Update: Magnetic Press art book detailed, pre-orders coming soon!
Update:
As many of you have noticed, the Kickstarter campaign mentioned in the original announcement post never came to be. Magnetic Press went quiet, for a good reason, however — the book is still coming, with news on the horizon!
We received some correspondence stating that “50 animated years of Lupin III” is still in the works, and that we should expect its updated pre-launch campaign in the weeks ahead.
The new campaign will take a slightly different format than previously announced, and will NOT be on Kickstarter. Instead, the project has already been fully funded, and will be available to pre-order.
Stay tuned for more details!
The below text contains the (now outdated) information from the original announcement of the Magnetic Press book. Please note that not all of this is still relevant, and that the pre-launch campaign is no longer coming to Kickstarter.
Magnetic Press have detailed their upcoming 50th anniversary art book, and it is due to launch on Kickstarter next week!
Starting from the 26th of October 2021, fans can pledge towards the 200+ page coffee table style book on Kickstarter, both pre-ordering a copy and helping to meet various stretch goals. The book is to release in two editions — a hard cover version, and a limited edition deluxe slip cover variant.
“50 animated years of Lupin III” is to be written by knowledgable Lupin veteran, Reed Nelson, of Lupinthe3rd.com. Reed has written liner notes and essay’s for Lupin official releases, alongside working with Discotek Media for many years on their DVD and Blu-rays.
At time of writing, the book is to have an official release in the United States only (more details on release territories and shipping likely to come next week, during the campaign).
Magnetic Press are also working on a brand-new Lupin III themed tabletop RPG, which will be detailed at a later date. For now, you can visit the official mini-site for both the book and tabletop RPG by clicking here.
Read a quote from the official press release below, and check back next week on the 26th to see the Kickstarter in action!
“The book will be available to pre-order through a Kickstarter campaign launching on October 26 and will be available in two editions: the standard 200+ page hardcover and a limited deluxe slipcase edition. The campaign will allow fans to unlock bonus sections of pages as “stretch goals” to be added to the page count, providing up to 96 extra pages of original production artwork, design sketches, and storyboards from the history of the franchise. For more information and to pre-register for the exclusive campaign bonuses, fans are encouraged to visit www.lupin-3-rpg.com.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with TMS Entertainment to help celebrate this landmark of 50 years of LUPIN THE 3rd,” said Mike Kennedy, Founder and Publisher of Magnetic Press. “Capturing all five decades of this benchmark anime into one coffee table book is a herculean task, but one we’re excited to take on! We think fans will love this beautifully packaged love letter to Lupin and his crew.”
The Anniversary Art Book is being written by noted LUPIN historian Reed Nelson who is widely recognized as a leading authority on the series. Since the series debut in 1971, TMS Entertainment has produced over 250 serialized episodes spanning five seasons, with a sixth season premiering this month to coincide with the 50th anniversary. Additionally, the franchise has seen multiple theatrically released animated films, including LUPIN THE 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro — notable for being the directorial debut of the renowned Hayao Miyazaki — and LUPIN III: THE FIRST, the franchise’s first foray into computer-generated animation released last year.”
Magnetic Press are giving Lupin III fans in the United States a reason to get excited.
A Western book release featuring artwork from the fifty animated years of Lupin III is long overdue, and Magnetic Press are clearly giving it the love and attention it so deserves. A Kickstarter campaign to help expand the content of the book is a sound idea, and the quality of the cover and artwork provided by TMS Entertainment appears to be high.
Perhaps the biggest plus however, in our books, is the fact that noted fan Reed Nelson is helping to compile information included within the book. Reed’s extensive liner notes from older Discotek Media releases was one of our inspirations for starting up the Lupin Central website. We would read over them after every episode, continuously learning about new and interesting factoids. We simply cannot think of a better person to have on board.
A big thanks to our buddy Jamon for the heads-up on this news story — it is much appreciated!
