61 replies to this topic

[Qwerty]

Now on the CBn main page...

Revamped US Young Bond Covers In 2009

New covers for Charlie Higson's 'SilverFin' and 'Blood Fever'

New Edition Of Charlie Higson's 'SilverFin' Available To Pre-order

Brand new cover for the first Young Bond novel in March 2009

Three Young Bond Paperbacks Released Today In US

Paperback debut of Charlie Higson's 'Double or Die', plus new editions of 'SilverFin' and 'Blood Fever'

[zencat]

Is there anything more exciting than new cover art?

No, no there is not.

I like the moody Walker images on the U.S. editions, but I do think they need to come up with a look for the US books that is a little more aggressive and eye-popping. More active. Also something that communicates a little more clearly that this is James Bond.

Something not unlike MarkT's awesome DOD fan art.

[marktmurphy]

Cheers man, much appreciated.

[Qwerty]

Is there anything more exciting than new cover art?

No, no there is not.

You said it! Can't wait until we get that first look.

[zencat]

The SilverFin refresh is now available for pre-order on Amazon. SF, BF, and DOD all set for March 10.

Word is we'll get our first look at these new covers in November.

[Qwerty]

New Edition Of Charlie Higson's 'SilverFin' Available To Pre-order

Brand new cover for the first Young Bond novel in March 2009

Looks like 2009 is shaping up to be yet another year full of literary Bond releases! It just keeps going and going.

[zencat]

First of these new covers is about to drop on my site. Just want to make a pot of coffee. Stay tuned...

Here we go. The New SilverFin.

(BTW, the image I got from Disney didn't have the title in the red strip for some reason. I added it to make it look finished, but I expect the title will be a little larger on the final version.)

Blood Fever coming Monday.

[[dark]]

So will the final version have the title in the red strip?

I like the artwork, but that tagline is dire.

Can't wait to see the Blood Fever cover!

[zencat]

So will the final version have the title in the red strip?

Oh yes. It will look exactly like what I have there, just the typeface might be a little larger and positioned a touch differently. Or it's possible I got it exactly right.

Tagline is okay, I think. It appears on the back of the book.

[[dark]]

So will the final version have the title in the red strip?

Oh yes. It will look exactly like what I have there, just the typeface might be a little larger and positioned a touch differently.

I've never been a fan of the red band, to be honest. I'd prefer to see the title integrated into the artwork a little better - the red band just looks like it's been slapped over the top.

In any case, another sterling job from Kev Walker.

[zencat]

I think the red band works as a marketing tool. It's very easy to spot a Young Bond book amid all the other series books in the kids section. It's not unlike the US Gardner books. Never loved the look of those books, but I did like the consistency and how they matched as a set.

[[dark]]

I can understand that. I guess the band just doesn't really gel with Kev Walker's style of artwork (unlike, say, the logo on the SilverFin graphic novel). And the spines are a bit bland.

(I should probably be panning the UK covers for blandness, but the simplicity of the design - and the fact they've been so nicely uniform for the whole series - really makes them stand out.)

[zencat]

One thing that interesting about these new covers is how prominently young Bond is featured. We've gone from no Bond on the UK covers to a somewhat silhouetted Bond on later US covers to these. But I think these are in keeping with other US series books (I'm thinking Harry Potter and Charlie Bone) where the main character is the largest part of the cover art.

[Qwerty]

Very pleased with that cover. Kev Walker really knows how to create the character I see in my head when reading these books.

[zencat]

Something I didn't put in the story (maybe I should have) is while Walker is credited with the artwork, someone else is credited with the design: Alexander Garkusha.

[[dark]]

Was he credited on the previous Walker covers? Is it possible he rendered Walker's illustration?

[zencat]

Interestingly, he isn't credited on the hardcover DOD, but he is on the paperback (which uses the exact same art). Maybe he just did the typeface layout, etc.

[sharpshooter]

I think this cover is pretty routine. It’s serviceable, but I don’t like it as much as his other efforts. I'm interested to see what the Blood Fever cover looks like.

[DamnCoffee]

To say this cover is average is quite an overstatement. It looks quite bad, to put it nicely.

[Professor Dent]

Looks good. I guess the eels are floating in the air or they are maybe standing in front of an aquarium?

[zencat]

Someone over at Bondaholic asked if that was Jaws in the background.

Looks good. I guess the eels are floating in the air or they are maybe standing in front of an aquarium?

I like that the cover is very atmospheric, like the DOD cover. The only addition I'd make would be to including some test tubes or beakers or something that helps sell the fact that this action is taking place in a laboratory. Like creepy cemeteries, I think mysterious laboratories are instantly appealing to kids. The water tank is great. But there maybe just needs to be one other bit of iconography to communicate this is a lab -- if that is indeed what they want to communicate.

EDIT: I just looked at the cover again and decided I'm wrong. The vagueness of the location gives it wonderful tension. Pegging it as a lab might kill the mystery. One should look at this cover and think, "What kind of freaky situation is Bond in here?" Compete take back.

[[dark]]

I think it's testament to Kev Walker's illustrations that IFP are so willing to use James Bond on the cover of these books. Fair enough, it's James Bond as a kid, but it's still quite remarkable given how long its been since we've had a cover that has shown the character of Bond as clearly as these US editions do.

[zencat]

As promised, the new Blood Fever.

[Double-Oh Agent]

I suppose they're better than the original hardcovers, but they don't excite me a whole lot. I think a better rendering of the imposing bad guys in both covers would help. For some reason--maybe it's their body language--they don't quite fully work for me. Of the two, I like SilverFin's better. However, both new versions pale in comparison to Double Or Die's excellent artwork.

[sharpshooter]

As promised, the new Blood Fever.

Meh. I like it better than that SilverFin cover though.

[marktmurphy]

Not sure- they're not very dynamic. He always seems to leave loads of space around the characters; I'd like a bit of a tighter crop and a bit more tension in the composition. Very nicely rendered, though- I wish the UK ones had had some proper illustration on them.

[zencat]

I think it would have been nifty to have a blast of mosquitoes flying into the cave from the sunlight behind Smiler. Then it would match the SilverFin artwork, in that it features the creepy critters of the book.

I'd also like Smiler to be wearing something that communicates his pirateness. He's actually dressed exactly like Hellebore on the SilverFin cover. You could almost mistake them for the same villain.

But these are just nitpicks. I do like this cover. Again, great atmosphere.

[Qwerty]

Good atmosphere once again, but this one isn't quite as striking as the similar SilverFin and Double or Die ones.

Still, they'll likely look great together as a complete set.

[sharpshooter]

The DOD cover remains the best of the bunch, followed by the HG prototype cover. I don't think these two new covers are of the same standard.

[[dark]]

I think I like the pirate ship better.