Commissioned art of favourite comic heroes is part and parcel of fandom, and there are some wonderful, Imagined Comic Moments out there, such as this meeting of the original Captain Britain and his more modern incarnation.
What makes this 2009 commission special is that it’s drawn by Herb Trimpe, co-creator of Captain Britain with writer Chris Claremont, and the character’s original artist for Captain Britain Weekly, back in 1976. The final art was coloured by Sam Wakeman.
“The late, great Herb Trimpe returned to drawing Captain Britain for some of the covers of Panini’s (now expensive to buy) Captain Britain trade paperback set,” notes Marvel UK fan Iskander Islam, creator of the fan tribute, Avengers UK. “Trimpe’s art, in some pieces, looked noticeably different in a more ‘1990’s’ style and this art is in that vein.”
The art was commissioned by David Currie, the previous owner of Bath’s American Dream Comics, who says “I had him set it in my home town of Bath, snuck in an ad for my comic shop and made a caustic comment on a classic conundrum: which costume is better – classic or modern.”
David has shared some terrific comic artworks on ComicArtFans, including work by John Buscema, Gene Colan, Paul Gulacy, Mike Higgs, Steve Rude and more.
Bath’s ultimate geek haven. American Dream Comics is part of the history of Bath, as it has been around for over 25 years. Residing in the artizan area of the City Centre, on Walcot Street, inside you’ll find Comic Books, Graphic Novels, T-shirts, Posters, Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, Toys. Action Figures, POP Vinyl, Statues, and so much more.
• Captain Britain versus Captain Britain Pencils on ComicArtFans
• Captain Britain versus Captain Britain Colour on ComicArtFans
• American Dream Comics, 72 Walcot Street, Bath BA1 5BD | Web: americandreamcomics.co.uk| Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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: British Comics, Comic Art, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Imagined Comic Moments, US Comics
Thanks for highlighting this art, it is a great piece I’ve always thought. One clarification: Although I founded and ran American Dream Comics for its first 12 years, I am no longer the owner. But I’m sure the current owners will appreciate the plugs. Incidently, the colours in the secondd version were by Sam Wakeman and the art was commissioned from Herb in 2009.
Thanks for the extra information! It’s a wonderful piece, and I enjoyed viewing your online gallery, too