These days, you’ll find a lot of celebrities aspiring to cross one more thing off of their bucket lists.  Bruce Willis, for example, will be starring on Broadway for the first time ever in a theatrical adaptation of Stephen King’s “Misery,” alongside “Roseanne’s” Laurie Metcalfe.  Kevin Costner decided he wanted to finance and release a book of his own alongside Jon Baird (writer) and Rick Ross (illustrator).

Together, they created “The Explorers Guild: Vol. 1.”  This book has been in the works for the last 8 or 9 years.  Baird wrote the book, Costner gave his input and ideals, and Ross illustrated the book.  What they came up with was a novel they hope will be passed down from generation to generation, sitting next to the likes of Jules Verne or Joseph Conrad up on the bookshelf.  Costner’s need to have a perfect product like his previous works is reflected in the beauty of his first book.  This book is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

The paper is soft and delicate with a beautiful layout.  Each word leads up to the graphic novel story, so you’re not just reading text, you’re also reading a comic strip.  They are interwoven together to tell the story.

While the topic of the evening was on how this unique book came to life, Costner, who is a master storyteller, told a few stories of his own.  He spoke about two films that made a huge impact on him as a child: “How the West Was Won” and “Giant.”  He also spoke about the moment he decided to become an actor, and when he encountered Richard Burton on a plane.

Costner was very inspiring as he spoke about the things in life that inspired him to become the person he became from acting and directing to this new book.

Here is the audio from the talk at the Modern Museum of Art (MOMA) in NYC on October 21, 2015. The talk becomes very interesting (and inspiring) during the last half when Costner starts telling his life stories.

We’ll have a review of “The Explorers Guild: Vol. 1” soon.