Review: Dark Shepherd: The Art of Fred Gambino

Titan Books, out now

A fascinating and well-produced look at the work of artist Gambino.

Titan are making something of a specialty of these art books, even if many of them are linked to movies (Planet of the Apes, Godzilla, Pacific Rim, to name but a few). This is in some ways an odd mix of the two – the Dark Shepherd referred to in the title is a screenplay written by Gambino, which takes up a good proportion of the book, and is illustrated with his concept art. It’s more than just a pitch for a movie – you are immersed in the world he has spent the last decade and a half creating.

Gambino has worked with various franchises – including Star Wars and BioShock – and some of that work is represented here. There’s a clear attempt to appeal to fans of all of Gambino’s different projects, so while some may feel elements are under-represented, others may well wonder why we’ve got “Advertising and Commissions”.

As is common for Titan’s art books, the artist gives a lot of insight into the way he works (the section about speed painting, for instance) with some technical details for those interested in such things. However many people will simply enjoy the scale and beauty of some of the illustrations within, and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Verdict: A stunning collection. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to look at a selection of images from Dark Shepherd

Sci-Fi Bulletin has three copies of Dark Shepherd to give away – click here for the competition

Click here to order Dark Shepherd: The Art of Fred Gambino from Amazon.co.uk