The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade: The 11 1/2 Anniversary Edition [Hardcover]

I'll admit right now that I'm a huge fan of Penny Arcade and pretty much all of their endeavors.

At first, I thought this book was a collection of Mike and Jerry's favorite strips, which disappointed me a little since they are continuing to release their yearly volumes. However, upon reading most of it, I was pleasantly surprised to find it is more a chronicling of how Penny Arcade came to be the monolith it is now, which I find far more fascinating. The writing can be a little self-congratulatory at times, but they also point out on many occasions that simple dumb luck played a huge part of their success. I feel that they are just as bewildered as to how they got where they are as everyone else.

If you enjoy Penny Arcade and are wondering the struggles their entire crew has endured getting where they are, I highly recommend this book. If you're just looking for laughs, you'll find quite a few here, but probably not as many as you'd expect, but that shouldn't be a reason to deter you from making the purchase.

I'm probably one of the rare few geeks on the internet that doesn't regularly follow Penny Arcade. I tried, briefly, in college (didn't we all?), but, even then, I was already behind on my video game references.

Still, regular reader or not, it is impossible to avoid the influence of Jerry and Mike (or Tycho and Gabe).

Over and above a website read by 3.5 million people a day, they've created one of the premiere gaming conventions (PAX) and even inspired a video game. They're always at the front line of geeky causes - from founding a charity (Child's Play) to battling Crazy Jack Thompson. Read 'em or not, the pair are unavoidable.

The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade recounts their 11.5 year journey from launch to now.

The content is scattershot: amusing anecdotes of legal battles and behind-the-scenes looks at PAX are combined with photos of the office and interminable Q&A's. The highlight is a thirty-page collection of vintage strips, each paired with quick insights from the creative team. Especially as an unfamiliar reader, that's where the book came to life. I suspect that devoted fanatics would happily spend $24 RRP for a hardcover collection of photographs of fan-donated plush toys, but I wanted a bit more meat.

The real splendid magic of Penny Arcade was in the tone of voice. It is impossible to do a retrospective like this without sinking into self-praising prose and back-patting, but Mike and Jerry were as open with their mistakes as they were their successes. And, more charmingly, they largely credit their mistakes to ignorance and their successes to luck. The pair come across as really good guys - enjoying the good fortune of their miraculous livelihoods and trying their best to spread the fun when and where they can.

As a result? The book was so-so - I'm clearly outside of the target audience of hardcore fans, and suggest that newcomers to Penny Arcade start with a traditional collection instead. But the authors? They impressed the hell out of me.

A great book for everyone who loves Penny Aracade, not just for the great comic but for everything that Penny Arcade stands for. Contains several of the authors favourite comic strips as well as the story behind the comic, PAX, Childs Play and more. A must have for any serious fan!