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The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade
> open book
The book is now open.
> read book
Entitled The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade, it details the history of a comic strip called Penny Arcade. The comic appears to catalog the lives of two young men who are utterly steeped in popular culture.
Each chapter gathers into a coherent beam of savory trivia, strange facts, formerly mysterious origins, biographical information, interviews, inaugural conventions, an unlikely charity, and comic strips. You get the sense that some of the content may be apocryphal—for example, the part where they eat a whole wolf basically comes out of nowhere. Also, if one of them really did become “King of the Britons,” you’re sure you would have heard about it somewhere else.
> close book
You close the book and place it back on the shelf. Maybe next time.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published February 23, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 5, 2016
I bought this because I thought it had more strips than it had, but really, it's a commemorative book that collects various stuff from the 11 and half year history of Penny Arcade. It still had strips, a few of them with commentary from Holkins and Krahulik, and some rarities, like Penny Arcade pin-ups done by a their friends, like Becky Cloonan and Scott Kurtz. It's a book that gives readers a timeline of how Penny Arcade came to be.
Still, I find the essays a little too self-serving, maybe except for the first one, which was originally presented in Wired magazine. As a reader, I do understand how they felt that they were too lucky to have the success they have now, but really, they did put in the work to make Penny Arcade a recognizable name in webcomics and gaming.
I really liked how the artist grew over the years, to the point that I find his early strips amateurish and that is what may deter me from ever from catching up and following this strip. It has a sizable arcade but I don't want to wade through those old strip, but skipping to the better drawn one would only deter me from enjoying the strip as it is now.
If you're a casual reader, this may not be for you, but if you're a long time Penny Arcade reader, you may want this on your shelf.
Still, I find the essays a little too self-serving, maybe except for the first one, which was originally presented in Wired magazine. As a reader, I do understand how they felt that they were too lucky to have the success they have now, but really, they did put in the work to make Penny Arcade a recognizable name in webcomics and gaming.
I really liked how the artist grew over the years, to the point that I find his early strips amateurish and that is what may deter me from ever from catching up and following this strip. It has a sizable arcade but I don't want to wade through those old strip, but skipping to the better drawn one would only deter me from enjoying the strip as it is now.
If you're a casual reader, this may not be for you, but if you're a long time Penny Arcade reader, you may want this on your shelf.
March 23, 2010
Penny Arcade will be remembered as the Samuel Pepys of turn-of-the-century gaming. A thorough and insightful diarist of the trends, topics, culture, and well, games that mark the growth of a byzantine children's hobby to a full-fledged geek legion. Sadly, this book is a sad let down compared to the polished and exceptional product that has produced comics thrice-weekly with a regularity that you could set a clock to. These were my disappointments.
1) Discussions keep referencing the pre-destined success that would be had. The air of inevitability to each topical discussion sounds more like it's coddling the authors than giving an accurate history of what were probably terrifying moments of change for the nascent strip and community. The tone borders on arrogance but not in the wit that Holkins uses.
2) The text treats Penny Arcade as the nexus of all gaming culture rather than particular brand that the comic depicts with exquisite accuracy.
3) The source images used between sections are pixellated and crappy. The source art is probably a vector graphic so scaling it should have been trivial. The scaled jpg quality doesn't fit.
4) The FAQ section contains many questions that the interviewees identify as foolish or that have been previously answered elsewhere in the book.
5) Space is poorly used, side graphics will take up a 1/4 of the page without adding much nor having labels.
6) It's very easy to skip timeline pieces.
7) People who comment on Penny Arcade in the book resort to panegyrics rather than any useful insight.
The gems:
1) The print quality is absolutely exceptional. Coffee-table quality paper.
2) The artist's commentary is delightful and should have been doubled or tripled in size.
3) Mark's discussion of the evolution of his drawing style is insightful, but more examples of tried and failed techniques would have been swell.
1) Discussions keep referencing the pre-destined success that would be had. The air of inevitability to each topical discussion sounds more like it's coddling the authors than giving an accurate history of what were probably terrifying moments of change for the nascent strip and community. The tone borders on arrogance but not in the wit that Holkins uses.
2) The text treats Penny Arcade as the nexus of all gaming culture rather than particular brand that the comic depicts with exquisite accuracy.
3) The source images used between sections are pixellated and crappy. The source art is probably a vector graphic so scaling it should have been trivial. The scaled jpg quality doesn't fit.
4) The FAQ section contains many questions that the interviewees identify as foolish or that have been previously answered elsewhere in the book.
5) Space is poorly used, side graphics will take up a 1/4 of the page without adding much nor having labels.
6) It's very easy to skip timeline pieces.
7) People who comment on Penny Arcade in the book resort to panegyrics rather than any useful insight.
The gems:
1) The print quality is absolutely exceptional. Coffee-table quality paper.
2) The artist's commentary is delightful and should have been doubled or tripled in size.
3) Mark's discussion of the evolution of his drawing style is insightful, but more examples of tried and failed techniques would have been swell.
February 23, 2010
Penny Arcade is the most successful webcomic of all time, bar none, and this book chronicles the first 11 ½ years of their existence. Chapters include short bios of Penny Arcade’s creators (Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik); the origin and launch of their mega-successful charity effort, Child’s Play; the origin and launch of their annual gaming convention PAX; their favorite comics; the evolution of their business model – from no business model to a multi-million dollar enterprise; and snippets about some of the secondary fan-favorite characters (Twisp & Catsby, Cardboard Tube Samurai, L.H. Franzibald, etc). The book properly describes how luck and timing played a part in the site’s success (being one of the first comics online, running into Robert Khoo in time to develop a business model to save them from financial ruin, how E3’s demise allowed PAX to grow, etc). But more importantly, it describes how two extremely creative and talented men with good hearts and good intentions and stupid levels of persistence managed to survive and thrive by doing something they love doing: producing hysterical comics. This is a must-get for fans of Penny Arcade. Non-fans really should explore the phenomenon that is Penny Arcade, maybe starting with this book.
March 7, 2010
This was a really fascinating book to read. While there are some comics, the book is really all about how Penny Arcade came to be the phenomenon that it is. The book includes details on PAX, Child's Play, the main characters from the series, the creators and how it all began.
Reading the book I came away with the distinct impression that Penny Arcade is what it is partly from talent but partly from sheer luck.
It really is a fascinating read and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Penny Arcade, web comics, video games, or cons.
Reading the book I came away with the distinct impression that Penny Arcade is what it is partly from talent but partly from sheer luck.
It really is a fascinating read and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Penny Arcade, web comics, video games, or cons.
July 15, 2010
One of my favorite on line comic books. This book is awesome in that it shows you how it all started, how they penciled, inked, and digitally colored this hilarious on line cartoon. Loved this book. Also, loved how they showed how the art changed over the years.
April 3, 2018
Despite being a strip I just can't get into, I think fans will really love this book. A great biography/peek-behind-the-scenes book, well done.
May 28, 2010
I'm a big a fan I am of the guys who make the Penny Arcade webcomic, so you can imagine that when the book tour promoting their new volume, The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade, came to my hometown I went to see them. And it was a really fun event! They got up on stage for about an hour and a half, during which Mike (the artist) sketched on a computer that was projected in front of the crowd (80% of which were wearing black tee shirts, I'd estimate) while Jerry (the writer) ran a question and answer session. They really knew how to work a crowd and afterwords I was able to get my copy of the new book signed.
Speaking of which, the first thing you should probably know about The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade (subtitled either "The 11 1/2 years anniversary edition" or "Nearly 12 years of bullshit" depending on if you look at the dust jacket or the actual hardcover) is that it's not just another collection of the webcomic fixed in a paper medium. They have those for sale if that's what you desire, or you can just go read the website for free. Rather, this new book is split evenly between reprints of favorite/relevant strips and big delicious blocks of text describing not just the comic, but the entire Penny Arcade enterprise. There's a biographical recounting of how Mike and Jerry met and eventually got around to creating the comic, there's articles about the Child's Play charity they created, and there's photos and stories about the Penny Arcade Expo that has quickly risen to claim the crown of "Best Public Expo For Nerds Who Like Gaming Ever." There are even harrowing tales of how the PA guys ran afoul of the law, almost went out of business, and floundered at almost every step of the way. Almost all these pieces are written by the PA staff (most usually Mike, Jerry, or their business manager Robert Khoo), so while they're not exactly impartial and obviously aim to leave you with the impression that Team PA is totally awesome, they do get you a lot of inside information and are surprisingly frank about things that the creators and their collaborators did flat out WRONG. So if you're a fan of PA and are looking for a little more biographical information on everyone involved to date, the book should satisfy.
I should mention that despite all the words in the book, its graphical elements are also outstanding. Some of Mike's best artwork is scattered throughout the book to give it the right flavor, and the layout and typography make the book a lot of fun to just flip through. Coupled with the brief nature of all the stories contained within, this makes it an ideal coffee table book of the kind that friends may just enjoy opening to any page and starting to peruse. I can't guarantee what they'll think of you afterwords, though.
Speaking of which, the first thing you should probably know about The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade (subtitled either "The 11 1/2 years anniversary edition" or "Nearly 12 years of bullshit" depending on if you look at the dust jacket or the actual hardcover) is that it's not just another collection of the webcomic fixed in a paper medium. They have those for sale if that's what you desire, or you can just go read the website for free. Rather, this new book is split evenly between reprints of favorite/relevant strips and big delicious blocks of text describing not just the comic, but the entire Penny Arcade enterprise. There's a biographical recounting of how Mike and Jerry met and eventually got around to creating the comic, there's articles about the Child's Play charity they created, and there's photos and stories about the Penny Arcade Expo that has quickly risen to claim the crown of "Best Public Expo For Nerds Who Like Gaming Ever." There are even harrowing tales of how the PA guys ran afoul of the law, almost went out of business, and floundered at almost every step of the way. Almost all these pieces are written by the PA staff (most usually Mike, Jerry, or their business manager Robert Khoo), so while they're not exactly impartial and obviously aim to leave you with the impression that Team PA is totally awesome, they do get you a lot of inside information and are surprisingly frank about things that the creators and their collaborators did flat out WRONG. So if you're a fan of PA and are looking for a little more biographical information on everyone involved to date, the book should satisfy.
I should mention that despite all the words in the book, its graphical elements are also outstanding. Some of Mike's best artwork is scattered throughout the book to give it the right flavor, and the layout and typography make the book a lot of fun to just flip through. Coupled with the brief nature of all the stories contained within, this makes it an ideal coffee table book of the kind that friends may just enjoy opening to any page and starting to peruse. I can't guarantee what they'll think of you afterwords, though.
April 16, 2023
This book captures a moment in time for Penny Aracade and gaming, pop culture, and webcomics. However, I can't help but feel like it captures the wrong moment.
The first several years of Penny Arcade were formative. They set the tone, explored the medium, and created some foundational characters. Then as the years went on, Jerry found his voice, and Mike found his art style. They began to layer in deeper stories and ideas like the Cardboard Tube Samarui, Mr. Period, and Paint the Line. Creative pursuits that considered how the team could leverage the internet medium to a fuller extent. This eventually was tempered by their next major influence: increasing corporate sprawl and endeavors.
This collection cuts off at the very beginning of the deeper stories era. So you get Cardboard Tube Samarui but don't get The Lookouts. Put another way, it's like someone telling the story of their life, and they go over elementary school and then the first half of middle school. It's an illogical point to divide the narrative.
Of course, there's no way they could have known this when publishing the book. I'm sure at the time it seemed like a perfectly reasonable time to offer new readers a summary, especially since they were likely feeling the pressure of inaccessibility for new readers.
The book itself is well executed and if you're a PA fan I'd even consider it a must own. Sadly they seem to have moved away from physical books so you may be waiting a long time before you get a companion volume.
The first several years of Penny Arcade were formative. They set the tone, explored the medium, and created some foundational characters. Then as the years went on, Jerry found his voice, and Mike found his art style. They began to layer in deeper stories and ideas like the Cardboard Tube Samarui, Mr. Period, and Paint the Line. Creative pursuits that considered how the team could leverage the internet medium to a fuller extent. This eventually was tempered by their next major influence: increasing corporate sprawl and endeavors.
This collection cuts off at the very beginning of the deeper stories era. So you get Cardboard Tube Samarui but don't get The Lookouts. Put another way, it's like someone telling the story of their life, and they go over elementary school and then the first half of middle school. It's an illogical point to divide the narrative.
Of course, there's no way they could have known this when publishing the book. I'm sure at the time it seemed like a perfectly reasonable time to offer new readers a summary, especially since they were likely feeling the pressure of inaccessibility for new readers.
The book itself is well executed and if you're a PA fan I'd even consider it a must own. Sadly they seem to have moved away from physical books so you may be waiting a long time before you get a companion volume.
September 25, 2012
If you are a fan of the Penny Arcade webcomic, this is a good book to read. It tells how Mike and Jerry met and started working together. It explains the early history of the Penny Arcade franchise and how they slowly morphed into a successful business, ultimately creating books, video games, a charity, and the nation's largest gaming convention.
There are lots of sidebars and articles that flesh out the book and offer outside perspectives on what Mike and Jerry created. There are also a good number of reproduced Penny Arcade strips. Strangely enough, the reproduction quality of the strips is pretty poor, unlike the rest of the book, which seems pretty well produced.
Still, its definitely worth a look if you like Penny Arcade. I left it out in my living room and read it a few pages at a time over a few months whenever the mood suited me. The format of the book lends itself well to piecemeal reading since it is mainly a collection of interviews, articles, and random facts.
There are lots of sidebars and articles that flesh out the book and offer outside perspectives on what Mike and Jerry created. There are also a good number of reproduced Penny Arcade strips. Strangely enough, the reproduction quality of the strips is pretty poor, unlike the rest of the book, which seems pretty well produced.
Still, its definitely worth a look if you like Penny Arcade. I left it out in my living room and read it a few pages at a time over a few months whenever the mood suited me. The format of the book lends itself well to piecemeal reading since it is mainly a collection of interviews, articles, and random facts.
October 14, 2012
I love Penny Arcade, but its backstory -- at least as told here -- is just not especially interesting. Here, let me sum up: "We met in high school, we knew immediately we wanted to make comics together, we started to do that, we put them on the internet, people liked them, so that's pretty cool." Any obstacles or doubts are glossed over, and the bemused way they talk about PA's accidental success gets old after awhile.
The whole book is very much "they're just these two guys, you know?" As much as I like them, there just isn't very much meat here for a biography, and the whole thing ends up coming off as self-indulgent and kind of pointless. It contains a lot of filler; even as a fan, I struggled to enjoy things like photographs of their office space or details of three times PA was involved in legal battles.
Redeeming qualities: Mike talking about how his artwork has evolved, arc stories such as Cardboard Tube Samurai, and the collection of their favorite comics at the end.
The whole book is very much "they're just these two guys, you know?" As much as I like them, there just isn't very much meat here for a biography, and the whole thing ends up coming off as self-indulgent and kind of pointless. It contains a lot of filler; even as a fan, I struggled to enjoy things like photographs of their office space or details of three times PA was involved in legal battles.
Redeeming qualities: Mike talking about how his artwork has evolved, arc stories such as Cardboard Tube Samurai, and the collection of their favorite comics at the end.
September 7, 2011
An interesting look at the webcomic phenomenon, but not as good as the books that collect the years' strips. I find Holkins' reminiscences in those editions much more succinct, not to mention hilarious.
That said - this is, as the writers say in the introduction, their attempt to document the things they did that eventually became the phenomenon the strip is today - and in that it succeeds.
I'll also agree with a lot of the other reviewers in agreeing that Mike (not Mark) Krahulik's commentary on the evolution of his style is fascinating. Considering how the persona he puts forward on the site is that of a person happy to let his partner do all the writing, while he makes the odd d!ck joke from the sidelines, it's extremely interesting to witness Krahulik's eloquence as he speaks passionately about his art.
That said - this is, as the writers say in the introduction, their attempt to document the things they did that eventually became the phenomenon the strip is today - and in that it succeeds.
I'll also agree with a lot of the other reviewers in agreeing that Mike (not Mark) Krahulik's commentary on the evolution of his style is fascinating. Considering how the persona he puts forward on the site is that of a person happy to let his partner do all the writing, while he makes the odd d!ck joke from the sidelines, it's extremely interesting to witness Krahulik's eloquence as he speaks passionately about his art.
April 12, 2014
This book provides a rare opportunity to learn the true story of how Penny Arcade came to be. Having been a fan from almost the beginning of their run, it's fascinating to see all the things that were going on behind the scenes. Although hints have been made at various times through their podcasts or ComiCon panels, this is how you can learn about "that time they accidentally sold the company to a scam artist."
The book is beautiful and well designed. My one complaint is that the timeline information at the bottom of each page was easy to overlook and trying to navigate the entire timeline throughout the book made it difficult to focus on. I'd have preferred to see the timeline condense to a single page or couple of pages.
Final verdict: if you're a fan of Penny Arcade, this is required reading. If you're familiar with Penny Arcade, it's still worth taking a look.
The book is beautiful and well designed. My one complaint is that the timeline information at the bottom of each page was easy to overlook and trying to navigate the entire timeline throughout the book made it difficult to focus on. I'd have preferred to see the timeline condense to a single page or couple of pages.
Final verdict: if you're a fan of Penny Arcade, this is required reading. If you're familiar with Penny Arcade, it's still worth taking a look.
May 24, 2010
Pretty good book. Entertaining though not amazing as a book. I must say that I am definitely on the train and really impressed by the home run story of 2 guys who unabashedly followed their bliss (playing videogames) and writing/drawing comics to (relative) super stardom. Along the way they created a charity that donates $1,000,000.00/year to hospitals so kids can play games while they're stuck in the hospital and created their annual PAX convention that is now the largest gaming convention in the country.
Oh yeah, and their comic (www.penny-arcade.com) is timely and frickin' hilarious. I have to say that this book is really only for the die-hard fanboys. Meanwhile, make their website a regular part of your Monday-Wednesday-Friday viewing...
Oh yeah, and their comic (www.penny-arcade.com) is timely and frickin' hilarious. I have to say that this book is really only for the die-hard fanboys. Meanwhile, make their website a regular part of your Monday-Wednesday-Friday viewing...
June 6, 2010
Great comics and several detailed essays remind us all what an amazing culture phenomenon Penny Arcade is. Well worth reading to learn the behind the scenes details of what it was like at the first PAX and how Robert Khoo saved the business of Mike and Jerry putting jpegs out on the web. I've been reading them since they started and it's great to see them make the milestone of 11 1/2 years. GO GO Penny Arcade!
October 18, 2015
As problematic as I find them, I still have a soft spot in my heart for Gabe & Tycho. This book is a tasteful little retrospective interspersed with some of the best comics from the archive, and on the whole it is a pleasant read. I do wish it weren't quite so tall, though, as it's hard to fit on a bookshelf.
June 21, 2010
If you’re a fan of Penny Arcade, The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade is an interesting, if limited, look at behind-the-scenes and most of the madness Penny Arcade has spawned. If you’re not a fan, you need to start somewhere else- like the first comic!
January 8, 2011
This is a bit of a mish-mash of a book - part biography, part documentary, part comic book. It is the story of the hugely successful webcomic Penny Arcade. It is unsurprisingly a book full of beautiful artwork, and if you are a fan of the comic, it makes for essential reading.
January 3, 2013
A beautifully-packaged retrospective of what is probably the most influential webcomic in existence. Delightful for Penny Arcade fans who are interested in Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik's backstory. I especially enjoyed Krahulik's walkthrough of how his art has evolved since PA first launched.
Want to Read
February 28, 2010I want to try to read this before we go to PAX at the end of the month so I'm up on all my PA knowledge. I'm hoping we can get it autographed too!
March 2, 2010
Clearly created for fans. If you don't already know the comics, this book isn't for you. If you already love the comics, then this is a delightful look into the history of Penny Arcade.
April 19, 2010
Wasn't what I expected but still cool. (More of a bio, few comics)
April 4, 2010
My review at Sequential Tart
August 24, 2011
This was an extremely entertaining, beautifully laid-out book. If you are a fan of Penny-Arcade, i throughly recommend it. It's a fun, if perhaps slightly too brief, retrospective.
January 22, 2013
The ratio of reprinted strips to articles is a touch too much toward the former, but overall an interesting and entertaining read.
February 13, 2013
I love this book so much! I love the art that was in there and it was fun reading it of course!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews