We call them Artist Editions - that's what IDW, the publisher that originally brought the concept to life with Dave Stevens' Rocketeer in 2010, calls them - and they're the closest you can get to experiencing an artist's art without actually owning it.

IDW ARTIST EDITIONS

What are Artist Editions? IDW Artist Editions scan the original art in color so you can see every correction, and every pencil stroke the artist made. While they may appear to be in black and white, you'll see some blue and red strokes and the various shades of black used to sketch and draw. They are also printed in original size, which means that you can end up with huge books, up to 30cm x 40cm or even larger. And you'll be able to read the whole story, because they only publish stories with complete artwork.

OUTSIDE OF IDW'S ARTIST EDITIONS

You'll find books that follow the same concept as IDW's Artist Editions from other publishers. Most of these Artist Editions, whether it's Graphitti Designs Gallery Editions, Dark Horse's Gallery Edition, Dynamite's Art Edition, Fantagraphics' Studio Edition or 2000 AD's Apex Editions (and many more), are all based on the same concept.

The only exceptions are IDW's Artifact Editions and Artisan Editions.

Artifact Editions are almost the same as Artist Editions, except for the content. The Artifact Editions present a collection of an artist work, even if the complete story cannot be obtained. But they will include extras such as advertisements, portfolio pieces, color guides, and other extras.

Artisan Editions are like Artist Editions except for the size. And they are softcovers (so technically not allowed on this page 😬). You'll find the same content as in artist editions but in about 20x30cm format.