Albion (comics)
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| Albion | |
.jpg/200px-Albion_Issue_1_(WildStorm).jpg) Cover to Albion issue 1, by Dave Gibbons. |
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| Publisher | WildStorm |
|---|---|
| Format | Limited series |
| Publication date | August, 2005 - November, 2006 |
| Number of issues | 6 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Leah Moore & John Reppion |
| Artist(s) | Dave Gibbons (covers) |
| Penciller(s) | Shane Oakley |
| Inker(s) | George Freeman (with Richard Friend, Sandra Hope and Peter Guzman) |
| Letterer(s) | Todd Klein |
| Colorist(s) | Wildstorm FX |
| Creator(s) | Alan Moore (plot) |
| Editor(s) | Scott Dunbier Kristy Quinn |
| Collected editions | |
| Albion | ISBN 1401209947 (US) |
| Albion | ISBN 1845763513 (UK) |
Albion is a six-issue comic book limited series plotted by Alan Moore, written by his daughter Leah Moore and her husband John Reppion, with covers by Dave Gibbons and art by Shane Oakley and George Freeman. As a result of a deal forged by Vice President Bob Wayne of DC Comics and Publishing Director Andrew Sumner of IPC Media, it was published through DC Comics' WildStorm imprint. The series aimed to revive classic IPC-owned British comics characters such as Captain Hurricane, Robot Archie, The Steel Claw and The Spider (as well as minor characters like Fishboy and Faceache), all of whom appeared in comics published by Odhams Press and later IPC Media during the 1960s and early 1970s, such as Valiant and Lion.
Debuting with a cover date of August, 2005 the first two issues were released monthly, with the third issue delayed two months (Moore & Reppion cited delays in scheduling impacting the art production[1]). Initially solicited release between October 2005 and January 2006, issues 4-6 were subsequently resolicited, and finally released throughout 2006, with cover dates between June and November. The TPB collection followed swiftly after #6 was released in both the US and UK, from WildStorm and Titan Books respectively.[2]
The logo is similar to the one used by Scottish car manufacturer Albion Motors, renowned for their superior engineering and slogan "Sure as the Sunrise".
Contents |
[edit] Fictional setting
The story revolves around a modern-day Britain where comic book characters have turned out to really exist. The British public had been largely unaware of their existence throughout the '60s and '70s, thinking them to be fictional.
Most of the IPC heroes are now interned within an asylum (comparisons are drawn with Camp X-Ray), and the daughter of one of the inmates - who calls herself Penny is determined to reveal their existence to the larger public. Using a similar narrative device to that which Alan Moore employed in Supreme and Tom Strong, flashbacks are related in the style of comics of yesteryear. Therefore, Penny Dreadful's childhood is drawn in a style similar to Dennis the Menace or the Bash Street Kids.
[edit] Characters
Characters who appear in Albion include;
- Bad Penny
- Brian's Brain
- Captain Hurricane
- Charlie Peace
- The Cloak
- Cursitor Doom
- The House of Dolmann
- The Dwarf
- Eagle-Eye
- Faceache
- Grimly Feendish
- Janus Stark
- Jason Hyde
- Kelly's Eye
- Martha's Monster Make-Up
- Mytek the Mighty
- Queen of the Seas
- Robot Archie
- Rubberman
- The Spider
- Tri-Man
- Zip Nolan
[edit] Spinoffs
[edit] Albion Origins
A tie-in volume entitled Albion Origins was released by Titan Books in November 2007 in hardback, with a cover by Brian Bolland. This volume was designed to showcase the characters featured in Albion as they originally appeared in various IPC, Fleetway and other British comics. It featured reprints of several Cursitor Doom, Tim Kelly, Janus Stark and Dolmann stories, as well as newly written articles exploring the history of these characters' comics.[3]
[edit] Thunderbolt Jaxon
Thunderbolt Jaxon, a "spinoff" of Albion - written by Dave Gibbons and drawn by John Higgins, with covers by Gibbons - was launched as a five issue mini-series in 2006. A trade paperback was released in 2007, ISBN 1401212573, which contained some additional info on the original character.
[edit] Battler Britton
Battler Britton, a five-part series (starting in July 2006) based on IPC's classic WWII air ace, Wing Commander Robert "Battler" Britton. Britton was the star of such comics as Sun, Knockout and the long-running digest titles Air Ace Picture Library and Battle Picture Library. The script is by well-known comics author (and WWII expert) Garth Ennis, with art by New Zealand's Colin Wilson. Covers are by Garry Leach. A trade paperback was released in 2007, ISBN 1401213782, which contained some additional info on the original character.
[edit] Collections
A trade paperback collection of the six-issue miniseries was released in the US on December 13th, 2006 by WildStorm (ISBN 1-4012-0994-7). Titan Books published the UK edition a month later, on January 26th (ISBN 1-8457-6351-3).
[edit] References in pop culture
- This comic book has been spotted by eagle-eyed fans in the new Die Hard movie, Live Free or Die Hard.[citation needed]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Moore & Reppion writing at Th3rdworld.com, January 22, 2006. Accessed May 4, 2008
- ^ ComicBookDb: Albion. Accessed May 4, 2008
- ^ Albion Origins
[edit] References
- Albion at the Comic Book DB
[edit] External links
- Leah Moore and John Reppion's Albion page
- International Hero - A website devoted to British comics heroes.
- Andrew Sumner of IPC Media on Albion
- More detail about the IPC comics universe and the history of Albion from Andrew Sumner
- Inside the DC-IPC Deal, Newsarama, August 2, 2004
- In The Fifty-Pee Box: An ALBION Website
- ALBION Annotations
[edit] Interviews
- Andrew Sumner interview, November 22, 2004, The Independent
- Talking to Leah Moore and John Reppion, Newsarama, February 16, 2006
- John Reppion, February 23, 2006
- Leah Moore and John Reppion talk Albion, Forbidden Planet, July 20, 2006
- Leah Moore Brings Back the Brits Publishers Weekly, January 16, 2007
- Forever Albion, John Freeman interviews Moore & Reppion, February 7, 2007
- Albion Man, John Freeman interviews Andrew Sumner, February 12, 2007
- Shane Oakley: Albion Artist, John Freeman interviews Shane Oakley, February 23, 2007
- Panel Borders: The work of Leah Moore and John Reppion part 1, October 12, 2007
- Leah Moore & John Reppion, May 2, 2008
[edit] Reviews
- Superheroes in graphic detail, The Scotsman, February 11, 2007
- Albion #4 and #5, Comics Bulletin
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