With Rebellion‘s welcome announcement of mass-market Trigan Empire collections, launching next year, it’s perhaps no surprise that some fans of artist Don Lawrence are also wondering if this might also pave the way for a similar release for the science fantasy Storm, a strip the British artist worked on for 22 years.
Following his departure from “Trigan Empire” in 1976, when Look and Learn‘s publisher IPC refused to raise his page rate despite the strip’s pan-European syndication success, Don Lawrence began work on Storm for Oberon (Big Balloon).
Co-created with Martin Lodewijk, the stories drawn by Don are available in English language limited edition collections, translated by Steve Holland, complete with background information and behind the scenes art, from the Don Lawrence Collection, but they aren’t cheap.
The story centres Storm, an astronaut who finds himself marooned in a strange fantasy world, and rather like Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter, Warlord of Mars, has to make his way through it with only the aid of a red-headed warrior woman and a red-skinned alien prince.
Don drew 22 adventures in all and the series is primarily available in Dutch, published by published by Big Balloon and Uitgeverij Oberon, with reprints also available in languages such as German, French, Italian, Spanish, Bosnian and Indonesian.
Titan Books are among the limited number of English language publishers, who issued just two collections in the 1980s in the UK. (The British European Association also published just one collection, The Deep World, in 1982).
The strip also ran in some issues of Marvel UK’s STRIP, and the stories “The Living Planet” and “The Slayer of Eriban” were also published in Heavy Metal magazine in January 1997 and March 1999.
Some of the modern Dutch editions available through the Don Lawrence Collection are also available in English, translated by Steve Holland, who also worked on their Trigan Empire titles.
The origins of the series lie in an earlier, unpublished project, written in 1976 by Vince Wernham, drawn by Don Lawrence centring on a character called Commander Grek. (When Storm proved a success, the previously unreleased Commander Grek album was published as part of the Storm series, as “Episode 0”).
The series consists of two arcs: The Chronicles of the Deep World, which takes place on post-apocalyptical Earth centring on the adventures of Storm and his feisty companion, Roohaar, whose name changes in English translation, finally, it seems, settling on Ember; and The Chronicles of Pandarve, taking place in the Pandarve multiverse, the latter introducing Nomad and Storm’s nemesis Marduk, Theocrat of Pandarve.
It’s the second arc that offers the most wide-ranging and visually stunning imagery, with Pandarve, a living planet, a place where the normal physical laws no longer apply, which gave the creative team, who also included 2000AD and Starlord‘s Kelvin Gosnell, huge scope in terms of story possibilities and visuals.
The final three stories from the original team – The Von Neumann Machine, The Genesis Equation and The Armageddon Traveller – form a trilogy that throws Storm and Marduk together in an uneasy alliance to save Pandarve from disaster, with a giant “spaceship”, the Intruder, on a collision course fro the planet.
When Don Lawrence died the series continued, albeit intermittently, with Chronicles of Meanwhile, drawn by Dick Matena, a story set within the continuity of The Chronicles of the Deep World.
Lodewijk returned as the writer between 2007 and 2010 with the stories The Navel of the Double God and Marduk’s Springs, published in 2007 and 2009 respectively, working with new artists Romano Molenaar and Jorg de Vos, for Rob van Bavel’s publishing house the Don Lawrence Collection.
Writer Willem Ritstier and artist Minck Oosterveer also produced one Storm story in alternation with these during this period, a project that, The Comics Journal noted, was not without controversy. Oosterveer’s tragic death in a motorbike accident in 2011 curtailed the partnership.
Dick Matena and Rob van Bavel have since written new “Storm” stories for the magazine Eppo, while Conan writer Roy Thomas was asked to create Chronicles of Ember, a spin-off starring ‘Roodhaar’, the first volume released in 2014 and continued by Rob van Bavel, with
With its clever mix of science fiction and fantasy, Storm might be a series packed with familiar fantasy adventure tropes, but between Lodewijk’s scripts and Lawrence’s stunning art, it’s surely a series, considered a classic bit its European fans, well deserving of wider exposure here in the UK.
STORM CHECKLIST
The series is also offered in high end hardback collections, containing two albums and a part of the Storm dossier, “The Search for Storm”
Commander Grek – Prisoners of Time (Commandant Grek – Gevangenen van de tijd)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection- collected in Storm: The Collection Volume 12, which also features a longer feature on the creation of Storm
Created in 1976, but first published in 1984, written by Vince Wernham, art by Don Lawrence
The Chronicles of the Deep World
Art throughout by Don Lawrence
The Deep World – (De Diepe Wereld)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume One
First published in 1978 | Writer: Philip ‘Saul’ Dunn
The Last Fighter – (De Laatste Vechter)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume One
First published in 1979 | Writer: Martin Lodewijk
The People of the Desert – (Het Volk van de Woestijn)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Two
First published in 1979 | Writer: Dick Matena
The Green Hell – (De Groene Hel)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Two
First published in 1980 | Writer: Dick Matena
The Battle for Earth – (De Strijd om de Aarde)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Three
First published in 1980 | Writer: Dick Matena
The Secret of the Nitron Rays – (Het Geheim van de Nitronstralen)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Three
First published in 1981 | Writer: Dick Matena
The Legend of Yggdrasil – (De Legende van Yggdrasil)
Available in Dutch – Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection
First published in 1981 | Writer: Kelvin Gosnell
City of the Damned – (Stad der Verdoemden)
Available in Dutch – First published in 1982 | Writer: Kelvin Gosnell
The Creeping Death – (De Sluimerende Dood)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Four and Five
First published in 1982 | Writer: Don Lawrence
The Chronicles of Pandarve
Written by Martin Lodewijk, art throughout by Don Lawrence
The Pirates of Pandarve – (De Piraten van Pandarve)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Four and Five
First published in 1983
The Labyrinth of Death – (Het Doolhof van de Dood)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Six
First published in 1983
The Seven of Aromater – (De Zeven van Aromater)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Six
First published in 1984
The Slayer of Eriban – (De Doder van Eriban)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Seven
First published in 1985
The Dogs of Marduk – (De Honden van Marduk)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Seven
First published in 1985
The Living Planet – (De Levende Planeet)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Eight
First published in 1986
Vandaahl the Destroyer – (Vandaahl de Verderver)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Eight
First published in 1987
The Twisted World – (De Wentelwereld)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Nine
First published in 1988
The Robots of Far Sied – (De Robots van Danderzei)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Nine
First published in 1990
Return of the Red Prince – (De Terugkeer van de Rode Prins)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Ten
First published in 1991
The Von Neumann Machine – (De Von Neumann-Machine)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume Ten
First published in 1993
The Genesis Equation – (De Genesis-Formule)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume 11
First published in 1995
The Armageddon Traveller – (De Armageddon Reiziger)
Available in English from the Don Lawrence Collection – collected in Storm: The Collection Volume 11
First published in 2001
The Navel of the Double God – (De Navel van de Dubbele God)
Available in Dutch – First published in 2007
Script: Martin Lodewijk • Art: Romano Molenaar & Jorg de Vos
Marduk’s Springs – (De Bronnen van Marduk)
Available in Dutch – First published in 2009
Script: Martin Lodewijk • Art: Romano Molenaar & Jorg de Vos
The Red Trail – (Het Rode Spoor)
Available in Dutch – First published in 2010
Script: Martin Lodewijk • Art: Romano Molenaar & Jorg de Vos
The Mutineers of Anchor – (De Muiters van Anker)
Available in Dutch – First published in 2011
Script: Martin Lodewijk • Art: Romano Molenaar & Jorg de Vos
The Guards of the Tracks – (De Wisselwachters)
Available in Dutch – First published in 2012
Script: Rob van Bavel & Jorg de Vos • Art: Romano Molenaar & Jorg de Vos
The Race of Opale City – (De Race van Opaal)
Available in Dutch – First published in 2013
Script: Dick Matena • Art: Romano Molenaar & Jorg de Vos
The Coral of Kesmee – (Het Koraal van Kesmee)
First published in 2015
Script: Rob van Bavel • Art: Romano Molenaar & Jorg de Vos
The Executioner of Torkien (De Beul van Torkien)
Available in Dutch – First published in 2017
Script: Rob van Bavel • Art: Romano Molenaar
Chronicles of Meanwhile
Written by Martin Lodewijk, artwork by Dick Matena
The Voyager Virus – (Het Voyager Virus)
First published in 1996
The Dallas Paradox – (De Dallas Paradox)
First published in 1997
The Stargorger – (De Sterrenvreter)
First published in 1998
Klein Space – (De Ruimte van Klein)
Unfinished and unpublished
Chronicles of the Outer Rim
Written by Willem Ritstier, artwork by Minck Oosterveer
The Expatriate of Thoem – (De Banneling van Thoem)
First published in 2011
The Chronicles of Ember
The Legend of Krill
Available in Dutch – First published in 2014
Script: Roy Thomas • Art: Romano Molenaar
The Fifth Tower
Published in Dutch
Script: Rob van Bavel • Art: Romano Molenaar
The Arc of Noorah
Published in Dutch
Script: Rob van Bavel • Art: Romano Molenaar
WEB LINKS
• The Storm Collections (English Language Editions) | Original Art for Sale
• The Official Don Lawrence Web Site
• The Comics Journal: A ‘Storm’ of Controversy Surrounding Don Lawrence’ Legacy
By Bart Croonenborghs, 2nd February 2011
• Don Lawrence “Storm” book and art on the European site CatWiki
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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