I know I don’t normally combine my reviews, but considering how interconnected these Star Wars supplementary books have been, I thought it would work well for this instance. I’m going to kick things off with some thoughts on Abrams Books’ gorgeous Art of Rogue One.
The Art of Rogue One
Written By: Josh Kushins
Publisher: Abrams Books
Where to Buy: http://amzn.to/2kbusc2
Abrams Books has consistently published incredible “coffee table” style books related to the Star Wars universe. Last year they provided excellent insight into The Force Awakens with a behind the scenes look at early character renditions and scenes that didn’t make it into the movie. They once again out did themselves during the Summer (2016) with the release of the giant Ralph McQuarrie tome, which brought an incredible array of art and information on the original series.
I’m happy to say, Abrams Books has once again brought the goods with The Art of Rogue One. Much like their previous Star Wars art books, Rogue One is presented in the same wide, coffee-table style format. This gives the art printed in the pages plenty of room to expand outward, making it easy to see finer details and really immerse yourself in the images.
While it seems weird to say, I can’t help but point out the paper quality on this book. Much like the previous art books the paper is smooth, with just the right amount of thickness to it. It’s thick enough to ensure the pages, which are over-sized, don’t crumple or bend while turning without being to the point of making it difficult to flip through and enjoy.
More than just the artwork (though it’s certainly the primary focus of the book), The Art of Rogue One provides some fascinating details behind the images and the process involved in bringing the story to life on the big screen. More than just providing an early look at what the characters could have looked like, details on their role in the movie (at those stages in the design process), and some intriguing story details that never came to pass.
It’s an interesting look at the various stages of development for the general Rogue One story, as we know it started off with Gary Whitta as the screenwriter, who then passed it to Chris Weitz, and the extensive reshoots changed things around quite a bit. With all that going on The Art of Rogue One book does a great job of explaining what some of those changes were and how things could have been.
For example, there’s a section in the book showing off various designs for Saw Gerrera’s Bor Gullet; the tentacle monster thing that Bodhi deals with early on in the film. The book shows off some intimidating alternate designs for the creature, hinting at a more expanded role than the few seconds we actually saw it. Moreso, the accompanying text gives information on the creature’s expanded purpose in the film, with notes from the director, implying that Jyn Erso actually had an encounter with it at some point in the story in a previous draft.
It’s little gems like that, which make this book so fun to flip through. It’s coffee table styling makes it easy to open up on random pages and find something fun and interesting, though it reads just as well if you go cover-to-cover. This makes the book a great addition to your home, as it can be an easy read, something you can handle off and on (depending on your schedule), or something you can pick up and enjoy for longer stretches.
Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide
Written By: Pablo Hidalgo
Publisher: DK
Where to Buy: http://amzn.to/2jGfN5C
One of the best aspects of any Star Wars movie, is the amount of visual depth packed into just about every frame. The sci-fi fantasy tale takes us to all new worlds filled with strange creatures, cultures, and history. On the big screen, however, it’s tough to absorb all the visual information presented on the screen. Oftentimes creatures, costumes, and entire species are glimpsed briefly in the background with no further explanation or details on them.
While this does a great job of making the “world” we’re watching feel more populated and fleshed out, it leaves many fans wondering about specifics. It’s one of the big reasons small characters gained such popularity in the older films. The mystery entices audiences and begs for more backstory to be told. This is where the Visual Guide comes in handy, as it takes those blink and you miss it details (characters, props, locations, etc.) and expands them; fleshing things out in interesting ways.
The Rogue One Ultimate Visual Guide keeps the focus on “in-universe” explanations for certain things, and providing details on the characters we see in the background. Curious about the toys young Jyn had around her bed in the film’s opening scene? There’s a whole spread on them, including the names she’d given them and what they’re based on. Want to know what’s in all those pouches the Death Troopers carry around? The Visual Guide is here to help you out.
It has a tons of interesting information, some of which seems trivial, but others that seem to have bigger implications not only for Rogue One itself, but the larger Star Wars story. One of the neat shout outs in the book comes from a random bounty hunter character, who’s apparently hunting down Ponda Baba and Evazan on Jedha. The duo, who first appeared in the original Star Wars during the cantina scene, bragged about being wanted men, and their cameo in Rogue One was a lot of fun. This additional bit of info, while doing little for the bigger story, is a neat detail that shows just how much thought is going into these new films.
Other details, like information on Vader’s castle add a little bit more insight to things, teasing ideas for stories yet to come. One that stands out to me are the red sashes which are worn by both Lyra Erso (Jyn’s mother) and Chirrut, though Chirrut’s is easier to see in the film. The Visual Guide explains this is a symbolic garment meant to show support/belief in the Force for those who aren’t Jedi. Essentially it’s part of the Church of the Force movement, which Lor San Tekka (from The Force Awakens) is a member of.
It’s a small, but intriguing connection that deepens the lore behind one of the newer Star Wars ideas, while still keeping everything tied together nicely. This seems to be the driving idea behind the Rogue One Visual guide, and in that respect, it’s a complete blast to flip through and find new information.
The layout of the book is over-sized, somewhat like a coffee-table book, but more along the lines of reference guide than that. The majority of the book is comprised of images with text highlighting key aspects of the images and explaining things. As such, it works incredibly well as a reference guide (including an easy to use index) that’s fun to pick up and enjoy. You can flip through it quickly, stop at random pages, and find something new and interesting to learn. If you enjoyed Rogue One, or anything about Star Wars, the Visual Guide is a no-brainer to track down and buy. It answers a lot of questions you may have, while hinting at some neat things to come.
Rebel Dossier
Written By: Jason Fry
Publisher: Disney-Lucasfilm Press
Where to Buy: http://amzn.to/2jnG2wN
Disney’s Rogue One: Rebel Dossier wants to give you information on the characters and settings found in Rogue One, but in a slightly different way. Where The Ultimate Visual Guide and the Art of book take more encyclopedic approach to dishing out information to readers, the Rebel Dossier seeks to give out details in an in-universe fashion.
The book is laid out like a bunch of missives, reports, and documents brought together for Mon Mothma. These things together provide a solid look at the ins and outs of the growing Rebellion against the Empire. Imagine you’re in charge of the Alliance looking to gather intel on your soldiers, and that’s essentially how Rebel Dossier feels.
This presentation is both good and bad. It’s good in that it’s a fun and unique way to present the information. It thrusts you into the middle of things, making you feel apart of the story as you learn more about the individual elements within it. The bad part comes into play because it doesn’t feel like it goes quite far enough with the aesthetic.
The book is targeted at younger readers, giving them backstory information that will flesh out the characters, without bogging them down in the nitty gritty, minutiae you get with the Visual Guide and Art of books. Presenting it as an in-universe product, however, made me long for something more substantial. Some fold-out spreads, inserts (ID cards, communiques, etc.), and slip in pages would have made the presentation feel a little more authentic. I get why they wouldn’t necessarily want to go that far, but considering how they bring this book together it felt like something was lacking.
In all however, it’s a fun read that gives you good information. It’s not as complete or all-encompassing as the other books you can find out there, but it’s not meant to be either. This is a more targeted book, with a specific focus, and in that regard it succeeds pretty well. While I wish it had some more supplementary material to fully capitalize on, it’s a fun companion book that kids will thoroughly enjoy.
