The EarthBound Anthology « The Newsroom « Forum

reidman

Title:	EarthBound Anthology (US) アースバウンド大全集 (JP)
Binding:	Full color paperback Perfect Bound
Pages:	268 pages total 161 pages of EB art 49 pages of M3 art
Pack-ins:	Anthology Data Disc /EarthBound DVD Fan Videos DVD RC 1-5 + Bound Together
First Print:	July 3, 2007 (US) August 2007 (JP)
Designed by:	Jon Kay
Illustrated by:	Shawn Witt
Written by:	Starmen.Net Staff
Price:	Not for sale or resale.
Publisher:	Lulu.com

Although we haven't been dropping very many hints in public, the donors know that the staff (mostly Jonk) have been slaving away at a secret project for a while now. As a matter of fact, a month ago, the project was still just a collection of fanart on Jonk's hard drive. But over the course of the past three weeks, all of that changed dramatically. After sleepless nights -- more than we can count -- we hit the giant red 'LAUNCH' button for the uberSiege Project. That was about 24 hours ago. Now that the first splashdown has been recorded by Mr. Linde of Destructoid, its time to fill you guys in on what we've been up to.

Scattered throughout this post are pictures of the project: The EarthBound Anthology, a 250+ page tribute to EarthBound and its potential future in America. There are 160+ pages of EarthBound art and 50 pages of MOTHER 3 art (which is sequestered to the back of the book for minimal spoilerage). In the front of the book are about 30 pages of discussion about the MOTHER series and its unfortunate relationship with America. In the back of the book are several CDs and DVDs, including the Rock Candy series, Bound Together, xfisjmg1's /EarthBound DVD, and a special DVD made by Plo filled with cool fan videos.

Ultra designmaster Jonk has been carefully crafting every page of the Anthology for the past month, choosing/arranging every piece of art (around 750 of them!) by hand. The staff and I wrote up the content and captions over the past two weeks. We finished everything up and sent it to the publisher (yay lulu.com!) late on Monday night.

Yesterday, Jon received the overnight delivery of the very first run of the book -- 16 copies -- and immediately zoomed over to FedEx to overnight them to our friends and contacts at places like EGM, IGN, Gamespot, Nintendo, Destructoid and more.

So why the rushing and the overnight mailing? Because E3 starts in just a few days. Most gaming media companies will be sending representatives to E3 early next week, and we wanted to get these books in their h ands before they left. Why is E3 important, if there's not going to be any MOTHER news there? Because our goal is to get the press interested in the fate of the series so that they will ask Nintendo about their plans for the MOTHER series.

So we've been doing the Mail'N and the Call'N, and now we've got... the Press'N. If we can get the media to prod Nintendo's reps with questions about MOTHER (and hopefully write up a story about EarthBound and/or the books once they get back from E3), then we have placed the last puzzle piece of the Siege.

But what's the point of all this hard work, you might be wondering -- sure, the fans are dedicated, artistic megalomaniacs. But why does Nintendo care about how artistic/productive we are? Because EarthBound is coming out on the Virtual Console soon, and its sales will be THE determining factor in whether MOTHER 3 is brought to America or not.

So, basically, we fans have become EarthBound's last-chance marketing team. The EB Siege has been focused (and timed) precisely for two goals -- to let Nintendo know that we're still alive and kicking, and to get the word out about EarthBound so that the VC downloads will be off the charts. We are already making headway on the first goal, and I think we can make the second goal happen, but only if you guys continue to support us.

When EarthBound is released on the VC, download it -- even if you've got a dozen copies already -- and get every one of your friends to download it! It's only going to be $8, and each download will be like a vote for MOTHER 3. Start Facebook groups, send messages to people on MySpace, talk about it on your favorite gaming forum -- the goal is to pique people's interest in EarthBound.

Of course, the importance of the Call'N and the Mail'N can't be diminished -- Nintendo must understand that there is a real fan base for this game, and it is 100% up to you guys, the fans, to make sure that happens. Neither the staff nor our media contacts have any control over that, so we're all counting on you!

Tomato
Translator & PK h4x0r

Also, here's this Very Happy

http://digg.com/gaming_news/DIY_Devotion_Starmen_net_s_EarthBound_Anthology _260_pages_of_awesome

RaveFury
danceparty!

Too bad I can;t download Earthbound on the Virtual Console more than once. Oh well... time to get my buddies excited about VC Earthbound! Or at least buy it for them all! Yaay!

In other news, I think I'd sell my brother for one of those fancy artbooks.

IT'S HARD TO CONTROL MYSELF

I already said this before, but I forsee a media explosion, Mother style.

Articles | Theories | Chat

Come join us on #starmen on irc.thinstack.net! | hi bozo i got bored again – clare

skyrunner14
Space Alien

Are those available for purchase to us forumgoers? I'd ki... I mean, do something odd for one of those! *drool*

I remember when I was a lil’ skyrunner…
Oh right, I do these things too.
I’m a moderator on the Stephencraft Minecraft server!

Fran

I wanna see all the pages of the EB Anthology, even if it's just a PDF file. Surprised

Quark

Quote:

The goal of EB Siege is to extend the reach of the community out towards would-be allies to the cause, media, developers, and Nintendo itself and communicate their message: that this is a series, beyond all others in Nintendo's catalog, that should not be swept aside. Even if EarthBound ain't really your thing, you have to recognize Starmen.net's gesture as one that goes beyond the standard-issue objections by most of the internet ("biological web shooters!? Quick, to petitiononline.org!"). More than a simple fan DVD or 'zine or somesuch, the EarthBound Anthology is an extremely well-designed, terribly comprehensive love-letter to the fan community and a clear message to Nintendo that they won't soon forget.

I knew there was a reason why I loved Destructoid's staffers.

“What fun is being ‘cool’ if you can’t wear a sombrero?” – Hobbes, _italic_Calvin and Hobbess_italic_

YOU CALLIN ME CRAZY!? oh wai..

dear lawrd.

uguysaresoawesome

why is life so unfair. Thy hatred is unjust, you jest? “why” “GNAUT” can i vote for all YE

nice.

What's the full list of receivers?

Thank you for taking the time to read this signature.

This signature loves you.

G.Wicks

where did you guys hear that EB is coming out for the VC? I've been scouring the net and haven't seen anything like that anywheres.

Assumptions are the termites of relationships.
~Henry Winkler

blawnk

Very, very awesome. If only they were for sale... D:

fka Nin10dude

Avaeccus

That's just beautiful.

If you need to refer to me, just use “Avae”, I too have no comprehension of my name’s pronunciation.

KyoZaber

This is very well done. Smile

Major kudos to everyone. The over-night book workers, the artist, everyone.
You're all the best. I wouldn't be surprised if our heroes were cheering us on right now.

G.Wicks

If Nintendo doesn't at least acknowledge this book, even if it's just "wow, this is neato", then I've lost faith in them. I hope they're not purposefully preventing us from getting earthbound as a way to say "we can't be bullied" because nobody is really bullying... begging, yes, but not bullying. I think we all agree on that.

Either way, we've made history. Even more people will hear about earthbound as a result of this project and hopefully even more people will be able to play it for the first time.

My question is: did anyone send a copy of this book to Itoi-san? I think it would make him cry.

Assumptions are the termites of relationships.
~Henry Winkler

Tomato
Translator & PK h4x0r

Right now only ones for the E3 goers (and a few others yet to come) have been printed. Check the info box for more information Smile

mcsdoode

Where the heck did you guys hear of Earthbound coming to VC and "Soon"? Do you know something we don't?

Tomato
Translator & PK h4x0r

reid's not here right now, but umm hmm. You know those sparkly things you pick up in Dusty Dunes Desert for that Mr. T guy in Fourside? Yeah, reid has those sparkly things Very Happy

Many many sparklies Nod

Picky
McNose

So I see a separate date for the Japanese printing, does that mean that it will be translated or just that they don't need to have it before E3 so you'll hold off a bit longer?

josh

Awesome.
I'd love to see a PDF of it.

Tomato
Translator & PK h4x0r

Picky wrote on Sat, 07 July 2007 00:11

So I see a separate date for the Japanese printing, does that mean that it will be translated or just that they don't need to have it before E3 so you'll hold off a bit longer?

The Japanese side of things is still being finalized. Lots of neat stuff is planned though Smile

I'll probably talk about it in more detail in a week or two.

G.Wicks

Tomato wrote on Fri, 06 July 2007 23:10

reid's not here right now, but umm hmm. You know those sparkly things you pick up in Dusty Dunes Desert for that Mr. T guy in Fourside? Yeah, reid has those sparkly things Very Happy

Many many sparklies Nod

CONTACTS. Ohhhhhhhh!

Assumptions are the termites of relationships.
~Henry Winkler

Tomato
Translator & PK h4x0r

Spoilers!

LeChimp

Oh man, I'd love to purchase one of these. Take my money, please!

I wonder if any of my art got in, although I doubt it.

Zargata

Wow...wow...woooooow I need money.
Alright, when earthbound comes out i'll make sure to get it asap.
I hope this works ^^
After all you guys put so much work into it. Thanks guys ^^

Wha…?

nice.

Do you have a list of artists who were included?
And a list of places you sent it to?
Lists lists lists

needs moar lists

Thank you for taking the time to read this signature.

This signature loves you.

LeChimp

Stevesesy wrote on Fri, 06 July 2007 23:24

But actually no one can ever buy this book ever So no one say anything about buying it because you can't. Ever. I apologize for even bring this up. You can NOT buy this.

Stop smashing my hopes and dreams. Sad

Hey, do you do Judo?
I do Judo!

...I have no words. This really IS legendary. I don't think Nintendo can reject something like this.

tumblr
deviantart

kelim
red raccoon dog

Yes indeed, EarthBound is the best game ever.

I solve practical problems!

this is why starmen.net is on the top of my bookmarked websites.

Psychomax wrote on Fri, 06 July 2007 23:23

Do you have a list of artists who were included?
And a list of places you sent it to?
Lists lists lists

needs moar lists

Yes, get on with the meat of the info! More lists, i say!

hello yes this is dog

G.Wicks

thickfreakness wrote on Fri, 06 July 2007 23:39

this is why starmen.net is on the top of my bookmarked websites.

Same here. Always has been, always will be.

Assumptions are the termites of relationships.
~Henry Winkler

Jake10

Hey, get one of those sent to a real publisher. I'd buy one.

Shadders

Next up: A 250 page fan book for the Seiken Denetsu series! Very Happy

Seriously, this is nothing short of a blazing meteor shattering the breadth of the gaming world as we know it. Starmen.net is one amazing group of people, and this proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Staffers: you are GODLIKE.

nice.

If it weren't for legal issues, if you were to put these in the Store, you'd never have to worry about server bills again!

Thank you for taking the time to read this signature.

This signature loves you.

It’s pronounced “LOOM-pee-ah”

I am truly impressed. They cannot ignore us for any longer. Frown

lum·pi·a (lūmˈpiaˌ) n. A Filipino variation of the egg roll. It consists of more meat, less vegetable and is generally better tasting. :p

Bluewolf

Oh my god, this is fantastic!

Can I trade my eventual firstborn for this or what?

MPHtails

I know we cant buy these, but...

can i trade you these little green pices of paper covered in Presidentiasl drawings THAT ARE DEFINATELY NOT MULTIPLE 100 DOLLAR BILLS for one of those?

If you spend too much time here, you’ll end up fryin ya brain. Noomseidsoonmide

G.Wicks wrote on Fri, 06 July 2007 23:57

My question is: did anyone send a copy of this book to Itoi-san? I think it would make him cry.

That's a great idea. I'd love to see what he thinks of the whole matter.

You guys really outdid yourselves on this one. If this doesn't convince Nintendo to give us more Mother, I don't know what will.

reidman

Honestly guys, there is NO way we can sell these things. Giving them away as prizes, however? Definitely yes.

We were trying to figure out some way to publicly offer them as 'free gifts' in exchange for donations, but that's simply too close to the legal red-zone. Staying on Nintendo's good side is a priority for us right now, but maybe one day we can figure out some way to get these into your hands. Honestly, I want you guys to have them so bad.

It's a terrible irony that we worked so hard on these books and then had to ship them to people who are only partially aware of what EarthBound even is, and probably even a couple of people who don't really care in the first place. Some of the media publications we tried to send books to never responded...Joystiq, Kotaku, Penny-Arcade, Wired, G4, and several others. I'm sure that a lot of these guys just have hyperactive spam filters, so I hope they'll hear about what we're doing and contact me ( reidman@starmen.net ).

On the other hand, we've made a lot of new friends through this process. As you can tell, Aaron Linde of Destructoid is a really awesome guy -- he believes in our site and what we're doing, and he backs that up with every post he makes about EarthBound. So give Destructoid some love, click on their banner ads or something, because they've been on our side from the very moment I approached them about the books.

Same with Gamasutra, Hardcore Gamer, and EGM/1up/GameVideos.com -- everyone at these companies was really kind and approachable from the outset. And I can't forget to thank our friend Jason over at The King of Games for being so helpful.

Anyway, if any media outlets would like a copy of the book, the only 'rule' I have is that you have to rank higher than us on Alexa (Starmen.Net ranks, like, 200,000). All we ask for in exchange is a little publicity :)

G.Wicks

Yeah dude, I always knew EGM was on our side. That's a mag that mentions starmen.net whenever possible. Those guys rule. They reco'nize.

Assumptions are the termites of relationships.
~Henry Winkler

reidman

I realize I'm double-posting, but yes, we are definitely going to send a copy to Mr. Itoi, as well as Mr. Iwata and Mr. Miyamoto (if we can reach them).

There is a good possibility that the copies of the books they receive will be translated into Japanese. This is the highest honor we can bestow upon them -- thanking them in their native tongue for what they've done for us.

The cool part is that we'll then have a really awesome bridge to the Japanese MOTHER fans. We would love to send copies to our friends like apollo captain from mother-jp.net. As Tomato can tell you, there has always been a huge language barrier which has separated us from our Japanese counterparts. Sending them a couple copies of the translated Anthology would be like extending an olive branch carved with the words "Hey, you guys! Check us out! We're MOTHER nerds just like you except we speaka the English!"

Katon
Space Waifu

I read as much as I could in those Destructoid pictures, and I have to say, this is going to be the biggest thing that has ever happened with an internet community. Just by reading what we are going to do, I am incredibly pumped to give my all for this community. Really, this is a cause worth fighting, and you guys know how to do it. This can not fail, you've got me in this for good.

I'm so motivated to do stuff. Alas, it's 3 in the morning. Heh...

- clover & sealife – Twitter –

Ockman

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!!

I swear if I had been visiting this site more often, and had seen the fundraiser, I would have donated at least $100 to this. I don't make alot of money, so that says something. I never would have thought of something like this, and you guys are just genius. I will be one of the many who would gladly purchase one too if it ever happens. Price doesnt matter!

josh

So earthbound is going to be released onto the virtual console.
this brings a joyful tear to my eye.
i know we have not won, but we are on a way to...
i'm actually crying joyfully.

Rockwell

So, question about downloading EB on the VC console, are we doing it all at the same (generally) time?

Still need to find a wii. :\

SNES/GCN/Wii/GBA/GB games I’m selling
<falcon24> i want to grow old and bitter and have a lil ranch and sit on the porch with a shotgun and shoot blacks

Ramsey T.K.M.

So Earthbound will actually be released for the virtual console? Wow, that's great!

I can only hope they'll also release it in Europe, but somehow I doubt it... Sad

Organic Live, the latest show by Radio Multiverse!
Tune in now! http://www.youtube.com/user/radiomultiverse

Chasmang
Ninten's #1 Clone

Anyone with a Wii (and who's subscribed to Wii are Starmen) can count on a blue light early whichever day EB hits the VC. Cool

BOLDSTATE : FFVII should embrace the ugly, weird game it has become by not taking itself as seriously as its bloated Compilation.

nice.

Do you mean this Monday, or whichever Monday it happens to come?

Thank you for taking the time to read this signature.

This signature loves you.

Chasmang
Ninten's #1 Clone

Well, the news of VC games hits early in the morning usually so I plan on staying up to be sure each week until it happens. Good thing it's summer, otherwise I wouldn't be able to be nocturnal like this. Smile

BOLDSTATE : FFVII should embrace the ugly, weird game it has become by not taking itself as seriously as its bloated Compilation.

Coolkalle

Ramsey T.K.M. wrote on Sat, 07 July 2007 11:10

So Earthbound will actually be released for the virtual console? Wow, that's great!

I can only hope they'll also release it in Europe, but somehow I doubt it... Sad

We can only pray and hope that it does well on the U.S VC, Then maybe they actually might consider bringing it to us...

A big WOW to you SM.net staffers...You really rock.Hardcore.I hope for the best of the siege.

EB saga fans! Go to merch page and tell reid you want an EB saga DVD! DO IT

rudhira

I don't know what to say. This is just great. I'd love to get my hands on a copy but I don't feel as if I deserve it. Wish I could've donated some money to the cause. I guess I'll just do what I can with PK Mail'n and Call'n, and I'll be sure to contact all my friends possessing a Wii, although I don't have one myself.

TomatoTranslator & PK h4x0r

RaveFurydanceparty!

IT'S HARD TO CONTROL MYSELF

skyrunner14Space Alien

YOU CALLIN ME CRAZY!? oh wai..

TomatoTranslator & PK h4x0r

TomatoTranslator & PK h4x0r

PickyMcNose

TomatoTranslator & PK h4x0r

TomatoTranslator & PK h4x0r

Hey, do you do Judo? I do Judo!

kelimred raccoon dog

I solve practical problems!

It’s pronounced “LOOM-pee-ah”

KatonSpace Waifu

ChasmangNinten's #1 Clone

ChasmangNinten's #1 Clone

Tomato
Translator & PK h4x0r

RaveFury
danceparty!

skyrunner14
Space Alien

Tomato
Translator & PK h4x0r

Tomato
Translator & PK h4x0r

Picky
McNose

Tomato
Translator & PK h4x0r

Tomato
Translator & PK h4x0r

Hey, do you do Judo?
I do Judo!

kelim
red raccoon dog

Katon
Space Waifu

Chasmang
Ninten's #1 Clone

Chasmang
Ninten's #1 Clone