Sunday, December 9, 2012

2nd Annual Calendar Contest Winners


After this, I hope to be posting a follow up discussing some of the other pieces that came really, really, close to being the main picks. I feel that's very important, because it truly was so incredibly close for so many of them... Plus, I still want to come back and comment on everyone's piece! Unfortunate timing occasionally prevented me from commenting on an entry, and it's been driving me crazy. I'll also be re-checking the entries on flickr soon; making sure all the links and info for the pieces are up-to-date.




This selection was really hard to make. Thank you to everyone who entered and made this so difficult and amazing at the same time. I hope you will join us again next year. And thank you for bearing with me; it's been over a week since the contest deadline passed and I know how long that must have felt. There were over 30 pieces on the table that could have been the final picks, (and that wasn't including the ones I loved but knew would be harder to read when printed,) and really: any of those would have been great choices. While I originally narrowed it down by doing things like, selecting ones that I thought fit the theme the best, seemed well thought out, inspired, would print well, were the most "skillfully" done, had good polish, and were ones that just spoke to me or were pieces I thought would speak to the most fans: Out of those, what ended up influencing the very final choices was that I, basically, tried for the most variety.

About the free-downloadable calendar:
These are merely my choices for the main calendar and the 12 prizes. But the real point of this yearly event is to have a free, downloadable, fan-calendar that any Zelda fan would like: so, if you have other favorites, and simply want to make a calendar with the pieces you would have chosen: Please know that ALL the entries will be on the site, with a blank template, so you can make your own version of the calendar. You don't have to stick with my choices. I'll be making another announcement when the new calendar and the blank templates are ready. It might take me a little while, but it will be finished before January.

Last year's calendar, and entries, can be found here. As soon as I make the template for the 2013 calendar, you can even use last year's entries for your new 2013 calendar too. That's one of the reasons I always want them to be the same size ratio. :)

And please remember:
Each and every one of the artists involved only deserve positive feedback; everyone did an amazing job, and these picks were extremely difficult because of that. These are only the results based on my, (and another judge's,) final decision. If you disagree with me, don't take it out on any of the artists. These were my choices, not theirs. I ultimately wanted this contest to be about encouragement. I know 99% of you are awesome and that this hardly needs to be said, but; I know not winning is incredibly discouraging, but please avoid leaving public comments on any of the entries saying someone else should have been picked for one of these spots. If you want to tell someone you feel they should have won over someone else, then consider that notes and email may be a kinder option. Thank you for understanding! ♥

Final Participation Prize:
I'll try to do the lottery-style drawing for the last participation prize very soon. Remember that the 12 finalists, and the other early participation prize winners, will be excluded from this final prize drawing to ensure that at least one more artist has a chance to win something in this event. I'll be updating the list on this post so you can see who is eligible. This means you still have time to double check things for me: If you entered, but your name is not on that list, let me know ASAP! Once we do the prize drawing; there is no going back.


*** The 12 Winners ***
(If you're one of these 12, please check your email. I sent you some info before I hit post here)


January


Artist's Name: Shadottie
Website: http://shadidraws.tumblr.com/
Image Location: http://shadidraws.tumblr.com/post/36891967996/this-moment-in-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of

Artist's Summary: "This Moment"
This moment in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will always be special to me. I was really young when this game was first released, and there were many things that terrified me in game. But I pressed on, got through my fears, even if it took years, and made it to the end. It was incredibly rewarding to finally defeat Ganondorf, hit the credits, and find that all the people of Hyrule were gathered in one place, celebrating this victory. Hyrule can finally live peace and prosperity.

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: The artist managed to take a scene from the game, one that I did not even like originally, and they turned it into something I love. It really gives that moment life & it's just got a great feel as an art piece. They way they used the sage's colors was really fun and, while the vibrant colors are throughout the whole piece, they don't come off as being too overbearing. Like all great art, they seem to have found the right balance. Including detail, and lack there of: it's really the right amount of everything. Plus, the composition is just really good and the whole thing reads very well~ even printed. It's also a celebration of one of the most important moment's in Hyrule History: the triumph of the Hero, instead of Hyrule's fall into the Era of Decline. So it's a HUGE one for the theme of the contest.

...And doesn't it make a great piece for bringing in the New Year? It's every friend out celebrating under a brilliant night sky. Perfect!


February


Artist's Name: Hadece
Website: http://hadece.deviantart.com/
Image Location: http://hadece.deviantart.com/art/Zelda-Until-the-last-Breath-340206714

Artist's Summary: "Until the last Breath"
"Young lad, do you plan fighting the mighty beast Ganon? It once was a proud man, blessed with a bright mind and immense power by the goddesses. But he strived for too much. So when he gained the land he desired for, his mind fell to the darkness.
The man was swallowed, leaving behind a struggling beast. Now it is not more than a wild animal, blind of anger and desperation, waiting for someone to finally release it.
Will you have the courage to strike the giant, young lad?

So go on.

But it is dangerous out there. Take this."

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: Well, for one: It's goregous. The detail is awesome and it's so well done. It doesn't just look like it: it feels like it's taking place in an old, lost, realm. Some place that is not use to being disturbed. Some place that you shouldn't be disturbing. Just like how it can feel sometimes when you wander alone through an empty cave, ruined castle, or old forest. (Or; like how the old Zelda often games felt to me.) Somehow it feels quite, and eerie, like the moment is frozen- like you're catching your breath: It really is the moment of realization that the power of destruction is going to be crashing towards you. I love how the pillars are showing the history, they're so much fun to decipher. The lighting composition is amazing.

Maybe I picked it for the February slot because it has a cold, almost lonely, feeling to it. Link is alone and has that to face. And February has always felt like the coldest month to me.


March


Artist's Name: Mikey Patch
Website: http://irontree.deviantart.com/
Image Location: http://irontree.deviantart.com/art/The-Legend-of-Zelda-Shadow-of-Katirok-End-Duel-340525578

Artist's Summary: "End Duel"
This is a scene from the final battle between Link and the Sheikahn dark wizard Agahnim in the "Shadow of Katirok" fan story - written by Andy Pinkston and Mikey Patch

"Some time ago, before the King of Hyrule unified this country, there was a fierce war in our world."
— Deku Tree Sprout

Link awakens from a terrible dream of war and destruction. The last time he dreamt of something so significant, Hyrule was overthrown by the bearer of the triforce of power. He had to travel through time to change the course of history. But maybe this change made a new path for evil to tread.

During the Hyrulean civil war for the Triforce and the sacred realm, 2 warriors saved Hyrule from the Garo interlopers from the north. One (the most powerful) was a Fierce and loyal knight of the King named Ealit, and the other was the prodigy of the sheikah named Agahnim. Under the direction of the Majune, the matriarch of the sheikah, Agahnim betrayed Ealit and the king in a plot for obtaining the triforce. The traitor sheikahs were executed and Agahnim was banished to the desolate land of the Garo in the north called Katirok.

8 years later, the time of peace granted by the Hero of Times victory, is coming to an end. Agahnim survived, and has returned far more powerful that ever before. Link must find a fierce power from the past in order to protect the future.

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: This is one of those pieces where it just feels enough like an actual Zelda game or story that you'd hardly question it. Every element in it is something that already fits with what we've seen from the franchise, but it's all new and the piece makes its own story. It feels like it adds to the series. It's gratifying. It's so amazingly well done. All of that is impressive; it's an extremely impressive piece in every regard. And I love seeing an Agahnim-like entity more of a "modern" Sheikah's garb; it really works for that character's concept to have more than just The Eye on his robes. Kind of marries that symbol from A Link to the Past with what was seen in Ocarina of Time and the later games.

I kept thinking of the betrayal aspect that was so integral to Agahnim's story~ that I guess I placed it in March for some loose, conceptual, "Ides of March" tie in. Plus, the name "March" coming from the celebration of the god "Mars" -Having a violent piece for the month seemed quite a decent fit. The colors are beautiful and seemed to work well for the time of year too.


April


Artist's Name: Evelmiina
Website: http://evelmiina.deviantart.com/
Image Location: http://evelmiina.deviantart.com/art/Fate-of-the-Trinity-pirates-339702256

Artist's Summary: "Fate of the Trinity Pirates"
Long before birth of the hero of the wind, a small group of pirates became notorious for their hunt of what was known as golden triumph forks. They were fearsome, for they used whatever means, once they got a whiff of the prize. Some thought, that gods themselves punished them for their arrogance. However it was, they perished at the sea.

A bit of this and that, I thought it’d be interesting if it was their ship that is the ghost ship in the wind waker. Even after their death, the ship wanders about carrying the memory of their failed mission. As for their looks, I thought it’s interesting contradiction that they resemble the three goddesses, but whether they actually are their incarnations or not, who knows.

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: This is another one of those pieces that, while it didn't really happen, I want it to happen. I can believe it happened. It creates a side story that gives an almost inconsequential aspect of the game, that seemed small to me until now, a really great depth. It's a really fun thing to think about. I love how it feels like a last desperate stand of people to whom fighting is familiar, and also feels as if it's the persona of the ship. There's so much glorious attitude to this piece. I love the style, the look, the character design. I love picking apart the details. It's just really damn cool. And the piece is so successful because it creates its own story in your mind. The artist's description sums everything up so wonderfully; but you wouldn't have to read that to get a similarly amazing story from it. It made a tale, a legend, that will be told as a part of the history of Hyrule.

As for the month? I tend to always think that something storm related can work well for April.


May


Artist's Name: Karlen T.
Website: http://kgoggles.deviantart.com/
Image Location: http://kgoggles.deviantart.com/art/Leaving-the-Forest-313419666

Artist's Summary: "Leaving the Forest"
"When you play my Ocarina, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit." - Saria

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: I love the peaceful feel. I love how it shows a whole region (and without it feeling forced together.) It's all encompassing and sums the moment up so well. It's beautiful; just like the Kokiri Forest should be. The work of art exemplifies why it must have been so hard for Link to leave. (...Yet Saria looks so assuring because she know's it's right! You have to go. But, in that moment, as far as she and you know, the she and the forest will always be there for you to return to.) The piece personifies charm: and there's hardly a more charming moment in the series. It's everything it should be; except, I think it makes it even better. So well done!

Picked for May, because it's such a beautiful "spring-like" piece, a time when the world is young and green.


June


Artist's Name: Skull the Kid
Website: http://skull-the-kid.deviantart.com/
Image Location: http://skull-the-kid.deviantart.com/art/The-War-of-the-Kings-and-the-flood-of-Hyrule-339902948

Artist's Summary: "The War of the Kings and the Flood of Hyrule"
I chose my favourite part of the Legend of Zelda mythos and probably the most tragic of all: the very end of Hyrule.

The vain struggles for survival of the kingdom against Ganondorf, the Goddesses act of the flooding and the exodus that lead to the civilizations of the Great Sea.
The best way to describe this image could be quoting Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule himself:

Once, long ago, this land of Hyrule was turned into a world of shadows by Ganon who sought to obtain the power of the Gods for his evil ends. My power alone could not stop the fiend, and our only choice was to leave the fate of the kingdom in the hands of the Gods...

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: Great style (it also prints so beautifully!) and very clever. It's familiar, like the official Wind Waker art, but it's actually a very different style, and it's so skillfully done. While still retaining a look that's extremely modern and very appropriate for videogames, (like the Wind Waker, of course) it also manages to merge the feel of the official art, and our real-world's old-world style, perfectly and without flaw. I'm very impressed. The details are great and tell so much of the story~ This piece makes me want to see one of Hyrule's books on history illustrated in this way, or walk down a hallway lined in tapestries like this. For some reason I really get caught up with how Ganon's cloak encompass destruction, of villages by flame, while King Daphnes's is not just the people of Hyrule, but it seems to give us the feeling that he is their hope as well. I love those two parts so much. The swirls (the circular graphic design aspect) of the monsters is enviable. This piece includes so many series details without feeling as crammed as that many details should have to make it feel: in other words, to write about everything shown here would take many, many pages. This piece is a wonderfully thought out, passionate and succinct, visual summary of so much of the series.

The colors, the imagery that's a little fiery and a lot of water; it seemed to make a decent choice for a summer month. June it was.


July


Artist's Name: Josh
Website: http://xxkuronoxx.deviantart.com/
Image Location: http://xxkuronoxx.deviantart.com/art/The-Hylian-Charge-338063517

Artist's Summary: "The Hylian Charge"
Just before Link enters the Twilight Realm one last time with Midna, he leads the Hylian army to push back the corrupt Twili forces back into their realm.

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: Goodness, we really needed a good war piece for this theme. (We got two true ones and, man, it was hard to pick between them.) There could probably be articles and article's written about "Hyrule's Forgotten Wars." There's so much talk of them in the series, so many hints; but I think that it's such a complicated thing to actually draw that we never really see them depicted in full scenes. We don't even see them in the games because, (even still!) they'd be so incredibly taxing on the systems. This artist really took the task to heart and it shows. This is beautifully done; there's so much detail, and the mastery of color, and the coloring for the lighting, is something I will never get tired of going over. The moment feels desperate, and it feels valiant. It's not just Link, but all the people of Hyrule, fighting for their homeland.

July is a good war month, with so many country's "independence days" happen during this time.


August


Artist's Name: Aquanut
Website: http://aquanut.deviantart.com/
Image Location: http://aquanut.deviantart.com/art/Book-of-Mudora-340721361

Artist's Summary: "Book of Mudora"
Link fulfilling the prophecy about using the Book of Mudora to translate the stone tablet in the desert. I like the idea that the Book of Mudora contains the records of Hyrule's history as well as being a translation key, so the Hylian spilling from the book is spelling out some lines from OoT's creation myth.

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick:  A forgotten language rediscovered! The past comes into the future and  history is brought into relevancy again; It's not just legend anymore. It's the moment the quest can move forward and new realms open -thanks to what the ancients left behind. If not for that book, so much would have been lost. There would have been no way to connect the past and future people of Hyrule. It's one of those moments where the importance of the in-game items is really highlighted. When the game design works realistically. I think it's kind of easy to forget about stories being behind the items, or just not think about them as anything at all, since there are so many you grab along the way: but seeing it as an illustrated scene really helps them make an impact. The designers actually thought about how things could work- they gave items a little story, they placed design features in the game, (like monoliths with a lost language,) to make sure things made sense for the player. It's simple concept, but often over looked in games. It's not just some random mechanic. And, as a work of art: This piece has great design, great color, and it really feels like the game should. I love that it's like a sandstone desert with the light just peeking over the ridges, the dark storms looming in the background. It's how I pictured the top of those rocks, by the desert, in a Link to the Past to be; yet this is even more vibrant and foreboding. It was a wonderful concept to pick for this theme, especially since it was so inspired by the release of the book "Hyrule Historia." (You know, it was released on December 15th in Japan.. so we're only 6 days away before the 1 year anniversary of it!)

Besides the colors seeming a great fit for August: I'm so sorry but... I couldn't help but place it here as a reminder that you're probably about to start yet another year at school. TIME TO OPEN THOSE BOOKS!


September


Artist's Name: Ebillan
Website: http://ebillan.deviantart.com/
Image Location: http://ebillan.deviantart.com/art/The-Arrival-of-Demise-323149918

Artist's Summary: "The Arrival of Demise"
When the gods of old left the world they created, they trusted their ultimate power, the Triforce, to the hands of Hylia so that she could protect it. She did so throughout the Era of the Goddess Hylia until one day a crack opened up in the earth and the Demon King Demise and his demonic hordes came forth from the fissure...

In order to prevent the great power from falling into the hands of Demise, Hylia gathered the humans and sent them skyward with the Triforce, beyond the reach of evil forces wrecking havoc upon the surface world.

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick:  I LOVE the atmosphere in this. There were a lot of really great "beginning of Hyrule" pieces; but this one seemed like the perfect moment to really define the history of the land. The dread and the hope that came to fruition at this moment; the piece made an impact on me. It shows a real turning point~ when darkness comes to the land and the golden power is placed out of the reach. I also really enjoy the fact that, even though these aren't colors I would normally like in a piece of art; I love them here, they're simply perfect. Again, I think this is a piece that has just the right amount of detail, and just the right details.

The colors, and the mood, seemed to make it a great choice for the beginning of fall.


October


Artist's Name: Tawny
Website: http://niraven.deviantart.com/
Image Location: http://niraven.deviantart.com/art/The-Ancient-Power-334435768

Artist's Summary: "The Ancient Power"
“It is called Majora's Mask. It is an accursed item from legend that is said to have been used by an ancient tribe in its hexing rituals. It is said that an evil and wicked power is bestowed upon the one who wears that mask. According to legend... the troubles caused by Majora's Mask were so great... the ancient ones, fearing such catastrophe, sealed the mask in shadow forever, preventing it's misuse. But now, that tribe from the legend has vanished, so no one really knows the true nature of the mask's power...”

A theory I decided to put into motion. Impa enters the Lanaryu Mining Facility of the Past with a Timeshift Stone, in order to remove Majora's Mask and seal it away in shadow. After viewing the extinction of the Ancient Robots, it was clear Hyrule's safety was at stake. When I first played Skyward Sword, I was immediately struck by the similarity in the music between Lanaryu Mining Facility and Majora's Mask's theme. I found the vibrant colors reminiscent of the mask, and found it interesting that even if the Thunder Dragon was saved, the Ancient Robots still all died out. I theorized they could have discovered or created the Mask, seeking an alternate power source as the Thunder Dragon ailed. Electricity could easily be viewed as “a hexing ritual” by the rather medieval races that we've seen throughout Zelda games. Impa's time portal also very much reminded me of the portal through which Link enters Terminia, which is often referred to as “Hyrule's shadow”. There are so many more details I could share on similarities, but then this description would go on and on and on-- my original document going over similarities was well over 900 words. So, I will spare you reading it here and instead let my artwork tell the story.

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: Very pretty and very well designed as a work of art. Conceptually mind blowing ...just perfection. AKA: It doesn't have to be real to feel real. It's simply fun to think this. It's simply fun to have an explanation like this. It inspires! This is a muse. This is a reason to want to go back through each game and explore every detail of the series in depth and let your mind just expand them. This piece takes such amazing, and kind of mysterious, aspects and very important tales from two great games and merges them to make a really cool moment and idea happen. It expands and explains. Please let yourself get carried away in the artist's summary.

Why October? Colors and, heh, of course: a mask.


November


Artist's Name: Cojirou
Website: http://cojirou.deviantart.com/
Image Location: http://cojirou.deviantart.com/art/The-Recording-of-the-History-of-Hyrule-311782913

Artist's Summary: "The Recording of the History of Hyrule"
I chose to paint the painting of the painting of the Royal Family found in Wind Waker's Hyrule Castle. I adore that game. No long description history behind this picture, because well... it's pretty self explanatory.

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick:  As soon as you see this piece I hope you say what I said~ that there could not have been a more perfect moment to choose for this contest. It's one of those things I hate myself for not thinking of because it just needed to be. This needed to exist. It seems real because it had to be real, this moment had to happen at some point in time for that picture in the Wind Waker to exist. (And the revelation found in that portrait was such an important one in the game.) Plus, the style is so insanely perfect! The artist did such a remarkable job re-creating the right look and feel! Bravo!

Loosely chosen for November because of everyone getting together, and the colors, kind of reminded me of the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.

December


Artist's Name: Breana Melvin
Website: http://89ravenclaw.deviantart.com/
Image Location: http://89ravenclaw.deviantart.com/art/Finding-the-Master-Sword-317954642

Artist's Summary: "Finding the Master Sword"
Link finds the timeless Master Sword, hidden and forgotten by the world.

Some Brief Reasons for the Pick:  Again, it never happens in the game: but it does happen, doesn't it? Another Link, from some other time and place, finds what everyone has forgotten was anything but legend. How can we forget the importance of the sword? Without it Hyrule would have been doomed many times over. It's also just an amazing piece of art; not just for winter, it's goregous in every way. It has such a sense of wonder about it; one that can hardly be explained.

A pick for December because I hope everyone has a beautiful winter; filled with everything they want and need!

All of you, thanks so much for helping make this event great!
~Melora
(There are probably typos I will come back and fix; I've had a small cold ;p forgive my awful writing!)

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Amazing News: Nintendo Making Sure Their Copyright Works With a Fan Project?

A source for this can be found on the project's facebook group. Visit: http://zreomusic.com and http://twilight-symphony.com for more info on their projects.

Quote:
“Hey fans, we have a very important, yet exciting update! Those of you wondering what is causing the delay, continue reading.

Some of the top people at Nintendo have taken notice of the project and have become involved in an advisory capacity.

Nintendo wants to make sure our entire project is consistent with their brand identity. This is the largest fan-project of its kind, and the first time that a lot of this material will be legally available to the public beyond the game that made it popular. Joypad Records is currently working with Nintendo's head of copyright to make sure that this release complies with their wishes, above and beyond what is required by law. However, most of the changes Nintendo has asked us to incorporate are cosmetic, and should not affect the audio quality or physical packaging of Twilight Symphony as originally advertised.

Because of this, discs aren't expected to be finalized, pressed, and shipped until early-to-mid December. Unfortunately this also impacts the digital release, so we are unable to distribute the digital album until we receive the green light from Nintendo. Fear not! We ask that you please understand the situation and know that we are working very hard in conjunction with Joypad Records and Nintendo to bring this release to you as quickly as possible.

This is the end of a very long road for our team, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we bring all of this to a proper, successful, celebratory close. Thank you for your undying support.

Your friends,
The Twilight Symphony Team”

News via ZeldaInformer

Because I want to post on a conversation from a forum...

Dejeckt and Vinny, and the other guys from the Cheap Ass Gamer forum (Hey there!): I know this is... a weird way to do things but, eh, what ever. It won't let me post on the forum because I just registered and 'I have to wait a few days for posting or PMing privileges' but maybe you'll see this? It's about the "500" copies thing (and my rep, lol. In the 10 years I've been doing this, I do try my best, especially when it comes to keeping info straight ;) Maybe someone will post this post as a quote over there for me? :3 ? At least until I can join in:

"According to this blog http://historyofhyrule.blogspot.com/...or-hyrule.html (keep in mind that I don't know how reliable this is); it seems that each major online retailers got 500 copies each to sell. So if we consider Amazon, TFAW, and B&N sold entirety of their allotted amount then there should be 2500 copies still unaccounted for."

"If the History of Hyrule blog is accurate about each retailer getting 500 copies, which seems plausible given how quickly these sold out, that only leaves 500 copies unaccounted for. Those 500 copies are likely what's going to individual comic book stores. "

I know it doesn't make the biggest difference but, the quote from Dark Horse I had posted only applied to B&N getting 500. And... it was only from their Facebook page: so that's probably something to take into consideration as well. I don't know (and never said that I knew) what the allotted numbers were for other shops, so I'm also unsure how many copies would be un-accounted for still. (Though, hey, it wouldn't be surprising if each place only got 500. It's a nice, round, number) Here's what I had posted from Dark Horse:

"B&N will get 500 Copies and it's up to them how they sell those. However, if for whatever reason B&N doesn't work out the following retailers will also have copies. This is a Limited Edition and we have to be fair to as many retailers as we can who want to sell the book."

The context for where it came from is: A few months ago I contacted the book's English editor about Hyrule Historia's page count discrepancy, and then again to let him know their stores and press releases never updated to the correct number of pages. People were asking about it on Dark Horse's Facebook page, etc. It seems the Editor may have told the company's Facebook admin what was actually correct, because the next day they were releasing their page count correction statement as a response to all the comments on the matter. They also posted that above quote as a response during that time. (It's still probably in the more recent comments there.)

So, yeah: I also wonder how many are still left to go around.

BigPopov, thank you for posting about Diamond's history with distribution orders. I'd like to mention that when reminding people they can try the actual "brick and mortar" comic book shop option.

Euripides, thank you, this is also really good (and sad) to know. I've never purchased through them before, and I know people have had questions about it, so it's another one of those things I can pass along if asked  "I have had this happen before with B&N for some other special edition books. Most orders will remain open until the release date. Then some will ship and others will get delay notices followed by a cancelation email a day or two later.

To add insult to injury it does not matter when you place an order as I have seen orders placed after me go out first (last in first out)."

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Some Limited Edition Hyrule Historia Pre-Orders Are Getting Canceled

I couldn't think of a good, calmer, headline~ but please don't freak out, and don't freak others out: Just, if you pre-ordered the Limited Edition of Hyrule Historia (not the regular edition that has been for pre-order for a while) check your order status. Some have been canceled.

(For more news and info on Hyrule Historia, please see the blog's Hyrule Historia tag)

The most sane and reasonable explanation at this point is semi-unconfirmed (I will update when there's an official link/letter) but it's that the online shops like Amazon.ca (Not amazon.com) and Barnes and Noble posted the listings without knowing that there would be limited copies, or at least that they would have such a limited number of copies: so they over sold the amount they were actually going to be allotted.

I have not heard about any cancellations from Amazon.com or TFAW yet: so please don't assume the worst. Dark Horse has no news on this, certainly no bad news, so this really just seems like a problem with those specific shops, and the shops alone. (Or it was a problem with Dark Horse communicating with those shops: but, from the customer's end, that equals the same problem of not having their orders filled.)

So, yes, that explanation is sort of speculation, but it also makes the most sense at this point. From my experience, it sounds right. So, until I hear more, I'd say that's the best thing to think. Again, I will update if we can get hard evidence that is the case. People are being very informative and helping us by sharing their information.

There is absolutely no reason to think that all Limited Edition orders have been canceled. Dark Horse was very clear about them releasing this Limited Edition version of the book. Common sense seems to dictate that they would have been the first to announce if there was a problem with the release. And there is also, ABSOLUTELY, no reason to think that there will be any cancellations of the regular edition. Again, this just seems to be a problem with a few orders from a few shops for the limited release of newly announced Limited Edition.

***

At this point, from what I am hearing, it sounds like most Amazon.ca orders (again, that is not amazon.com, it is the Canadian version of Amazon that is experiencing the problem) were canceled and that only some of the Barnes and Noble orders were canceled: Many orders from B&N still seem to be valid at this point. We have conformations from a lot of Barnes and Nobel customers that their orders were either canceled, or are still good.

-- If you ordered from Barnes and Noble, you actually have to go check your order status. So do that now.

-- Amazon.ca sent out emails letting customers know about the cancellation  the wording was atrocious, but more about that below.

And feel free to let us know the results; good or bad news, it will probably help assure a lot of other fans and give them more of a clear idea of what they need to do. (Like, they might need to re-order the regular edition, because many people canceled their normal pre-order to get the Limited Edition)

***

Now, I'm going to post more about this below but, first, if you use Facebook, go to our group here and check out the posts and comments: http://www.facebook.com/pages/NoA-Please-bring-us-Hyrule-Historia-in-English/316841885016483

It's where people are posting about it, and where I'm staying more up to date (The admin posts there are by me and I try to make sure the info I post under the group's name is confirmed, or I will say otherwise)

Here is the original blog post by Dark Horse saying which stores would be getting copies of the Limited Edition Hyrule Historia. http://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/1195/hyrule-historia-limited-edition and here is what they said:


"The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Collector’s Edition is on sale February 12th, 2013 for $69.99 and will be available in limited quantities at the following retailers:
- Nintendo World Store
- Think Geek
- Things From Another World
- Forbidden Planet UK
- PBM (Holland)
- Amazon.com
- Barnes & Noble (online)
Additionally, this book can be preordered from your local comic shop. Call them today and reserve your copy! To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook or visit ComicShopLocator.com."

Notice that last part: That might be your saving grace. Dark Horse does love actual Comic Book shops, so I really do think there's a chance they allocated a number for special orders coming in from brick & mortar comic book stores. Call your local one up and see if they can get you a copy.

Also, and I'm saying this only out of past experience with other special order items: if you ordered from an online store that is not on that above list from Dark Horse, please be semi-skeptical of your order and check in on it. If it were me, I would not think it would be honored, especially since some are promising things that sound too good to be true. Dark Horse was oddly specific with where copies were going; I don't see why an unnamed online store would be getting them in. But, on the other hand, I am also not familiar with some of the web-shops people are saying they've used; and maybe those places ARE just really good about securing pre-orders. (That can often be the case & you'd know your online shops better than me.)

I posted about this a few days ago but, again, if your order was canceled on you or you did not get an order in, all I can think of is that: Some of the stores Dark Horse listed as having been promised copies have not seemed to offer them for sale yet. This is what I said: "Amazon.com appears to have sold out on day 1. Barnes and Noble: late on day 1, or day 2. TFAW: Day 3 (today.) Nintendo World Store does not do online or phone orders, and I can't assume how to purchase in the store since the book is not out until next year. I can not find a listing for Hyrule Historia on Think Geek, Forbidden Planet UK, or PBM- (Please feel free to double check, I can miss things) which are the other stores Dark Horse mentioned would be getting copies. This may mean they have not tried to sell their copies yet; so you may have more opportunities to purchase the book (outside of ebay.)" And, again, keep the comic book store option in mind.

***

Here's one of my older Facebook posts on the matter that also helps explain what is going on:
Yes; we're hearing that Amazon.ca canceled the Limited Edition orders on people. I don't know if this is for everyone who ordered from them, or just a few people. If you know of other cancellations, please let us know! If you ordered from Amazon.ca and DID NOT get a cancellation email, please let us know too. Keep in mind: This is for the special edition, not the regular one that's been for pre-order for a while. (There's no reason to think that one would be canceled, sounds like they're making a butt-load of those.) Brandi shared with us the letter Amazon.CA is sending out for the Limited Edition cancellation, it reads: "We're sorry to report the release of the following item has been cancelled:

Shigeru Miyamoto, et al "The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Limited Collector's Edition"

Although we'd expected to be able to send this item to you, we've since found it won't be released after all. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience we've caused you."

Again, as far as I know: Even though it says "won't be released at all" this is ONLY for people who ordered from Amazon's CANADIAN branch. There's no reason at all, right now, to think that the book pre-orders have been canceled for anyone else. Dark Horse has been very clear about their release of this product, even making a video for it. We know that Dark Horse (the publisher) said certain stores would be getting a certain number of copies each. Amazon WAS one of these stores, but it was Amazon.com not Amazon.ca. This may be the important detail. I think it shouldn't make a difference but, my assumption would be that, they may have just listed it on Amazon.ca because there was a listing for them on Amazon.com; not knowing that it was in such limited supply: so they've had to back-track. That is technically an assumption on my part, but it's my best one at this point based on all the dealings I've had with publishers and just ordering from Amazon throughout the years. But, yes, please let us know if you also get a cancellation notification, and where it was from- Even if just so other fans can know what to expect. Or, if you talk to one of these companies, let us know what they told you.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

New Entries Uploaded (With UPDATES): Check for Yours & Just Hours Left!

I have responded to all the contest emails that had entries in them. (I still have a few non-entry emails left.) If you have not heard back about yours, please resend with the image attached and comment here or note me on DA or Facebook to let me know it's not going through so I can add your email to the contest email's safe list.

We currently have over 126 beautiful pieces by 110 amazing artists!



If you do not see your entry in the flickr gallery, let me know ASAP. I need you to help me double check these things. If it is not in there, there is a small risk it will get missed for judging, (though I will do another pass through of all the emails before I start, just to be safe) so your help is appreciated! Below I will post the list of current participants with valid entries in. Check that for your name as well. I will be updating this list until the contest deadline happens.

You can also find the ones from DeviantART (it's not all of them, just the ones on DA) in this group folder. Please honor the artists and leave them a nice comment if you have some time! Thank you to everyone!

You still have until midnight, PST, November 30th, 2012, to get in entries and updates! That's around a day and a half left to do what ever you need to do! But, please do not wait any longer than you have to get something in. Emails sometimes error and I can not make exceptions on the deadline. The "midnight" deadline is slightly loose in the sense that, as long as your entry is in my mail box by the time I check it, it will be counted. If it comes in while I'm checking, that's too late. So, while that gives you a few extra moments, do not risk waiting a second past midnight, November 30th, on this PST Time Zone clock.

And, yes, you can update anything about your piece all the way until the deadline. Including the art. You can even update it after the deadline, but anything that comes in after the deadline will not be counted towards or judged for the contest: it will only be included with the other entries for the spirit of the event and so people can use it on their calendars if they want. Basically: If you finish late, or want to change something later, you can still send your piece in to be included with the other calendar pieces, but anything that comes in after the deadline will not count towards the "contest" part of the event. Only what I have AT the deadline will count towards the contest.

EVERYTHING must go to the contest email, historyofhyrule.contests@gmail.com  I can not accept notes or comment, anywhere, as valid entries unless we agree to it before hand. Other notes and comments can only be used to notify me if you think something has gone wrong.

& thank you to everyone who has entered so far, everyone who is going to enter, to the people who have commented on entries, and to everyone who has shown interest in it! I can't wait; it's so exciting! Good luck to you all!


This list of current participants:
Being updated as they come in...
  1. Linksliltri4ce
  2. Paper-Plate
  3. Robson B.
  4. Drisana Rodriguez-Martin
  5. Poly
  6. Mizueyes777
  7. Bookwormtiff
  8. Val Toukatly
  9. KingdomTwilightXIII
  10. Christian H.
  11. Ryttu3k
  12. Doudet
  13. SYChunsa
  14. Kylias Darkheart
  15. Erika P.
  16. Kyle L.
  17. mrpretzel
  18. Gakoru
  19. Elizabeth R.
  20. Clara B.
  21. Ashleigh
  22. Julieta
  23. Gimme
  24. Kreus
  25. Miniktty
  26. ApplejackMan
  27. Link24656
  28. Ryuupix
  29. Kyasarin Mire
  30. Jujulica
  31. Karnella
  32. Lisa H.
  33. Kudaku
  34. Fainttos
  35. Song C.
  36. BunBun
  37. Carolyn D.
  38. StardustFawkes
  39. Nummonkee
  40. Kichisu
  41. Zelidnia
  42. Lunasatomi
  43. Polina T.
  44. Miry
  45. FierceDeku
  46. Leeatard0
  47. Dagronrat
  48. Christin
  49. Ryoga
  50. Kuurankukka
  51. Leia C.
  52. AttractiveAustrianAristocrat
  53. Amber W.
  54. The Williams'
  55. Evanatt
  56. Pizza Breath the Awesome
  57. Chato Jr.
  58. Methuselah-Alchemist
  59. Aud Green
  60. Mellifera-imiya
  61. Link Fanatic
  62. Monkeykaos
  63. Byrch
  64. Malu CLBS
  65. Blackash
  66. S.C.
  67. Katie L.
  68. Steh-chan
  69. Zalogero
  70. Luluchia
  71. Gizmo
  72. Ideya-Freak
  73. Pandora
  74. Scowling Elf
  75. NelmaThyria
  76. Uni
  77. Gabriela Birchal
  78. Ponthion
  79. WhiteFoxCub
  80. Wings33
  81. RikkidoSnake
  82. Ari
  83. Niram
  84. Keyshe54
  85. ViridianRain
  86. Ferisae
  87. Majora
  88. 8-Bit-Hobo
  89. Kuroari (Wow! 100 plus the 3 below! 103 artists!)
  90. Stephanie J.
  91. Fenrisfang
  92. Seeburglar
  93. Sophie T.
  94. 7essa!
  95. Evergreen13
  96. Green Tea of Death
  97. The Great Ahtnamas
  98. Andrei Abismo
12 Main Calendar Winners:
  1. Karlen T.
  2. Cojirou
  3. Breana Melvin
  4. Aquanut
  5. Shadottie
  6. Mikey Patch
  7. Evelmiina
  8. Hadece
  9. Skull the Kid
  10. Josh
  11. Ebillan
  12. Tawny
Participation Prize Winners: (They are removed from the above list simply because they already won one. This way their number wont be drawn for future participation prize lotteries. They are still eligible for one of the 12 calendar spots though! No worries):
  1. Waffletea
  2. Ebillan
  3. Hina-ichigo

Out due to art issue, at least until reply is received: (Please email me back if you want to be counted in!)
  1. Leah
  2. Crystal M.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Confirmed: Spanish Language Hyrule Historia



Huge thanks to David Garcia Abril and Aitor Ramajo Olazabal for confirming this information and providing the links and info. They said:

"It basically says that Norma Editorial presented in the last "Salón del manga de Barcelona" (Manga saloon of Barcelona, the biggest manga and anime convention in Spain) that they will translate and publish the book in Spain next year, although they haven't said exactly when.

The rest of the new just describes what's in the book (not entirely accurately, I might add), including mentioning the timeline.

PS: Norma Editorial was also the publisher of the Zelda mangas in Spain. I guess that made the deal easier for them."

and...

" [...] Iit was confirmed during a manga convention, the publisher has already worked with dark horse comics and publishes the zelda mangas. Here is a live feed of Norma's presentation were it was announced (16:39)"

Since I don't really speak Spanish (I can only understand some when I hear it) I'm relying on what I've been told, and the Google translation of the text I'm posting below:

Via Deculture 

"La presentación de novedades de Norma Editorial durante el XVIII Salón del Manga de Barcelona ha estado movidita. La compañía demuestra una vez más que es la editorial de manga más potente en España con su tirón de licencias de cara a 2013. Entre ellas se encuentra The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, el artbook por el 25 aniversario de la popular serie de videojuegos creada por Shigeru Miyamoto. No se han aportado fechas, ya que dicen que se encuentran traduciendo el libro y que hay muchísimo trabajo. Recordemos que el artbook no es enteramente tal, sino que también sirve de enciclopedia, e incluye la famosa cronología oficial de la franquicia. La editorial afirma que les ha costado muchísimo hacerse con la licencia de esta pieza para coleccionistas. Si algún coleccionista desea hacerse con todas las ediciones que existen en el mundo, que sepan que también se encontrará disponible en inglés de la mano de Dark Horse Comics. La edición japonesa original, más limitada, puede adquirirse también a través de intermediario. La publicación contiene un total de 272 páginas a color y otras en blanco y negro que recogen arte conceptual, diseños de los videojuegos, información valiosa para los fans y algunas páginas de los manga aparecidos hasta la fecha en Japón. Uno de los detalles más interesantes es la descripción e ilustración del mundo de Hyrule, que abarca un total de 70 páginas. También se retrata la evolución de Link a lo largo de los 25 años, un catálogo con los juegos de The Legend of Zelda y mucho más. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia salió a la venta en Japón el 21 de diciembre de 2011 a un precio de 3255 yenes, por aquel entonces unos 32€.
Artículo publicado en Deculture.es: ‘The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia’ a España por Norma Editorial http://www.deculture.es/2012/11/03/the-legend-of-zelda-hyrule-historia-por-norma-editorial/"

Transcript via Ramen Para Dos

Uno de los momentos más esperados de la tarde del sábado del XVIII Salón del Manga de Barcelona será la presentación de novedades de Norma Editorial, en la que se esperan muchas noticias y sorpresas. 
La presentación de Norma Editorial estará rodeada de expectación con presumibles anuncios y novedades con las que volver a encandilar a los presentes a la cita y a los lectores como en anteriores adiciones. También ofrecerán un repaso a lo que ha ido dejando este año 2012 para la editorial catalana, marcada por la presentación de las novedades presentadas en esteSalón del Manga.
La rueda de prensa de esta editorial tendrá lugar a las 16:00 en la Sala 1 de conferencias del Pabellón 2 de la Fira de Barcelona. Como ya es habitual enRamen Para Dos, podrá seguirse en directo a través de nuestro twitter o esta misma entrada, que irá actualizándose en tiempo real. 
Cronología de la Presentación (actualizada en tiempo real):
16:09h - La presentación de Norma Editorial comenzará con algo de retraso.
16:10h - Comienza la presentación de Norma Editorial.
16:11h - ¡Anabel desvelará algunas de las licencias del próximo año! Se anunciarán de 8 a 10 novedades.
16:12h - Comenta que han encontrado un segmento interesante para el seinen, pero que no acaban de mejorar en lo que shôjo se refiere.
16:13h - Anabel dice que la organización del evento está muy sorprendida por el gran recibimiento de Hiro Mashima, lo cual es algo que agradecen desde Norma ya que se han esforzado mucho en esto.
16:15h - Mañana de 1 a 2 de la tarde encuentro de los fans con Hiro Mashima, y habrá sorteo de los dos originales que ha creado en este Salón.
16:16h - Oscar Valiente habla de Fairy Tail y su gran éxito, insinuando que seguramente el anime se acabe licenciando en España. Hablan de Malefic Soum diciendo que es el número 2 de ventas.
16:17h - Cambian a Ataque a los Titanes, obra que comentan que es raruna pero que ha sido un éxito. Los cofres y marcapáginas que regalan en colecciones como esta son un regalo para los aficionados que compran a pesar de la crisis.
16:18h - Pasan a mencionar El Síndrome del Hilo Enredado, otra de sus novedades. Dicen que están muy contentos con el resultado y que por lo visto gusta e interesa.
16:22h - Ser mangaka en España es vocación más que profesión, pero que les ha gustado el recibimiento en el mercado.
16:23h - Hablan de más novedades como Porcelain o Blood-C, de la cual comentan que es posible que se haga pack con Selecta Visión de anime + manga. Aunque no es CLAMP, Blood-C tiene buena acogida entre los fans.
16:24h - Cambian de obra para hablar de Bakuman: Charaman, reiterando el duro trabajo de la producción y la traducción de Marc Bernabé. Hablan de lo que incluye, portadas, datos, spinoffs...
16:25h - Dicen que el último tomo de Evangelion lo han sacado un día antes que en Japón y que no se sabe cuándo puede haber un final.
16:26h - Nodame Cantabile originalmente tenía dos tomos, el 24 y el 25, pero se pidió a Japón recopilarlos en uno solo, creando el Opera-hen. Lo han traído a pesar de las bajas ventas para apoyar al lector de esta serie.
16:27h - Siguen con más novedades del salón hablando de nuevos tomos de Las Vacaciones de Jesús y Buda y Silver Spoon.
16:28h - Anuncian una edición ampliada y revisada de Un Geek en Japón. Relatos de la vida cotidiana, de como funciona una empresa japonesa por dentro. Se ha vendido en muchos paises. Nuevo formato y contenidos. A la venta el 16 de diciembre.
16:30h - Anuncian la edición 30 aniversario de Akira, sólo existen 1982 copias y estará numerada. 120€. Incluye libro de ilustraciones y sale más barato que comprar la serie por separado. A la venta el 16 de diciembre.
16:32h - Hablan de Crónicas de Cipango. Están orgullosos de la encuadernación y dicen que es un híbrido de cultura japonesa contada de una manera amena con ilustraciones.
16:33h - El Lamento del Océano de Victoria Francés se pondrá a la venta a finales de este mes y se presentará en el Expocómic.
16:34h - Ganador del Concurso Manga de Norma: Dae-Hyun y el Caldero de Monedas de Oro. Volverán a celebrar más concursos manga.
16:35h - Pasan a las novedades de 2013, ATENCIÓN
16:36h - Primero hablan de las novedades que han comprado de EDT: Claymore, Death Note y Blue Dragon.
16:37h - Norma traerá los cómics de Hora de Aventuras. Si bien no son manga como tal, forman parte de sus novedades oficiales.
16:37h - ArtBook de Soul Eater anunciado también.
16:38h - ¡¡Otra artbook, esta vez de Hiro Mashima, se trata de "Fantasía"!!
16:39h - Más novedades, Zelda: Hyrule Historia. Libro del 25 aniversario de la saga.
16:40h - ¡¡Mangas del Profesor Layton!! Obra de 4 tomos de Naoki Sakura.
16:41h - Quieren apostar por shônens de calidad. ¡Al loro!
16:42h - Norma confirma la licencia de Thermae Romae. Es posible que la película se traiga a España también. Confirmada igualmente Bride's Story. Estas dos licencias ya se habían filtrado en su momento.
16:44h - Con un catálogo tan distinto a nivel de licencias, dejan claro su interés por extenderse en todos los géneros.
16:45h - Nueva obra de las autoras de Pechanko, "A través del Khamsin".
16:46h - Licenciado un tomo de historias cortas de Kazue Kato (Blue Exorcist) llamado Time Killers. Saldrá para el Salón del Cómic 2013
16:47h - ¡¡Licenciada una obra más de Hiromu Arakawa, Hyakusho Kizoku!!
16:48h - ¡¡Blood Lad de Yuki Kodama también llegará a España!!
16:49h - ¡¡¡I AM A HERO LICENCIADA POR NORMA EDITORIAL!!! ¡¡APLAUSOS VIRTUALES!! ¡Saldrá en el Salón del Cómic 2013!
16:51h - Turno de preguntas del público.
16:52h - La primera pregunta trata sobre el destino de la serie "Life". Confirman su intención de acabarla, y dicen que no la cancelarán pero que sí la espaciarán. En Norma son partidarios de acabar todas sus series.
16:55h - Preguntan por la influencia de la autora Naoko Takeuchi sobre la edición española de Sailor Moon. La respuesta es que la autora está pendiente de esta edición, por lo que si surgen retrasos en la publicación del manga suele ser por ella.
16:57h - El público pide que traigan al autor de Ataque a los Titanes
16:57h - Preguntan si la serie "Magi" les interesa. Está en su lista de futuribles.
16:58h - Ahora pasan a interrogar sobre Gundam Origin. La serie no vende bien, pero el próximo año publicarán dos tomos y que tienen los derechos completos de la obra.
16:59h - Confirman que tienen la completa intención de traer el artbook de Sailor Moon a España.
17:00h - Preguntan por obras como Sankarea y Sword Art Online. No piensan traerlas de momento por lo complicado que resultaría licenciarlas.
17:01h - Descartado que hagan 3x3 Ojos. Casi todas las obras que se han anunciado tendrán periodicidad bimestral, salvo casos puntuales.

17:02h - Fin de la Presentación de Norma Editorial.

Dark Horse: Confirmed 276 Pages for ALL English Versions of Hyrule Historia




Finally an official response that sounds like they checked and confirms it for sure! -This was in regards to the rumor that the Special Edition version had less pages"

Dark Horse Comics: "The Editor assures us that both versions have 276 pages. When we first solicited the book to retailers and the book market we were given a less definitive answer on final page count and now we're trying to bring all retailers to the same page count."

Monday, November 26, 2012

All the Parts to the Figma Link Figurine



In case any of you were curious; I posted a bunch of detailed images, of the figurine and all the parts it comes with, over on our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151324479240610.520490.306059985609&type=1

...The only thing I can't figure out is how to get the sword in his hand, I'm worried about breaking the thumb- There must be a trick to it, I'm surprised the pommel doesn't come off... So... I really need to find out the right way to do it before I regret Hulking it.

- The hair, face, and end of his hat come off pretty easily. But not so easily you'd be worried about them falling off.
- The hands, when they're going in, are kind of scary: the thin plastic that attaches them seems like it could easily break. So be careful and go slow and steady.
- The scabbard attachment seems to not want to go all the way into his back, but that may be because the shield needs some room to attach. (I have not attached the shield that way yet.)
- The shield parts seem to all detach and go together with the hands and arm pretty well. The "leather" strap on the back of the shield was the hardest to remove, but a small wiggle from side to side got it free with less perceived risk of damage.

I'm in love with this thing. The quality is actually really amazing, especially for the price! I can't think of anything else, so just ask if you have any other questions.

Small Contest Update. I have replied to everything I have recieved.

Figma Link is here :) He's prudy!
& He can't wait to go home with one of you guys. Yes, he WILL be one of the 12 final prizes.



Also, if you sent an entry in, you should have received a reply back from me. If you did not, please resend your entry ASAP! You can also leave a comment here, or send me a note on DA, if you think your emails are not going through. That way I can add your email to my accounts "safe" list so we know they're not being blocked for some reason (though I have been checking the spam folder.) Notes and comments WILL NOT COUNT for the deadline cut-off time, only contest emails to the contest email account will be counted unless other arrangements are made: so do your due diligence & help me make sure I have your entry in time! Again, all the contest info can be found here: http://melorasworld.com/zelda/theforest/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=863

And, if you're in doubt about something, just email! historyofhyrule.contests@gmail.com

There are a few (12 or so) letters left in my inbox that I still want to reply to, but they don't directly relate to someone knowing if they've been counted in or not so I've put them off until I'm done with everything else. Some are description updates, some are just people I want to talk to. I just making sure I update the contest entries and make replies on everyone's DA entry before I respond to more personal emails. No one's asked me about those letters; I just wanted to update you wonderful people with that info so you guys knew what was going on with my slow-butt. ;)

New, Limited Edition, Version for Hyrule Historia (UPDATES)

UPDATE 4: Some orders were canceled. Please stay calm, (it's isolated!) but check out this thread for more info.

The Faux-Leather Cover for the Limited Edition
More Info from Dark Horse Here

Limited to 4,000 Copies
Shopping Links: TFAWBarnes and NobleAmazon

Other shops? Nintendo World Store, Think Geek, Forbidden Planet UK, PBM (Holland)

Keep in mind this response from Dark Horse: "B&N will get 500 Copies and it's up to them how they sell those. However, if for whatever reason B&N doesn't work out the following retailers will also have copies. This is a Limited Edition and we have to be fair to as many retailers as we can who want to sell the book."

"The limited edition of Hyrule Historia looks like it could have been pulled off the shelf of one of the sages in Hyrule. The faux-leather hardcover bears the symbol of the Gate of Time, debossed, on the cover, and gold gilded pages. The limited collector's edition of The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia is perfect for the hardcore The Legend of Zelda fan "

Update: Please don't freak out about the page-count yet. Both versions are consistent in page count on Darkhorse's page (the publisher) and their shop (TFAW) and that has ALWAYS conflicted with what other stores have listed as the page count. Please see my past posts on the matter. Example: DH-LE: 248, DH-S: 248, TFAW-LE: 248, TFAW-S: 248, so I do not believe any rumor that the Limited Edition will have fewer pages. But, please, try to get Darkhorse & TFAW to comment. I've been trying for ages to no avail, except from the wonderfully nice editor that assured me it would all be in there a while back.


UPDATE:
Confirmation! So, after pestering them, and contacting the editor again making him aware that the issue had become an issue on many fan sites, Dark Horse issued a statement that sounds like they finally checked and confirms it for sure! -This was in regards to the rumor that the Special Edition version had less pages.

Dark Horse Comics: "The Editor assures us that both versions have 276 pages. When we first solicited the book to retailers and the book market we were given a less definitive answer on final page count and now we're trying to bring all retailers to the same page count."

UPDATE 2:
After months, it appears they have finally updated the page count on most of the shop listings.

UPDATE 3:
The Limited Edition of Hyrule Historia seems to have sold out at the 3 stores that I could find online links for. This means: If you do not see a "purchase" option at a store, or you only see something like a "notify me when this product becomes available"  -Then they are probably sold out! It sounds like each store only got a set amount, such as a limit of 500 copies. Amazon appears to have sold out on day 1. Barnes and Noble: late on day 1, or day 2. TFAW: Day 3 (today.) Nintendo World Store does not do online or phone orders, and I can't assume how to purchase in the store since the book is not out until next year. I can not find a listing for Hyrule Historia on Think Geek, Forbidden Planet UK, or PBM- (Please feel free to double check, I can miss things) which are the other stores Dark Horse mentioned would be getting copies. This may mean they have not tried to sell their copies yet; so you may have more opportunities to purchase the book (outside of ebay.) Please DO keep in mind that the regular edition of Hyrule Historia, which has the exact same content (and, arguably, a prettier cover- green instead brown) is STILL for pre-order and I have seen no indication that it will be limited in number in any way. I'm sure they'll keep doing print runs for as long as people want it. :)

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

New Contest Prize Confirmed!

I wasn't sure the pre-orders would be honored, so I didn't announce this yet but... the Skyward Sword Figma Link WILL be one of the fanart contest prizes! Yes! This absolutely awesome figure:


And if you haven't heard about the Fanart Calendar contest yet, please see this post and this information thread. There's only a few days left until the contest ends! You better hurry!

Specifications:
ABS & PVC Pre-painted Posable Figure
Size: Appx. 140mm Tall (NON Scale)
w/Base

Details:
The Hero of Winds in his classic green outfit!

From the popular action adventure Zelda series' newest addition, 'The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword' comes a figma of the main character of the series, Link!

-Using the smooth yet poseable joints of figma, you can act out a variety of different scenes.
-A flexible plastic is used for important areas, allowing proportions to be kept without compromising posability.
-He comes with his standard gallant expression, as well as a powerful shouting face for combat poses.
-The Master Sword as well as the Hylian Shield are both included. They can also be carried on his back as they did in the game.
-A poseable figma stand is included, which allows various poses to be taken.

Hyrule Histroia Information (Purchasing and Release Dates)

If you would like more detailed info, check out the old Hyrule Historia Info Post and the Hyrule Historia Tag.

What is "Hyrule Historia?"
It's a book, officially released by Nintendo, that covers the whole Legend of Zelda series: from the original game up to Skyward Sword. Basically half of the book is timeline and story information, the other half is concept art from almost all these games. It also includes interviews and other information. The book's Editor is one of the series' main creators, Eiji Aonuma. It also includes a 32 page comic, a "prequel to Skyward Sword" if you will, which was done by the current manga-ka's for the series: Akira Himekawa.

Peek Inside the Japanese Versionhere's a released page in English, and here's the Skyward Sword Prequel manga.


Basic Information on the History of the Book's Release:
There is a Japanese version of the book that came first. In December of 2011 it was available for pre-order (Japan only.) Many fans thought it would be a limited edition run for the 25th anniversary of Zelda. The pre-order sold out instantly. After a long wait, more copies were printed; it can no longer be considered a limited run. The book is still currently available in Japanese. (The end of the post has info on purchasing the Japanese version)

Eventually, Nintendo of America approached Darkhorse (Comics/Publishing) and they agreed to bring it out in English. You can pre-order the English version now. The release date is/was January 29, 2013 for most shops.

A Note: It looks like the release date is being moved around a little bit by the publisher's shop. I would not be worried about this at all: I'm just thinking that this might mean newer orders might be shipped a little bit later due to demand. I could also be wrong and/or they could just have the wrong info listed. If you pre-ordered it from TFAW, the publisher's store, a while back: you got a slightly earlier release date of January 16, 2013. They now have a release date of February 12, 2013So... I'm basically just saying I'm not sure how this affects orders or orders made on other shops.

Explanation of the Covers:
There are 3 4 covers that you might see. This is what they are so there's no confusion as to what is what:



Limited Edition's Cover:
The Limited Edition English Version is a newer development. You can find info on that version of the book  at this link.



Where to Buy the English Version:
(cost and release dates usually vary from shop to shop and country to country.)
Note: We do not currently know if it will be localized into languages other than English. But, the English version IS available in other countries. The English version is the same version of the book no matter which country you buy it in. I will provide shopping links below. (If you know of good shops for other countries, please email me the links (or leave them in the comments) so I can add them to this list.)

The base price/list price is $34.99 USD. (Many shops have a great discount price on the pre-orders.) The ISBN in every country is 978-1-61655-041-7. It's hardcover, 9x12 inches, full color, the cover is stamped foil, and it's a total of 276 pages. 

The page count varies on different sites.* (this is old info; see the update just below this paragraph) Just know that I've checked with the Editor of the book for the English version and that he's confirmed that it should have all the same stuff the Japanese version has. The Japanese version has 272 pages. So it will at least have 270 pages. If you see 280 pages listed for the English one: those may be filler pages or .. it may have slightly more content? I can't really speculate on that much. I don't know why some shops have 280 pages listed. If you see 248 pages, that is an OLD number that they have forgotten to update on their shop: again, that is a confirmed fact from the book's Editor.

*Update: I was right ;)
Dark Horse Comics: "The Editor assures us that both versions have 276 pages. When we first solicited the book to retailers and the book market we were given a less definitive answer on final page count and now we're trying to bring all retailers to the same page count."

-- Amazon
-- Walmart

 Canada

 The UK




 Italy

 Australia
-- ??? Until I know more, just do an ISBN search on AU bookstores.

 Mexico
-- ??? Until I know more, just do an ISBN search on local bookstores.


Ordering "Offline" and Other Importing Methods:
You can also ALWAYS call a bookstore in your town and see if they can order it/import it for you. For example: Kinokuniya is very reputable, I use them a lot, and they have many world-wide locations. I call them when I use them, but you can probably email them too.

Note: Glitterberri, a fan-translator for the Legend of Zelda series, is helping with the localization. (So, yes, someone who is very familiar with the series will be working on the English version.)


Read it in Other Languages:
Since the English release is pending, I will not be posting links to English fan-localization efforts on this page. Until there is release info for other languages, I will provide links to fan translations for any other language. If you know of other sites with translations, please email me the links (or leave them in the comments) so I can add them to this list.

German:

Spanish:

French:


  Info for purchasing the original Japanese version:
This is the original version of the book that was released in Japan and is in Japanese. This is NOT the english version I've posted info for above.

Purchase: Amazon.co.jp has (expensive) international shipping
Purchase: Shogakukan, the book's publisher, only ships within Japan but, if it's in stock at the publisher's shop, THEN many local bookstores, like Kinokuniya, can import it for you.  The shipping should be much cheaper this way. Kinokuniya also, very often, has it in stock on their shelves in their actual stores. That means NO shipping fee.

Currently IN STOCK
Language: Japanese
Japanese Title: ハイラル・ヒストリア ゼルダの伝説 大全: 任天堂
Hardback: 272 pages
Publisher: Nintendo/Shogakukan
ISBN-10: 409227159X
ISBN-13: 978-4092271593
Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x .7 inches
Price: 3,255 yen (roughly $40.00)

Note: The Japanese version is actually slightly smaller in size (dimensions) than the English one.This means that there's not much of a reason you would need to worry about buying the Japanese one unless you're just a collector. I do not know what the difference in print quality will be like yet though, I'm just hoping the English one will use even better paper-stock & printing. 

Monday, November 19, 2012

Official English Hyrule Historia Cover Released



I saw this so much earlier today on Facebook (thank you yet again Feri!) but I didn't have time to look into it so I figured it was just something a fan had made. But, it's official. Anyway, I love it, I wanted it to look more like the Book of Mudora, so I'm super thrilled it's green and gold, ...and I wish I had time to post more: via Darkhorse via IGN 

Saturday, November 17, 2012

All the New Contest Entries Have Been Added!

You can find all the current entries in this gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/historyofhyrule/sets/72157630007526131/ 
Please check them out, they're simply beautiful! You can also find the ones from DeviantART in this group folder: http://thehistoryofhyrule.deviantart.com/gallery/37561737 Please honor the artists and leave them a nice comment if you have some time! Thank you to everyone!



If you haven't heard about the contest yet, or would like to join us in this collaborative event to make a free, downloadable, Zelda calendar for next year; please see this info thread! It has everything you should need to know. You can also look at the post I made just before this one to get a better idea of what it's about. The contest ends at the end of November.

 At this time I am only checking the contest email, historyofhyrule.contests@gmail.comnot my other message centers.

If you see an error, please let me know ASAP. I'm human and make mistakes; I want to ensure everything is right~ which means I need your help to double check things. I'm happy to make corrections to any aspect surrounding your art.

If you sent something in, and do not see your name on this list, or your piece in the flickr gallery, please re-send your email. The list and gallery are current, to the best of my knowledge, as of Nov. 17, 2012.


This list of current participants:
  1. Linksliltri4ce
  2. Paper-Plate
  3. Robson B.
  4. Drisana Rodriguez-Martin
  5. Poly
  6. Mizueyes777
  7. Bookwormtiff
  8. Val Toukatly
  9. KingdomTwilightXIII
  10. Christian H.
  11. Ryttu3k
  12. Doudet
  13. SYChunsa
  14. Kylias Darkheart
  15. Erika P.
  16. Kyle L.
  17. mrpretzel
  18. Gakoru
  19. Elizabeth R.
  20. Clara B.
  21. Karlen T.
  22. Cojirou
  23. Ashleigh
  24. Julieta
  25. Gimme
  26. Breana Melvin
  27. Kreus
  28. Miniktty
  29. ApplejackMan
  30. Link24656
  31. Ryuupix
  32. Kyasarin Mire
  33. Jujulica
  34. Karnella
  35. Lisa H.
  36. Kudaku
  37. Fainttos
  38. Song C.
  39. BunBun
  40. Carolyn D.
  41. StardustFawkes
  42. Nummonkee
  43. Kichisu
  44. Zelidnia x2
  45. Michel F.
  46. Lunasatomi
  47. Polina T.
  48. Miry
  49. FierceDeku
  50. Leeatard0
  51. Dagronrat
  52. Christin
  53. Ryoga
  54. Kuurankukka
  55. Leia C.
  56. AttractiveAustrianAristocrat
  57. Tawny
  58. Amber W.
  59. The Williams'
  60. Evanatt
  61. Pizza Breath the Awesome
  62. Chato Jr.
  63. Methuselah-Alchemist
  64. Aud Green
  65. Mellifera-imiya
  66. Link Fanatic
  67. Josh
  68. Monkeykaos
  69. Byrch
  70. Malu CLBS
  71. Blackash
  72. S.C.

Participation Prize Winners: (They are removed from the above list simply because they already won one. This way their number wont be drawn for future participation prize lotteries. They are still eligible for one of the 12 calendar spots though! No worries):
  1. Waffletea
  2. Ebillan
  3. Hina-ichigo

Out due to art issue, at least until reply is received: (Please email me back if you want to be counted in!)
  1. Leah
  2. Crystal M.

In Emergencies: If you think your emails are not getting through, or you have sent something but not heard back from me in a day or two, please use my other email melorasworld@gmail.com and/or leave a comment (not a note! I don't often check DA notes) on this DA journal entry: http://woodland-mel.deviantart.com/#/d5jdkkq The contest ends on midnight of Nov 30. Anything sent after that, even if your email fails, will NOT be accepted- so please make sure you check that I get what you send.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Entrants So Far, & Please Check Your Name Against This List If You Should Be One.

EDIT: So, here goes the lottery drawing for the prize!


BAM. Hina-ichigo it is! Congrats~ I'll be writing you soon to see what you want! ♥ I'll try to add the new entries soon, (sorry, I've been working on something.) ~and good luck to everyone else for the end of the contest, which ends at the end of November! 12 prizes and another participation prize will be given away then.

✶ ... ✶ ... ✶ ... ✶ ... ✶

If you haven't heard about the contest yet, or would like to join us in this collaborative event to make a free, downloadable, Zelda calendar for next year; please see this info thread! It has everything you should need to know. You can also look at the post I made just before this one to get a better idea of what it's about. The contest ends at the end of November.

 At this time I am only checking the contest email, not my other message centers.

Below I'm going to list the people who have gotten valid entries to me, as well as the number of entries I have from each person. If you sent something in before Oct 29, 5:00 PST, and do not see your name on this list, please re-send your email to the contest's email address: historyofhyrule.contests@gmail.com 

Besides 6 pieces that were more recently sent in, you can find all the current entries in this gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/historyofhyrule/sets/72157630007526131/ (I'll add the more recent entries when we get everything for the Oct 31st prize)

If you see an error, please let me know ASAP. This is also the current list of people eligible for the Oct 31 "Participation Prize":
  1. Linksliltri4ce
  2. Paper-Plate
  3. Robson B
  4. Drisana Rodriguez-Martin
  5. Hina-ichigo
  6. Poly
  7. Mizueyes777
  8. Bookwormtiff
  9. Val Toukatly
  10. KingdomTwilightXIII x2
  11. Christian H.
  12. Ryttu3k
  13. Doudet
  14. SYChunsa
  15. Kylias Darkheart
  16. Erika P.
  17. Kyle L.
  18. mrpretzel
  19. Gakoru
  20. Elizabeth R.
  21. Clara B.
  22. Karlen T.
  23. Cojirou
  24. Ashleigh
  25. Julieta
  26. Gimme x2
  27. Breana Melvin
  28. Kreus
  29. Miniktty
  30. ApplejackMan
  31. Link24656
  32. Ryuupix
  33. Kyasarin Mire
  34. Jujulica
  35. Karnella
  36. Lisa H.
  37. Kudaku
  38. Fainttos
  39. Song C.
  40. BunBun
  41. Carolyn D. x2
  42. StardustFawkes x5
  43. Nummonkee
  44. Kichisu
  45. Zelidnia x2
  46. Michel F.
  47. Lunasatomi
  48. Polina T. x2
  49. Miry x2
  50. FierceDeku
  51. Leeatard0
  52. Dagronrat
  53. Christin
  54. Ryoga
  55. Kuurankukka
  56. Leia C.
  57. AttractiveAustrianAristocrat
  58. Tawny
  59. Amber W.
  60. The Williams'
  61. Evanatt
  62. Pizza Breath the Awesome
  63. Chato Jr.
  64. Methuselah-Alchemist
  65. Aud Green
  66. Mellifera-imiya
  67. Link Fanatic

Removed from Participation Prize List Simply Because They Already Won One (still eligible for one of the 12 calendar spots though! No worries):
  1. Waffletea
  2. Ebillan x2

Out due to art issue, at least until reply is received: (Please email me back)
  1. Leah
  2. Crystal M.

In Emergencies: If you think your emails are not getting through, or you have sent something but not heard back from me by Oct 30th, please use my other email melorasworld@gmail.com and/or leave a comment (not a note! I don't often check DA notes) on this DA journal entry: http://woodland-mel.deviantart.com/#/d5jdkkq


Please go ahead and post your piece to a gallery so there is a time stamp, in case there are problems with emails.

Just one month until the Zelda Fanart Contest Ends!



CONTEST INFO! Please join us!!

PRIZES: There's ocarinas, manga, toys, figurines, DA Subscriptions, and I'm also giving away a bunch of Japanese & English copies of Hyrule Historia.

And another deadline is coming up~ The main contest doesn't end until the end of November, but if you finish your entry by midnight on October 31 you'll have a chance to win one of these things:


CHECK IT OUT!

Go read about it! Get inspired! And enter so we can make it freakn' AWESOME!

Again, this contest is really just being held to make a free 2013 calendar for everyone: so it's also kind of a collab. Even if you don't care about prizes~ consider entering just to make something that every Zelda fan can use and love.

Spread the word so it doesn't suck! :3

And, if you have any questions, just ask! (email only right now: historyofhyrule.contests@gmail.com )

~Melora

Also, I'm still mostly absent because I'm trying to put a series together for a gallery. You can really only reach me about the contest through the contest email. I will not have time to check other messages until mid-November or later. 



Monday, October 15, 2012

New Doujinshi Added: Together + Bonus Comic

I totally forgot to post that I had added this back before I went in for surgery. It's another wonderful doujinshi, called "Together," by Usagi Paradise (Misa) with a guest appearance by Minato. It's one of the rare ones for Spirit Tracks, but it also features Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess: Link's Crossbow Training. There is also a Smash Brothers bonus comic that came with it. Enjoy!



Friday, October 12, 2012

Amazing Conceptual Thinking & Making Sense of the Zelda Series

There's not enough that I could possibly say about this concept turned comic. I haven't loved something "Zelda" this much in a long time. Not only is it an extremely wonderful short story exercise, it concisely helps everything in the series make sense. Read it and think about that. It's also a wonderful concept for a new game: A way to do something different in the series but keep it the same. And, as an illustration exercise: it does what all great illustrators preach and teach: Illustrates what the soul of story is about but uses the pictures to give it a more thoughtful depth. It makes it more than what you might see based on the words alone.

Nintendo, give these 2 guys some money and then make this game. This is what I want the next time I play  Zelda. And, to the creators of this, thank you for giving us this! You're freakn' awesome.


Via Reddit
Writing and Concept: LacksMass
Illustrations: OhCrapADinosaur












The text reads:

I want to play Zelda backwards. You start with your hook shot, fire arrows, slingshot, the whole stack of crap. The world is at peace but the fear of something horribly coming is looming in the back of your mind. You don't know how much time you have left and there is no one for you to pass your hero status to. So you begin to travel. Giving your treasures to old friends to guard and hide. Leaving your weapons at the bottom of forsaken temples and setting traps to keep them safe. Giving the keys and hints to those who will keep the legends alive.

At last you retreat into a cave with nothing but your sword. As a gift from the gods the power from the master sword extends your life as it slowly fades. And there you wait until the day the new hero finds you. And with a smile and hope for a brighter day you can pass along the sword, now devoid of most of it's power to a young man dressed in green with your words of wisdom. "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this."

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

It LIVES

I'm back; surgery was good and bad. The surgeon did a good job but one of the nurses screwed me over. My blood sugar is still seriously out of whack thanks to her and that's also making my arm hurt (I suppose? Something is setting it off and that's the only thing that makes sense.) So it's slow going. I'm down to one-arm typing on brain fog.

But I'm at least good enough to be up now! I have 55 emails to reply to, so it's still going to look like I'm gone~ but trust that I'm here working away. Again, apologies for the delays. I also might forget some of the things I should have gotten to: If you don't hear from me in a few days about something you said to me a while back, please write again. Thanks!

~Melora

Monday, October 1, 2012