular illustrated book Tokyo Storefronts as well as Tokyo At Night, both of which I love.

His latest illustrated art book is simply titled “Uncollected Works” and showcases utterly delightful sights of Japan pooled from 12 years (2010-2021) of the artist’s travels across the country, from busy city streets to idyllic verdant vistas and quiet temples. Rendered with soft watercolors and the occasion color pencil, the illustrations really capture the essence of Japan distinct urban and natural landscapes, making me miss Tokyo terribly ( I studied and worked in Tokyo for 6 years from 2004-9 ).

This is a fairly small pocket sized book and in my opinion makes for an excellent little gift for Japanophiles and/or illustration sketchbook fans.

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10) Shuna’s Journey – Hayao Miyazaki Manga Review ( English Edition )

Another small sized book that packs a big punch, Shuna’s Journey (シュナの旅 Shuna No Tabi) is a relatively unknown, little gem of a manga illustrated by master animator/director Miyazaki Hayao almost 4 decades ago in 1983 – predating his first major manga/anime masterpiece Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind by a year.

The story tells the tale of Shuna, a teenage boy who must leave his impoverished home and travel to faraway lands in search of food to ensure the survival of his village. Both the story and characters from Shuna resemble a hybrid mix of those appearing in his later films Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke, and Tales of Earthsea (directed by his son Goro Miyazaki ). Shuna for example, looks like a cross between Asbel ( Nausicaa ) and Ashitaka ( Mononoke ), Thea like Nausicaa and San, even Ashitaka’s ride Yakkul appears exactly as he did in Princess Mononoke.

I first reviewed the Japanese edition of the manga way back in 2009, but New York based publishing house First Second Books released this first ever English edition of the comic in late 2022, with translations by Alex Dudok de Wit.

One big improvement of this new English edition over the original Japanese version is the larger print size, which shows off Hayao Miyazaki’s stunning watercolor illustrations to even greater effect. The paper stock used is a fairly thick, high quality matte paper. The hardcover format is of course welcomed as well, making the book much sturdier and thus allowing a longer shelf-life. And finally the language allow for fans of Hayao Miyazaki to enjoy this book for the very first time in English.

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11) AKIRA Layouts & Key Frames Vol 1 ( Otomo Complete Works )

And capping the last title of my list is the utterly superlative AKIRA Layouts & Key Frames Vol 1, my favorite art book of the year.

When it was first announced by Kodansha, the publisher of Otomo’s Complete Works Collection earlier this year that they will be putting together a book/s showcasing genga ( key animation drawings ) and layouts from AKIRA, I was of course excited, but I had quickly assumed that it would merely be a souped up but otherwise similar book to the previously released AKIRA Animation Archives (2002).

I was wrong.

Yes, this book does indeed feature layouts and genga from Otomo’s magnum opus animated film AKIRA, but Otomo and the publisher made the excellent decision to also include high quality reproductions of colored anime cel frames in the book which are printed on glossy, transparent plastic sheets that layer up to illustrate just how the animation was actually put together during production. This adds an incredible sense of tangibility and tactile quality to the book and significantly increases immersion and appreciation of the art work.

It’s pure joy just flipping through the pages of this huge 650 pages book and seeing the genga come to life, as well as examining how the colored cel layers are put together. If you’re a fan of AKIRA, this book is a must have. What’s even better ? We still have Vol 2 to look forward to !

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And that rounds up my favorite art book picks of 2022; there were many other notable mentions like Creature – Paintings, Drawings And Reflections – Shaun Tan, The Art of Love, Death + Robots, The Amazing Screw-On Head ( Anniversary Edition ), Dominatrix Heaven – Sorayama/RJB/Terada, Ray Harryhausen – Titan Of Cinema and more; here’s the full list of art books I in reviewed in 2022.

I also recommend my favorite art book lists from these other years –

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012

If you need help with ordering on Amazon Japan, the FAQs below will guide you through, step by step.

Lastly, I’ll love you hear about your favorite art books this year too, if you have any to share. Happy New Year !

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