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| Copyright REBELLION |
Another book I received today was REBELLION's 300-plus pages collected edition of The TRIGAN EMPIRE, the first of four volumes. I'd read somewhere that the pages were scanned from DON LAWRENCE's original art, but that appears to be only partially true, going from the difference in the clarity of reproduction on various pages. It's also been completely relettered, in a more comic strip style computer font, as opposed to the original typeset upper and lower case speech balloons and captions. That I can live with.
However, if you have this book, compare the first two strip pages with the ones below, scanned from a limited edition series of LOOK & LEARN, which reprinted RANGER's iconic strip as it originally appeared. I can't open the new volume wide enough to scan without risking damage to the spine, otherwise I'd show you the difference myself, but these particular two pages aren't as good in the Rebellion book as they are here. (Especially the second panel on the first tier of page 2.)
Don Lawrence's art is impressive, and it's really on the art that the reputation of this series rests, because the stories are nothing brilliant - they merely exist to give Don something to draw. I'm not saying they're bad, merely serviceable, and I'm not sure that any plot could ever be described as a classic, but this is still a book worth having just to linger lovingly over the illustrations. And when the pages are scanned from the original artwork, the quality is outstanding, but it's just a shame that all the pages couldn't be reproduced this way.
However, it's at an affordable price (£19.99), and if you're a fan of British comic strips from yesteryear, you'd be mad to let this one escape you. Available direct from Rebellion's website and all good book and comics shops.
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(Update: My above assessment of the stories was based on having last read some of them in a HAMLYN hardback collection nearly 40 years ago. Having now re-read them in this new collection, I find that they display quite a bit of imagination and are a good solid read. The only drawback with them is that the stories are told mostly through the captions rather than the dialogue, and are therefore a bit 'copy-heavy' and lacking the easy flow of, say, a '60s MARVEL comic [by way of comparison]. This doesn't make them bad of course, but because of the descriptive nature of the captions [when you can already see what's happening in the illustrations], they can sometimes come across as a tad 'dry'. It's a wee bit like watching a movie with a dull commentary playing over it.)
9 comments:
I will always wonder why given the quality of the artwork, the editors of this strip couldn't have found a writer with better imagination.
I have THE LOOK AND LEARN reprint from years ago that I just couldn't read between the lettering style and the prose. I just skimmed the pages for the art.
I don't mind the original typeface lettering, T47, but neither do I mind the new 'comic strip' lettering, though I notice it intrudes on the art on occasion, unlike the original. I'm not sure that the Roman style outfits mixed well with an SF theme, and maybe they should've ploughed their own furrow. And wouldn't it have been interesting to see what Mike Noble would've done with the strip? He imbued a feeling of 'action' into his strips, even when people were standing still.
Yes the art's great to look at, but you're right - the stories are dull, though competent.
Those long rockets on the publication's back look remarkably like Fireball XL5!
I was so excited to learn this was going to be re-published and pre-ordered it from Amazon last year. It didn't disappoint when it arrived and I'm looking forward to the second volume coming later this year.
I actually bought the first issue of Ranger as a child in 1965 and just loved the illustrations. It followed that I became a massive fan of Ron Embleton and Mike Noble's artworks as they were so similar to Don Lawrence's style.
Yes, the stories are a little dated and dull now, but at that time they would have been quite imaginative for the 60s and it was a first in sword and a sandals adventure combination with sci-Fi.
How did I miss your comment, Woodsy? I've only just noticed it. Yes, you're right, they do look similar to Fireball XL5, which Don Lawrence illustrated a few episodes of in TV21. I wonder if had Fireball in mind when he drew these Trigan Empire rockets?
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I've got a few issues of Ranger that I acquired around 35 years ago, Tony, but I haven't looked at them in a while - time to dig them out again, methinks. It's a shame that the reproduction quality of that first strip in the Rebellion book isn't as good as in other, earlier reprints, but overall it's a high-quality volume. I think I'll be buying the other three volumes as well.
No probs Kid! I recall that Fireball XL5 was initially called Century 21 in TV21. I like the Trigan versions a lot. I never had the comics I don't think but maybe a Ranger annual or two.
It wasn't called Century 21 in TV21, Woodsy, it was still Fireball XL5. Century 21 was the intended name for the spaceship when the TV show was first planned and the ship was slightly more futuristic-looking (though essentially the same shape), but they finally decided to go with Fireball XL5.
I should stick to toys Kid!
Well, you were pretty much right apart from the TV21 part. The strip first appeared in TV Comic before the show was even on TV, and it looks like the artist was supplied with reference for the Century 21 spaceship as the nosecone is more streamlined than the Fireball Junior we're all familiar with. The original silvery-blue(ish) colour scheme was probably amended to the XL5 one after the strip had already been drawn.
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