Marvel Comics is preparing a hardcover gift book, The Art of Marvel Comics, which will ship to retailers on Nov. 5 in plenty of time for the key holiday selling season.  The 128-page full color art anthology carries a cover price of $29.99 and is the first book in a series of 'coffee table' collections of the most outstanding art creator for Marvel Comics.  Retailers should remember that because of the production time required for this volume, the order cutoff date is September 11.

The Art of Marvel Comics focuses on the best Marvel art from the past two years, though it does include some classic images from the past decade.  A partial list of the artists whose work is represented includes Mark Bagley, Julie Bell, Tim Bradstreet, J. Scott Campbell, John Cassaday, Richard Corben, Bryan Hitch, Joe Jusko, Dale Keown, Same Kieth, Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert, Jae Lee, Joseph Michael Linsner, Alex Maleev, Joe Quesada, Frank Quitely, John Romita, Jr., Alex Ross, Steve Rude, Tim Sale, and Bill Sienkiewicz.

The book will be supported by a special promotion on the Sci Fi Network's website with a special sneak peek of The Art of Marvel Comics pages, which begins on September 22.