Geek-Art: An Anthology: Art, Design, Illustration & Pop Culture by Thomas Olivri

At the time of my writing this review, GEEK-ART only has 65 ratings on Goodreads and 6 reviews.

What?!

That's utterly heartbreaking, because GEEK-ART is an absolute treasure. An inch and a half thick, this coffee table book is jam-packed with glossy, full-color illustrations with dozens of artists. The subject? Geeky things of all sorts, ranging from cult classic movies to video games to anime.

My mother bought this for me as a Christmas present, and I wasn't able to get to it until now because I've been so busy. But as soon as I was able, I paged through this book for hours, admiring all the illustrations. I think she regrets getting it for me now, because I spent at least five solid minutes yapping about how it was the best present ever.

And I say this as someone who received both a Furby and a Tamagotchi at the height of the 90s craze.

I stand by my words: best. present. ever.

Part of what makes GEEK-ART so great is that there's something for everyone in here. No matter what your fandom of choice is, or what style of art you like, there's at least one thing in here that will probably manage to please you. One artist reimagines pop cultural icons in the style of 1930s art deco posters. Another artist takes My Little Pony figurines and customizes them to look like super heroes. The styles range from 8-bit to Renaissance to minimalism, but extend beyond that in all directions.

Oh, and something else I liked: the collection is global, taken from countries all over the world. So it's not just "U.S. artists", or artists from New York or San Francisco. They're from all over, and that diversity shows in both the styles and who the artists credit as inspiring their respective styles. Each section is divided by artist, too, along with links to their blogs, DeviantArt pages, and Twitter handles, so you might just find a new person to follow, too!

I seriously can't get over what an awesome book this was. Most of the art books I review are books I receive in e-book form as ARCs. They are often lovely, and I am very grateful to read them for free because I couldn't afford to buy all the ones I want, but honestly, something gets lost in the digital format. Physical copies are so much better. There's something so comforting and nostalgic about holding a heavy book in your lap that's almost too cumbersome for comfort, and being able to smell the ink on the pages and feel the texture of each page as you turn them to admire the illustrations.

If you're a fan of geeky subculture or are a fan of art, you should buy this book. If you aren't, but know somebody who is, you should buy this book for them as a present. Just be prepared for them to start yapping about how awesome the book is and forcing you to look at their favorite pictures. ;)

5 out of 5 stars!