These books should be appearing soon in comic shops near you. I encourage readers to support their local comic retailers whenever possible. Visiting comic shops is cool.

This time round, I'm glad to post a few more books that are not actually comic books.

Elemental Magic: The Art of Special Effects Animation

A richly illustrated full-color guide to creating stunning hand-drawn and digital special effects by Joseph Gilland, whose work has been seen in films such as Lilo & Stitch, Mulan, and Brother Bear.

The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics

Product Description
Harvey Kurtzman discovered Robert Crumb and gave Gloria Steinem her first job in publishing when he hired her as his assistant. Terry Gilliam also started at his side, met an unknown John Cleese in the process, and the genesis of Monty Python was formed. Art Spiegelman has stated on record that he owes his career to him. And he's one of Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner's favorite artists.
Harvey Kurtzman had a Midas touch for talent, but was himself an astonishingly talented and influential artist, writer, editor, and satirist. The creator of MAD and Playboy's "Little Annie Fanny" was called, "One of the most important figures in postwar America" by the New York Times. Kurtzman's groundbreaking "realistic" war comics of the early '50s and various satirical publications (MAD, Trump, Humbug, and Help!) had an immense impact on popular culture, inspiring a generation of underground cartoonists. Without Kurtzman, it's unlikely we'd have had Airplane, SNL, or National Lampoon.
The Art of Harvey Kurtzman is the first and only authorized celebration of this "Master of American Comics." This definitive book includes hundreds of never-before-seen illustrations, paintings, pencil sketches, newly discovered lost E.C. Comics layouts, color compositions, illustrated correspondence, and vintage photos from the rich Kurtzman archives

Batman: Heart of Hush
Author Paul Dini and illustrator Dustin Nguyen

The villain named Hush, created by comic superstars Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, makes a dramatic return to the life of Batman. What will this mean for Bruce Wayne? Secrets shared years ago between Bruce Wayne and Tommy Elliott begin to have dangerous repercussions in the present. Why is this mystery driving Hush to destroy Batman's life? What part does Catwoman play in Hush's plans?

Justice Society of America Vol. 2: Thy Kingdom Come, Part 1
Geoff Johns (Author), Alex Ross (Author), Dale Eaglesham (Illustrator), Fernando Pasarin (Illustrator)

The worlds first super-team is renewed by a new generation of heroes, promising to uphold the legacy of their predecessors and inspire other heroes across the world. This second volume, written by Geoff Johns, the acclaimed writer of INFINITE CRISIS, focuses on the individual members of the team.Nathan Heywood, the grandson of Commander Steel, awakens to find himself transformed into the teams newest member, Citizen Steel.All American powerhouse Liberty Belle races to stop the Justice Society's troubled young recruit, Damage, from making the worst mistake of his life.Plus, the secrets of 52 begin to reveal themselves to the Justice Society.

Exodyssey: Visual Development of an epic adventure by Steambot Studios

STEAMBOT Studios is finally releasing their first art book called Exodyssey: Visual Development of an epic adventure by Steambot Studios. They have created concept art for big name clients including EA, Ubisoft, Disney, Hasbro etc. They are into concept design, 3D asset development, matte painting, high-end illustration, consulting and seminars.

To get a feel of what's to come in their art book, just check out their gallery at www.steambotstudios.com. They also have a blog at steambotstudios.blogspot.com.

This is one art book I'm pretty excited to get.

Press release from Don Hahn:

I am so pleased to announce that for the first time ever, we have assembled all of Walt Stanchfield’s amazing handout notes and lectures into a two volume collection titled, DRAWN TO LIFE - 20 GOLDEN YEARS OF DISNEY MASTER CLASSES. Walt was an animator, trainer, mentor and coach for decades at Disney and helped breathe life into the new golden age of animation with his teachings. He influenced such talented artists as Tim Burton, Brad Bird, John Musker, Glen Keane, Andreas Deja and John Lasseter.

To me, DRAWN TO LIFE is one the strongest primers on animation ever written. The material spares no detail on the craft of animation, but also digs deep into the artistic roots of animation. It is a publication that has been anticipated for many years by every artist and student that Walt ever came in contact with. It has been a labor of love for me and I am so proud that Walt’s teachings will live on in these two volumes.

You can also view a trailer at donhahn.com and very soon, this trailer will be available on focalpress.com and amazon.com. Both volumes will be available in bookstores on March 27.