Albion (comics)
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| Albion | |
 Cover to Albion issue 1, by Dave Gibbons. |
|
| 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 also the archaic name for Great Britain. For other meanings, see Albion (disambiguation)
Albion is a six-issue comic book 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] Plot details
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[edit] Albion # 1
This introduces the main characters, including Danny, Penny (Dolmann), Charles Love (Charlie Peace), Janus Stark, Grimly Feendish, Tim Kelly and Louis Crandell (The Steel Claw).
The solicitation text for this issue reads - "Britain never had any super-heroes. It had something much stranger: a collection of paragons, monsters, and clowns that vanished a quarter century ago, never to be seen again. Who were Robot Archie and The Steel Claw? Who was Captain Hurricane, or The Spider? And where have they been for 25 years? Find out in the spectacular and historic first issue of Albion!"
[edit] Albion # 2
This reveals more about Penny's background, and introduces Zip Nolan, Mole, Togo, Eric Dolmann, Brian's Brain, Maggot Malone and Captain Hurricane.
The solicitation text for this issue reads - "Alan Moore’s 6-issue miniseries reimagining classic British heroes continues! While Penny and Danny do their best to repair and refurbish Robot Archie to his past glory, they share with each other stories of a bygone heroic era. Meanwhile, Grimly Feendish is imprisoned and thrown into solitary confinement. Plus, the introduction of the mysterious character known as Captain Hurricane."
[edit] Albion # 3
This tells about Danny's and Captain Hurricane [ better known as simon worrall's ] backgrounds, and identifies two key protagonists that had been previously introduced. The solicitation text for this issue reads - "The 6-issue miniseries reimagining classic British heroes continues! If Penny and Danny were familiar with the prison where Grimly Feendish, Captain Hurricane and The Steel Claw were kept, they might have been little more prepared for what they discover in Charles Love's nostalgia shop…"
[edit] Albion # 4
The solicitation text for this issue reads - "Penny is determined to rescue her father, and her new allies are almost convinced that it's worth the risk. After all, if the government kept the old comics folk around, surely there's one heck of a weapons cache to be found, too. But will the prisoners of The Castle be waiting when their small band arrives?"
[edit] Albion # 5
The solicitation text for this issue reads - "Our heroes — if they are heroes — have made it to the Castle. Inside, the Brain is still predicting disaster...and when Robot Archie attacks, he's proved right! But where are Penny, Danny and Charlie Love? Could there be more trouble than even the Brain is expecting?"
[edit] Albion # 6
The solicitation text for this issue reads - "This is it — the final thrilling chapter of Albion, as only Alan Moore could conceive it! Robot Archie, Penny, Danny, and Charlie release most of the inmates in the armory. But all Hell breaks loose when the prison guards must release their horrible secret weapon: Captain Hurricane!"
[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] Bibliography
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.
[edit] References
- ^ Moore & Reppion writing at Th3rdworld.com, January 22, 2006. Accessed May 4, 2008
- ^ ComicBookDb: Albion. Accessed May 4, 2008
- ^ Albion Origins
[edit] External links
- 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
- An article on the history of the IPC/DC Comics deal that launched Albion
- The Homepage of Leah Moore & John Reppion
- In The Fifty-Pee Box: An ALBION Website
- ALBION Annotations
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