The real Necronomicon?

August 14, 2013 10:18 PM

Guillermo del Toro's Sketchbook
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants (25 comments total)

Very cool. Interesting how he switches back and forth between Spanish and English in his notes.
posted by Anoplura at 10:31 PM on August 14, 2013

I remember seeing the Pan's Labyrinth bits back when the film was just released. These are all really gorgeous, and would make a remarkably lovely physical book/art object. It looks like at least some of this is getting published in October. The Sky reprint and this... It's a wonderful year for beautiful, nerdy art books.
posted by byanyothername at 10:32 PM on August 14, 2013 [2 favorites]

OMG
posted by New England Cultist at 11:25 PM on August 14, 2013

About 25 years ago, when Del Rey published a bunch of Lovecraft books with the awesome, creepy cover art (often more compelling than some of the stories within), I searched and searched Coles and other bookstores for Lovecraft.

I remember going on a car trip from Canada to Disneyland, and we stopped at some godforsaken RV park in the middle of nowhere, and I still remember the bewildered look on the caretaker's face when I asked her if there were any Lovecraft books in the measly little lending library in a shack on a corner of the property. I was obsessed, and I could never seem to find the books, new or used.

And now Russell Books, about two blocks from my house, has stacks and stacks... and more stacks of Lovecraft books in the remainder pile. Everything is there. Wild.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:27 PM on August 14, 2013 [2 favorites]

Ut, you followed the link! Lose 1D4/2D4 SAN, gain 7 Cthulhu Mythos.
posted by JHarris at 11:55 PM on August 14, 2013 [7 favorites]

That's not the Necronomicon, it's the Voynich manuscript.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:59 PM on August 14, 2013 [9 favorites]

I have 3 mountains, I need to trade for madness. Also, I can include brick.
posted by GuyZero at 12:00 AM on August 15, 2013 [4 favorites]

For a second I thought KokoRyu said Lana Del Ray had published Lovecraft books, which would have been pretty boss.
posted by GuyZero at 12:01 AM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]

Guilhermo del Totoro
posted by homunculus at 12:17 AM on August 15, 2013 [5 favorites]

When Guillermo Met Gundam
posted by homunculus at 12:22 AM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]

Oh, man. Thanks so much for this.
posted by brundlefly at 12:56 AM on August 15, 2013

Wow, most excellent! :)
posted by jeffburdges at 1:12 AM on August 15, 2013

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2013/08/when_guillermo_met_gundam.php

This whole video made me happy. Although, i do wish there would be some acknowledgment of the inspiration of Pacific Rim from Evangelion. I don't know if it was intentional, but parts really did remind me of it when i watched it.

Guillermo with the two newly released Madoka Magica blu-rays.

You have no idea how much this makes me happy.

"At the Mountains of Madness"

Meanwhile, this depresses me. I so want to see his version of this, but doubt i ever will.
posted by usagizero at 1:27 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

The first two "At the Mountains of Madness" photos are confusing me, and I can't tell if it's because I should go to bed soon or if I am really overlooking something. What's the deal with the right page in the first image being exactly the same in the second image, except it's the left page with an entirely different right page?

Otherwise, this is really neat. I really need to start drawing again. I dig his style a lot, especially the Pacific Rim drawings.
posted by gucci mane at 1:46 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Although, i do wish there would be some acknowledgment of the inspiration of Pacific Rim from Evangelion.

iirc, it was because GdT himself admitted he's never seen Eva. I do think the co-writer Travis Beacham has though, and what more, the rest of the production team.
posted by cendawanita at 3:49 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Amazing visual person... I wonder if other directors present their ideas this clearly in visual form or have to verbalise their ideas to others? Being able to articulate a vision so clearly must be so much easier than hand waving and talk.
posted by greenhornet at 4:00 AM on August 15, 2013

Wow, most excellent!
posted by asilonline at 4:55 AM on August 15, 2013

Amazing visual person... I wonder if other directors present their ideas this clearly in visual form or have to verbalise their ideas to others?

I once saw Brian De Palma's storyboards. They're hilarious in how rudimentary they are - faces are represented by circles, with triangles to indicate noses - but they're also nonetheless very clear.

Also, David Cronenberg is famously opposed to using storyboards at all, unless he absolutely has to.

(I know that you're not just talking about storyboards, but I thought those were two funny examples...)
posted by Sticherbeast at 6:29 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

You've made my day. And my daughter's day. We're both borderline obsessed with Lovecraft and so much of this just fits. These are simply gorgeous. Even his handwriting is gorgeous.
posted by brokeaspoke at 6:35 AM on August 15, 2013

I wonder if other directors present their ideas this clearly in visual form or have to verbalise their ideas to others?

Not only did Ridley Scott's storyboards get him the gig on Alien, they were good enough that the execs almost doubled the budget for the movie.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:55 AM on August 15, 2013

Clearly, I need to up my game for my own notebooks (in which I occasionally draw a diagram of a pretty constellation or a flower). Guillermo, you have set the bar very high!
posted by math at 8:03 AM on August 15, 2013

That's not the Necronomicon, it's the Voynich manuscript.

Or Grail Diary.
posted by Celsius1414 at 8:19 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

I would make grabby-hands at the screen, but I' probably sprain a digit doing so.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:52 AM on August 15, 2013

¿The Necronomicon was written in spanish? :)
posted by Omon Ra at 9:34 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Nobody expects the Spanish Necronomicon !!
posted by Pendragon at 10:17 AM on August 15, 2013 [6 favorites]