Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully put together
Review: I was in love with BWS's art from the first time I saw it featured on a Weapon X cover. I enjoyed the mix of fine art, illustration, and comic book art that this book contains, and the "one image per page with a reason for it" is all well and good for some artistis, but the spontenaity of the design is very much in the same feeling as his work. A worthy read!
Rating:
Summary: BWS Opus Volume One
Review: It is ironic that Barry Windsor-Smith once created a comic book called Storyteller, because his true story is actually being told somewhere else; here, in the 175 pages of this gorgeous hardcover edition, Windsor-Smith finally gets to tell his story.This book serves a number of purposes. It accomplishes each of its goals handsomely, and so will appeal to a number of different audiences. On the surface, Opus is a coffee-table style art book, lavishly illustrated with some pithy comments on some of the pieces presented. Windsor-Smith's delicate, complex images fill virtually every page, and almost any one of the nearly 200 illustrations could be pored over for hours as the reader searches for meaning and depth where there clearly is plenty to be found. The book also serves as a summary of Windsor-Smith's impressive career, which began at Marvel Comics in the 1960s, and has more recently encompassed intensely personal, visionary work such as The Paradoxman in the BWS: Storyteller comic. There are numerous illustrations from BWS's days as the illustrator of the much-loved and highly regarded Conan the Barbarian series, as well as some familiar fine art pieces, and incidentals such as bookmark and menu illustrations. Neither of these angles, though, the coffee-table book or the career overview, suggest the book's true purpose. As I said, Windsor-Smith has a story to tell, and he is taking his time making sure he tells it right. Opus is meant as the first in a series of five deluxe hardcover books, which are all highlighted by BWS's personal saga he calls "Time Rise." In this story, which is merely introduced in this volume, Windsor-Smith describes the paranormal experiences that have informed and influenced his work for the past three decades. The word "paranormal" of course is a loaded one; many people may therefore dismiss this volume as some sort of practical joke or artistic indulgence by Windsor-Smith, who may very well lose all credibility by laying his cards out on the table this way. I suspect that's why so very few details of his story are revealed in Volume One, although there are some very broad hints about what is soon to be revealed. BWS tells the story of how, as a young artist, he experienced confusing and inexplicable events that took him years to understand. Moments of time that bended, twisted and folded back on themselves, perhaps opening up his consciousness for the first time to the beauty and wonder in life that has given such depth and meaning to his work. Windsor-Smith is not the first person to claim to have been touched by paranormal phenomena, nor will he be the last. The difference between BWS, though, and the average alien abductee is that Windsor-Smith has a built-in audience eager to hear his story. I've been a fan of his work for a long, long time, and while this book would have been a treasure even without the text, the chance to get a look at the life that has produced such beauty is a rare one indeed. We're lucky that Windsor-Smith has chosen to reveal his story in this manner, and I believe we owe it to him to listen to him and try to evaluate his story, and the theories he has to explain what he has seen and experienced. Unfortunately, though, many people have not had such experiences, and that is where this series of books will have its true test. How open will the average comics reader be to the story BWS wants to tell? I am interested and fascinated, because I love his work and I believe that he means what he says when he describes the events that he has experienced. But for those who will doubt Windsor-Smith's story, how will they see this volume? I don't think it would be hard to see it is a successful project even for the most doubtful reader. At [the price], I have to assume people buying this book are at the very least fans of Windsor-Smith's art, and this volume provides almost 200 beautiful examples of his work. The production values are absolutely top-notch, and this book will make a worthy addition to the collection of any comics fan or anyone who appreciates fine art in general. But for those willing to look beneath the surface, beyond the pretty (and sometimes profound) pictures, there is a richer experience waiting; Barry Windsor-Smith, Storyteller, is coming to take you away on a Magical Mystery Tour to the edges of known reality. Are you ready to come along?
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