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The Art of Cuphead Hardcover – March 17, 2020
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Each page of this curated collection of artwork is designed to capture the vintage look and feel of the 1930's. Take a gander at the game's traditional hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation. Peek at the early concepts, production work, and early ideas that went into the making of Cuphead's characters, bosses, stages and more including never-before-seen content from the DLC!
Relive the most cherished and challenging moments of Cuphead and Mugman's adventure to reclaim their souls from The Devil, all in a way you've never seen before! Guided by personal insights from game directors Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, take a one-of-a-kind trip through the Inkwell Isles and discover an all-new appreciation for Cuphead's animation style and challenging retro gameplay.
Dark Horse Books and Studio MDHR are thrilled to present The Art of Cuphead! This vintage-style art extravaganza is the perfect book for fans of Cuphead!
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Print length264 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherDark Horse Books
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Publication dateMarch 17, 2020
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Dimensions8.8 x 1.1 x 11.27 inches
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ISBN-101506713203
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ISBN-13978-1506713205
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Product details
- Publisher : Dark Horse Books
- Publication date : March 17, 2020
- Edition : First Edition
- Language : English
- Print length : 264 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1506713203
- ISBN-13 : 978-1506713205
- Item Weight : 3.3 pounds
- Dimensions : 8.8 x 1.1 x 11.27 inches
- Part of Series : Cuphead
- Best Sellers Rank: #21,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #15 in Video Game Art (Books)
- #30 in Dark Horse Comics & Graphic Novels
- #45 in Pop Culture Art
- Customer Reviews:
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Customer reviews
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Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this art book informative about the creative process, featuring detailed concept sketches and specific inspirations. The book includes concept art for each character, and one customer notes it's a great package for getting into 2D animation. They appreciate its historical content and consider it worth the money, making it a great gift idea.
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Customers appreciate the book's detailed insights into the creative process, including specific inspirations and thought processes behind the artwork, with one customer noting it features multiple concept sketches.
"...Each frame is hand drawn and shows the early concepts, production work, and all of the ideas that went into creating Cuphead...." Read more
"...concept art for each character, the creators go into the VERY specific inspirations for every single denizen of the Inkwell Isles, and how each..." Read more
"My son love Cuphead and this book show complete details of the art of the game." Read more
"This is an amazing book that details the art, inspiration, and creative talent behind the all-cartoon magical wonder game...." Read more
Customers appreciate the character design in the book, which includes concept art for each character, with one customer noting the step-by-step process of character and level development.
"...more than to begin his collection of vintage art and video drawing with his favorite characters." Read more
"...Filled with concept art for each character, the creators go into the VERY specific inspirations for every single denizen of the Inkwell Isles, and..." Read more
"...It also gives an interesting character design idea of using a character as heavy inspiration and capturing their main aspect, while having a..." Read more
"...He loves to read and draw the characters, even on the airplanes during our trip of spring vacations, and i was very happy to see that he was telling..." Read more
Customers find the book to be a great gift idea, with one mentioning it's a wonderful addition to any bookshelf.
"...At the moment of this review, this lovely addition to anyone’s collection is a whopping 40% off (around $21 US)...." Read more
"...archive history the creators and their team delved to make such a special and unique game. My favorite part? The watercolor backgrounds!" Read more
"...This art book certainly lives up to expectations and more! It is a collector's item and I recommend it especially if you enjoy Cuphead, and/or the..." Read more
"...It had the art and breakdown of how the game was created. Neat things like how many shots it took to make one character move." Read more
Customers find the book worth its price, with one mentioning it's a good buy for Cuphead enthusiasts.
"...that.. They usually fee rushed but this Cuphead Artbook is a steal for the price and must have for any gamer, or designer looking into getting into..." Read more
"...This is a very stacked book for a very reasonable price...." Read more
"...Also, a great price for the content. If you love Cuphead, you'll love this book! It arrived in perfect condition and on time too. :)" Read more
"What a good buy for any Cuphead enthusiast" Read more
Customers appreciate the animation quality of the book, with one noting it serves as a great package for getting into 2D animation, while another highlights its obscure references to animation and video games.
"...looking for stuff to draw and this is honestly a great package for getting into 2D animation and drawing cartoons...." Read more
"...Btw, the artwork includes: animation frames, character design, poses, original concepts for characters, and background designs...." Read more
"...each character, stills of the beautiful backgrounds, and process of the animation progress...." Read more
"...about the character and location designs, the obscure animation and video game references that inspired the creating of this game, and especially..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's historical content.
"...If you're looking for a book that captures character design, some history, and inspiration, this is a great book!..." Read more
"...This book is a love letter and history of Cuphead and how the world started as an idea and evolved into a beautiful game so many enjoy...." Read more
"...I love seeing the art and history so much. If you are a fan this is a MUST HAVE!" Read more
"Over 300 pages of incredible history of the game. The book is high quality and really a great addition to any Cuphead fans collection." Read more
Customers love the art content of the book, with one mentioning it's a must-have for Cuphead fans and another noting it's a great concept art book about video games.
"I love Concept Art books about video games. And this one is one of my favorites so far!..." Read more
"Must Own Art Book..." Read more
"AWESOME book for fans of Cuphead Art..." Read more
Customers appreciate the depth of the book, with one mentioning the detailed background and another noting the enhanced cover details.
"...the book is formatted really nice for the size, and the covers have a lot more detail than the images online have. It's a pleasure to have!" Read more
"So glad I got this book. In depth on how they imagined the world and each character, level to be...." Read more
"I enjoyed reading the in-depth background about the character and location designs, the obscure animation and video game references that inspired..." Read more
Reviews with images

A Visual Masterpiece for Fans and Collectors Alike!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2025As both a Cuphead fan and a lover of animation history, I was blown away by The Art of Cuphead! This hardcover book is a total gem—beautifully bound, rich in vibrant illustrations, and filled with behind-the-scenes content that brings even more life to the game’s vintage 1930s animation style.
What I loved most is how easy it is to get lost in the artistry. Whether you’re an aspiring animator, a game design student, or just someone who appreciates hand-drawn magic, this book offers real value. The commentary is insightful without being overwhelming, and the layout is clean, making it perfect for both casual browsing and deep dives into concept sketches and character design.
The quality is top-notch for the price point—thick pages, high-resolution art, and attention to detail throughout. If you’re thinking about gifting this or adding it to your coffee table or collector’s shelf, do it. It’s one of those purchases you’ll be proud to show off.
Amazon Prime shipping made it even sweeter with fast and secure delivery!
5.0 out of 5 starsAs both a Cuphead fan and a lover of animation history, I was blown away by The Art of Cuphead! This hardcover book is a total gem—beautifully bound, rich in vibrant illustrations, and filled with behind-the-scenes content that brings even more life to the game’s vintage 1930s animation style.A Visual Masterpiece for Fans and Collectors Alike!
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2025
What I loved most is how easy it is to get lost in the artistry. Whether you’re an aspiring animator, a game design student, or just someone who appreciates hand-drawn magic, this book offers real value. The commentary is insightful without being overwhelming, and the layout is clean, making it perfect for both casual browsing and deep dives into concept sketches and character design.
The quality is top-notch for the price point—thick pages, high-resolution art, and attention to detail throughout. If you’re thinking about gifting this or adding it to your coffee table or collector’s shelf, do it. It’s one of those purchases you’ll be proud to show off.
Amazon Prime shipping made it even sweeter with fast and secure delivery!
Images in this review
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Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2024My oldest grandson is 9 years old and is absolutely fascinated with Cuphead. He plays the video game, he draws pictures of him everywhere, and is fascinated with the animation of Cuphead.
So when he found this book, he put it at the top of his Santa list. I asked his mother if we, his grandparents, could get it for him. And as I’m looking at the book, which is beautiful, I can begin to understand his fascination for Cuphead.
This beautiful coffee table book tells the story of how, through artwork, Cuphead was created through the vintage look and feel of the 1930s. Each frame is hand drawn and shows the early concepts, production work, and all of the ideas that went into creating Cuphead.
It’s a wonderful video game complete with Cuphead and Mugman. It is clean and stylish and neither me, nor his parents, have any problem with his fascination for the characters, the games, and now the history and the artwork of Cuphead.
The book may be a little advanced for a 9 year old, but this is a family who reads voraciously. Highly educated and well rounded. He will grow with this book and who knows what dreams will become a career or a lifetime love of vintage art. There’s no doubt that this will be his favorite gift. He talks about this book constantly and understands that “it is very expensive and important “.
I see that there are additional books on his favorite video game. I’m loving nothing more than to begin his collection of vintage art and video drawing with his favorite characters.
5.0 out of 5 starsMy oldest grandson is 9 years old and is absolutely fascinated with Cuphead. He plays the video game, he draws pictures of him everywhere, and is fascinated with the animation of Cuphead.A wonderful book that tells the story of Cuphead from the 1930s.
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2024
So when he found this book, he put it at the top of his Santa list. I asked his mother if we, his grandparents, could get it for him. And as I’m looking at the book, which is beautiful, I can begin to understand his fascination for Cuphead.
This beautiful coffee table book tells the story of how, through artwork, Cuphead was created through the vintage look and feel of the 1930s. Each frame is hand drawn and shows the early concepts, production work, and all of the ideas that went into creating Cuphead.
It’s a wonderful video game complete with Cuphead and Mugman. It is clean and stylish and neither me, nor his parents, have any problem with his fascination for the characters, the games, and now the history and the artwork of Cuphead.
The book may be a little advanced for a 9 year old, but this is a family who reads voraciously. Highly educated and well rounded. He will grow with this book and who knows what dreams will become a career or a lifetime love of vintage art. There’s no doubt that this will be his favorite gift. He talks about this book constantly and understands that “it is very expensive and important “.
I see that there are additional books on his favorite video game. I’m loving nothing more than to begin his collection of vintage art and video drawing with his favorite characters.
Images in this review
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Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2025This cuphead book is awesome, I wasn't expecting the weight of the book really well made and beautiful details my grandson loved it as hes such a artist!!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2022As an aspiring artist who was always fond of 30’s-style character design and animation, Cuphead’s oeuvre struck at the core of my artistic sensibilities the moment I saw the first trailer. Cut to the game’s release and the entire experience supercharged my ion for animation and character design. This book has only prolonged that level of enchantment.
The book is perfect. Better than I could have hoped, and as much of a love letter to the game as the cartoons that inspired it. Filled with concept art for each character, the creators go into the VERY specific inspirations for every single denizen of the Inkwell Isles, and how each character came to be. They make a point to credit their specific artists whenever possible, and the writing is as cheeky and a joy to read.
In addition to character design, they also go in-depth on the beautiful background painting and modeling that adds so much to the feel of the game. They even go into the typography selection and the thought processes behind it. This book is JAM-PACKED with more content than you can imagine.
Now for the book itself: very high quality, sturdy hardcover with the pages printed on a gorgeous paper-stock. While I understand the modern inclination to purchase books in digital form, (which according to the lower ratings here apparently has some issues), you really lose something in a “non-physical” art book.
At the moment of this review, this lovely addition to anyone’s collection is a whopping 40% off (around $21 US). I honestly feel like I got away with murder for how little I paid for this vs. the quality I received.
If you’re on the fence, get the heck off of said fence and do yourself the favor of purchasing this inspiring ode to one of the most ambitious games ever created.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2025My son love Cuphead and this book show complete details of the art of the game.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2025Fun read
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Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2024This is an amazing book that details the art, inspiration, and creative talent behind the all-cartoon magical wonder game. This book is the gold standard in quality when it comes to video game art books. I can’t wait for the art book on the Cuphead Delicious Last Course!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2024I think it's amazing.
Top reviews from other countries
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Abhi
5.0 out of 5 stars Must buy!
It's in a good condition. Great packaging. Fun to read. Enjoy the behind the scenes process.
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andrew Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Everything one could want in a Art of book
I can't imagine how the book could be better. Excellent print and paper quality. A wealth of images and concept art going back to the earliest days of what was to become Cuphead. Great insight into the reasoning and methodology that went into what seems to be every aspect of the game. I couldn't recommend it more highly to Cuphead fans. Also I was very glad to see that material from the, as of now, DLC was also included.
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AlejandroSm
5.0 out of 5 stars Esto SI es un artbook
Para empezar, hay dos tipos de consumidores de libros de arte; los que se lo leen enteramente y los que ven sólo los dibujos. Ambos respetables. Bueno, si eres el primer caso, tendrás que saber inglés, si no es probable que no entiendas ni la mitad. Para los segundos, ¡adelante! Ya podéis comprarlo.
Dejando el idioma a un lado, este libro de arte me parece de los más dedicados y completos que tengo de mi colección. Se hace hincapié en muchos aspectos, como si de un reportaje se tratara. A nivel visual y de estructura está correctamente organizado para que sea llevadera su lectura, tan ornamentado con dibujos y bocetos.
Sin duda merece la pena el dinero gastado, el libro es muy robusto y da sensación de calidad, además que por ese mismo precio o superior encontramos otros muchos libros de arte mucho más pobres, dedicados en exclusiva a las imágenes y bocetos (no se me malinterprete, no dejan de ser artbooks y son para eso, pero me gusta que tengan pequeñas explicaciones tales como por qué se decantaron por un diseño, en qué se inspiraron para este otro, etc.)
Recomendado.
AlejandroSmEsto SI es un artbook
Reviewed in Spain on January 26, 2023
Dejando el idioma a un lado, este libro de arte me parece de los más dedicados y completos que tengo de mi colección. Se hace hincapié en muchos aspectos, como si de un reportaje se tratara. A nivel visual y de estructura está correctamente organizado para que sea llevadera su lectura, tan ornamentado con dibujos y bocetos.
Sin duda merece la pena el dinero gastado, el libro es muy robusto y da sensación de calidad, además que por ese mismo precio o superior encontramos otros muchos libros de arte mucho más pobres, dedicados en exclusiva a las imágenes y bocetos (no se me malinterprete, no dejan de ser artbooks y son para eso, pero me gusta que tengan pequeñas explicaciones tales como por qué se decantaron por un diseño, en qué se inspiraron para este otro, etc.)
Recomendado.
Images in this review
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Avis
Rien à redire article conforme à la description envoie rapide
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Rene'
5.0 out of 5 stars Bel libro
Arrivato puntuale. Bellissimo libro per gli apionati. Pieno di immagini