For much of this decade, Dark Horse Comics released a lot of terrific art books, and instead of offering the best of what’s released so far, I’m going to offer a list of what I believe are the best from the past five years and offer what I’m looking forward to picking up in 2025! We are at the halfway point, and to use a common idiom: “There’s no time like the present” to create this list of Dark Horse art books! (gotta work in the SEO somehow)
Where possible, I’ll offer quick reviews of the books I own and also received over the holidays. Santa was kind enough to put one or two of my wish list items under the Christmas tree! If only I got the last item on the list. I can imagine the buffed up J. K. Simmons Santa (from Red One) delivering this prize.
Disclaimer: We are a member of the Amazon affiliates program, and any sales made through these links (just click on the title) help support this site. I sorted these titles by series title and included their release dates to show which items are newer.
The Art of Arkham Horror
June 2021
Anyone who has played the card game or board game of the same name will find joy at endlessly flipping through this book. This fictional town appears in all its beautiful and haunting glory here. But the true showcase is with the personas who have to live and die every day, exposing the secrets from within. While this book won’t reveal to readers what they are, it’ll tempt some to play the game again!
The Art of DuckTales
Oct 2022
Even though this book is all about the rebooted series, that’s perfectly fine! Here, fans of either can look into what Matt Youngberg, Francisco Angones, Suzanna Olson (and many more) were planning in creating this update. It’s tough not to enjoy both iterations of this beloved series, and while I’ll have the title song stuck in my head every time I flip through the book, all I can hope for is that in due time there will be other books of the reimagined Disney Afternoon classics.
To note, this release includes exclusive interviews with the cast including David Tennant (Scrooge McDuck), Danny Pudi (Huey), Ben Schwartz (Dewey), Bobby Moynihan (Louie), Kate Miccuci (Webby), Don Cheadle (Donald Duck), and many more!
FF DOT: The Pixel Art of Final Fantasy
Jan 2020
Final Fantasy has come a long way since its early days. From how they were created for first generation 8-bit systems to now, with glorious cinematics, fans can trace this franchise’s humble beginnings with this book! What this book offers is a look at how it all began, and it even brings back memories of my days of designing graphics on a Commodore 64. There are a lot of factors to consider in making sure that character is recognizable, and what makes this work special is that it brought back fond memories of when I thought I’d get into computer art full-time. I still experiment with it as a hobby, but to have it as a proper skill for the workforce means a lot of retraining!
And what makes this release great is the interview with character artist Kazuko Shibuya that’s included.
The Real Ghostbusters: A Visual History
July 2025
From the Dark Horse Comics Website: A global-phenomenon, Ghostbusters soon made the trans-dimensional sidestep to animation with 1986’s The Real Ghostbusters. The Saturday morning cartoon was an incredible success. For many kids, the animated series acted as their gateway into loving Ghostbusters long before they were age-appropriate to see the film.
This franchise overview combines rare and never-before-seen visuals including conceptual artwork, storyboards, script excerpts, internal memos, packaging art, unseen prototypes, abandoned concepts, and brand-new stunning photography with new and exclusive interviews.
The Marvel Comics Covers
of Jack Kirby Volume 1
Feb 2025
Jack Kirby (1917–1994) remains one of the most influential and revered comic book creators of all time, and his cover work for Marvel Comics is particularly celebrated. This book collects all of his cover art in a hardcover format, and it’ll be the first of a series! In this volume, more than 175 classic Kirby covers from 1961 to 1964 will be printed. What fans can find are the cover art from the earliest issues of The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Journey into Mystery, Strange Tales, Tales to Astonish, and The X-Men, alongside commentary by multiple contributors.
The Art of Star Wars: Visions Volumes 1 and 2
Oct 2022 and June 2025
Lumped into one listing is this collection that looks at work put behind reimagining George Luca’s vision (not Disney) on what can happen in that galaxy, far, far away can mean. To collect as much of the visual work put behind the episodes is quite the task, and to see it put into two books shows just how committed some fans are to delivering the right experience to celebrate what this franchise is about.
The Art of Masters of the Universe: Revolution
Dec 2024
Because this entry is its own beast that Kevin Smith and Powerhouse Animation Studios produced, to know everything the final chapter of this series represents really means rewatching the series and looking at this book afterwards! That’s what I did to enjoy learning how it all fits. The vivid production art and the articles contained help remind fans of what’s been done.
Hopefully, the next animated instalment will be right around the corner when considering this book’s release date. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next in Kevin Smith’s reimagining!
The Art of Masters of the Universe:
Origins and Masterverse
Dec 2023
This beautifully designed volume deserves its own entry, and dives deep into the lore and world of the Mattel hit figure lines, Masters of the Universe: Origins and Masterverse. Explore each figure’s background, as well as detailed and wonderfully laid out artwork from the products themselves. Also, the tome features new insights from the creators of the figures, written by Alex Irvine (The Comic Book Story of Baseball, Marvel Phase One through Three)!
The Deluxe edition features all this, plus a portfolio of exclusive prints, featuring high-quality art from across the history of the Masters of the Universe, all in an attractive slip case that’s certain to take pride of place on the shelf of any fan!
The Art of Star Wars Rebels
April 2020
No fan of this animated series should be without this collection that looks behind the scenes of the series.There are not a lot of texts accompanying this release, and just why it’s on my bookshelf is that I am a completest.
Next to The Clone Wars, this series is next on my list of the best series to watch on television. Only one live-action makes my top three, and that’s Ashoka, because she’s also connected to this continuing saga about Ezra.
The Art of the Amazing Spider-Man
Oct 2024
The Amazing Spider-Man has always been Marvel Comics main mascot, and to know what stories matter really means examining those issues released long ago. Most of them are out of reach to the average fan.
This massive work aims to please by reproducing all the covers and most of the stories in a gloriously 10×14 inch sized book! With 200 pages worth of content, I suspect that’s every single tale available. This book features issues #39 to #122 and essays by John Lind.
The Toys of He-Man
and the Masters of the Universe
April 2021
Okay, I admit I love He-Man, and it shows in this list. When the original cartoon was very instrumental in teaching me how to be kind to others, this animation has a fond place in my heart. And I had a reasonably sized collection of the toys too. Sadly, as most nostalgia buffs know, when parents think giving them away to younger relatives is best, the pain is real when attempting to recover.
This book is the second best thing so I can recall those fonder times. I can think back to those fonder times of owning these Masters of the Universe toys, as they offer images of every single toy available! There’s over 700 pages of material to showcase! And if you can’t own them all, this book is the next best thing!
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