REBELLION'S The TRIGAN EMPIRE... (Updated)

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.

******

(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.)   

TV TORNADO ANNUAL 1971 COVER...

Characters copyright relevant and respective owners

Arrived today, the TV TORNADO Annual for 1971 (which was the fourth and final one), giving me the full set after receiving the one for '70 around 33-34 years ago as a gift (15 or 16 years after it first came out), and the '68 and '69 books within the last fortnight or so.  This is easily the worst of the four, as the British-produced strips are absolutely bloody awful; amateurishly drawn and lettered, they look as if they've been scrawled by a child.  (One character has two left hands.)  Only the American reprints save the day, though there's not enough of them.  Fictitious editor ED STORM rounds off his FLASH POINT intro by saying "I hope to be with you again in twelve months time with another issue of TV Tornado.  Cheerio till then"

'Twas not to be; Ed disappeared into the limbo of cancelled comics (and Annuals), never to be seen again in any new publication.  (Though there'd been a similar character, The SKIPPER, in SUPER DC, by the same artist - MICK ANGLO by the look of it.)  I can't help but wonder whether ED might've been able to keep his word had the quality of the artwork in this book been of a higher standard than it was.  And what are three cowboys from The HIGH CHAPPARAL doing on the cover?  They don't appear in any strip or text story inside.  I assume they were meant to be included before it was decided to produce this book as cheaply as possible by getting a 12 year old kid (by the look of it) to do the interiors.

Anyway, I've shown these Annuals out of sequence, so in an upcoming omnibus post I'll place them all in their proper order, along with their back covers.  Any memories of having these books - or the weekly comic?  Then feel entirely welcome to share your reminiscences in the comments section with your fellow Crivs.