There’s the opportunity to celebrate all the fabulous artists who drew the iconic “The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire” comic strip in the latest illustrators Special from Book Palace Books, available to order now.
One of the most fondly remembered British strips, the fully painted “The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire”, written by Mike Butterworth, first appeared in Ranger and then Look and Learn from 1965 to 1982, a run of 854 issues in total. The strip is currently being republished by Rebellion and has a dedicated following in Europe as well as the UK.
With its pseudo retro setting in a world resembling Ancient Rome, but with the advances of science in its weapons and flying vehicles, it set the standard in boys’ comics from the 1960s.
But it was mainly the absolutely stunning artwork of its initial artist, Don Lawrence, that made it such a fan-favourite. This latest illustrators Special will be taking a closer look at the artwork and features panels in detail from the various artists who contributed to the series: Don Lawrence, Ron Embleton, Miguel Quesada, Philip Corke, Oliver Frey, Gerry Wood and Ernest Ratcliff.
The majority of the artwork in this The Trigan Empire illustrators Special, out in January 2024, was scanned from the originals and reproduced at their actual size to see the artwork in all its glorious detail. (The Illustration Art Gallery at Book Palace has a trove of material from the “Trigan Empire”, showcasing the work of all the artists who collaborated on the series).
• The Trigan Empire illustrators Special is available to order now direct from The Book Palace
Author: Diego Cordoba
Artists: Don Lawrence, Ron Embleton, Miguel Quesada, Gerry Wood, Oliver Frey, Philip Corke, Ernest Ratcliff
Publisher: Book Palace Books, due January 2024
Number of pages: 128
Format: Soft Cover; Full Colour illustrations
Size: 9″ x 11″ (216mm x 280mm)
ISBN: 9781913548261
The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire – the Rebellion collections
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• The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire Volume One
Under the leadership of Trigo, the Vorg tribesmen band together to resist the Lokan invaders, forming a new country, The Trigan Empire. This is the epic story of its rise and fall.
Featuring an extraordinary combination of the Roman Empire and ancient Greece, Trigo’s story is told in ground breaking fully painted artwork. This is the first in a series collecting all the stories painted by the legendary Don Lawrence.
• The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire Volume Two
Among the distant stars, fractious tribes come together to found a mighty empire that will wage war against aggressive kingdoms, battle alien invaders, and conceive of incredible new technologies. This extraordinary volume continues to chart the glorious Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire. Introduced by Chris Weston, once an apprentice to Don Lawrence.
• The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire Volume Three
This is the epic story of the Trigan Empire’s rise and fall, and of how Trigo, often alone, had to fend off usurpers and monstrous threats to save his people. The lush painted comic art that Don Lawrence produced in this period would solidify him as one of the greatest comic book artists of all time.
• The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire Volume Four
This volume collects the stories published from 1973 through to 1976.
Don Lawrence’s painted art continues to be a highlight of the series, and as he takes a sabbatical from the strip Miguel Quesada and Philip Corke match his impressive work with their own style.
The Trigan Empire remains resilient against enemies on all fronts, from treacherous politicians, murderous Zith assassins, and alien invaders, Trigo and Janno protect the citizens of Elekton.
• The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire Volume Five
Collects all the stories originally published in Look & Learn from 1975 through to 1977, and contains Don Lawrence’s final flawlessly painted Trigan Empire pages.
The Emperor Trigo, his nephew Janno, and the trusted scientist Peric all band together to face off against the threats to the stability of the Trigan Empire – be they frozen superior life forms from an earlier age, or the machinations of Trigo’s own courtiers who are determined to seize control of the government – in these fast-paced yet beautifully painted comic stories which enthralled readers on original publication.
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.
Categories: Art and Illustration, British Comics, Comic Art, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds
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