UPDATE: left over hand signed versions were sold to interested people. The initial plan from CnB was to number them separately but due to huge backlash from initial backers like me, they decided to not number them and just mark them with a pencil on the back.

We do not know exactly how many extras were sold.

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Cook and Becker are known for their high quality museum grade Giclee prints for gaming arts! This was their first time, doing a commission art piece, in a kickstarter/crowd funding project manner, with approval from the licence holder!

And they had landed the big name- Yoshitaka Amano!

The project was first announced in their official facebook group and discord server, giving the opportunity to their long time and loyal customers, to purchase a limited to 30, hand signed by Yoshitaka Amano, print, priced at 900 Euros excluding vat.

It was a blind leap of faith for me as I knew of Yoshitaka Amano only from a few prints and there was no preview image or ANY hint of what the final artwork was gonna be, because the project would only go forward and drawn, if it had met its goal!

Different Versions

Deluxe Edition: limited to 370 prints. Was available for a long time and only sold out at the start of the year! Scalpers are still trying to sell them.

“The Deluxe art print measures 28 x 39 inches and is an 18-color screenprint plus special paint layers on 100% cotton, 400 gsm Somerset archival paper. The Deluxe comes with the autopen signature of Yoshitaka Amano.“

Hand-signed Deluxe Edition: According to C&B website

The hand-signed Deluxe is limited to an edition of 30 copies, of which 25 will be sold directly to consumers. The remaining five will be randomly distributed to lucky Deluxe edition buyers replacing their regular Deluxe version, giving fans with a more modest budget a chance to own a hand-signed Amano piece.

I managed to get on this train early thanks to Ervin, as I am not a regular facebook user, and was not, back then, aware of the discord group.
One had to email their customer service team, to get on the list and then on 18 July 2023, a link was sent to the people who had made it to the list, to purchase it.
I had back then, not noticed that the serial number of my print was listed on the invoice. So the serial numbers went along “first come first served”. I managed to get the 2/30 and I am yet to see the 1/30!

Premium Art Print Edition: Limited to 750 and still available!

“This gorgeous 28 x 39 inch 18-color screenprint is also printed on 100% cotton, 400 gsm Somerset archival paper but without the special paint layers of the Deluxe. The print comes with the autopen signature of Yoshitaka Amano.“

Premium Poster: Limited to 2000 and still available!

“A high-quality digital offset poster (meaning it is not archival quality) measuring 20 x 28 inches. The poster is limited to 2.000 copies and our most budget-friendly option. Amano’s signature is printed on the poster.“

Criticism, Reception and Feedbacks

There were multiple facets of this campaign, that we can unfold. From delays (it was supposed to be shipped in September, during TLoU Day 2023), angry social media responses and to me getting banned from the C&B discord group for no reason.

1. No Updates: During the campaign, it was stated on the C&B website, that there would be updates sent to the backers with drafts of initial sketch. Yoshitaka Amano’s busy schedule meant none of that happened. And also, the management team from Amano’s side was adamant on NOT sharing any kind of initial draft sketch pictures. I kind of understand it and also not understand the reasoning as we see Amano drawing regularly very draft/quick pictures at fan meet and greets, which still look stunning! Maarten from C&B, on the facebook group and discord server, shared a vague description, as the backers kept asking,
   “the artwork depicts a peaceful scene with Joel and Ellie at rest during their cross country trip in a forest at dusk. The artwork is a pencil and watercolor drawing”
   
2. Delays: It was shared via Maarten, on 2 October 2023, that there were delays and the artwork was received from Amano’s manager on 26 September, leading to it not being included in The Last of Us Day 2023. It was initially shared that Naughty Dog was not happy with it as they felt the “essence of TLoU is not present and some tweaks/modifications were requested.” This part of statement was later redacted/changed by Maarten.
   The timeline was then pushed for an October release. Which ended up going to November. The final approval from Sony and Naughty Dog came in on 7 November 2023.
   
3. Feedback and Cancellations: After the reveal of the artwork, calling it “mixed reaction” would be an understatement. Even the die-hard Amano fans had a tough time stomaching this apparently and the regular TLoU fans went into an outrage on social media as well as C&B groups/servers alike.
   The were some valid reasons for such criticism, putting the whole debacle of art taste aside. These were-
   • The deluxe print was suddenly changed from Giclee to Screenprint, which many people felt, is a downgrade.
   • People were not allowed full refund if they wanted to cancel their orders. There was no such term listed on the campaign page and people either contacted the CS to get full refund or went to their credit card institution to file a chargeback.
   • The negative feedbacks were kinda severe on social media, as one would expect. But there was a deliberate effort to downplay that feedback and calling it massive success. People were getting banned in C&B groups for sharing disappointments. I for one, was banned and threatened with order cancellation, because I had shared an email sent to a friend of mine, confirming that there will not be 100% refund for cancelled preorder.
     On the other hand, I also get that C&B has a small team managing the socials. The relentless work and pressure must have had got to them and Maarten later reached out to me to clear up misunderstanding. He had mistakenly thought, I was the same person making “negative” (debatable) comments on social media with that email screenshot, which I was not.
   • The hand signed ones are the last ones to be delivered. So the people who had paid the most are waiting the longest. But that is a situation one could not avoid IMO. But some people are, as of writing this, still waiting for their shipments of hand signed editions.
   • Extra hand signed prints: C&B announced that they have some extra hand signed prints for contingency, like shipping damages or lost in shipment. But, if everything is to be shipped and received perfectly, after the xx/30, those hand signed editions will be sold AGAIN as a SEPARATE run/edition size! Which, I personally as a collector, am not fond of.
     C&B has not decided on it yet as concerns were raised by me and some other hand signed version owners.

Verdict

With an on going excitement, patience, drama and anticipation since July 2023 til March 2024, this is the longest print release that I am experiencing!
Was it worth it? I still can’t comment on my feelings for the print properly!

There are people who will love this and there will be who won’t. Then again, there will be people like me who bought these just because it is an official The Last of Us print! Taste in art is subjective but none should be going out of their way to harm others feelings for it!

After all, it is just some color on paper! The value is to the beholder itself!

Ebay is rampant with resellers, though they aren’t able to sell them easily at marked up price!

Does Bokeh Have It?

Yeah, the extra premium hand signed deluxe print only!