Rebellion News: This week’s 2000AD, “Trigan Empire”, and more – and “Karl the Viking” on the way for 2022

Rebellion Releases - Week Commencung 19th July 2021  - 2000AD, Trigan Empire

It’s a busy week of releases from Rebellion, with the return of one half of Sinister Dexter to 2000AD, a new issue of Judge Dredd Megazine (which includes a superb interview with veteran 2000AD Roy Preston, whose credits include “M.A.C.H One”, and more), plus the release of new volume of The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire, and more, too.

Volume Three of The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire continues Rebellion’s reprinting of this amazing series in chronological order, and includes a bonus strip drawn by Spanish artist Miguel Quesada. A series that will deliver the complete saga of the Trigan Empire, we have a longer review of this volume in the works from Peter Duncan. However, be assured writer Mike Butterworth and regular series artist Don Lawrence are firing on all cylinders with the stories featured, with tales encompassing alien invasion, a dangerous super villain and an assassin that appears after the opening of an ancient tomb.

Don Lawrence brings Butterworth’s wide-ranging scripts to astonishing life, often with breathtaking visuals, and this mammoth collection should be another welcome addition to your bookshelves – as soon as possible!

Rebellion have told us their Trigan Empire collections are easily their most successful Treasury of British Comics series yet, which doesn’t surprise us here at downthetubes, but it’s great to hear. All the more so because we’re also told it’s prompted the planned release of a collection of “Karl the Viking” next January, a stunning Viking strip first published between 1961 and 1964 in the weekly adventure comic, Lion, that went on to achieve huge success in Europe.

“Karl the Viking” debuted as “The Sword Of Eingar” (later reprinted as part of “Swords Of The Sea Wolves”) in Lion 447, cover dated 29th October 1960
“Karl the Viking” debuted as “The Sword Of Eingar” (later reprinted as part of “Swords Of The Sea Wolves”) in Lion 447, cover dated 29th October 1960

Launched in Lion in October 1960 as “The Sword Of Eingar” (in Issue 447, cover dated 29th October 1960), this terrific adventure strip was retitled “Karl the Viking” with Issue 463 (cover dated 18th February 1961). It was later reprinted in both Lion and SMASH, and one story even got an outing in the Action Holiday Special in 1980.

“Karl the Viking” from Lion, issue 463 cover dated 18th February 1961
“Karl the Viking” from Lion, issue 463 cover dated 18th February 1961

While the Don Lawrence Collection has previously released all 18 tales in English, back in 2008, in a stunning deluxe format, I think we can expect the Treasury editions to have a more affordable cover price.

“‘Karl the Viking’ was one of the most remarkable comic strips to appear in a British comic in the early 1960s, its memory far outlasting the four years it ran,” comics archivist Steve Holland noted in his enthusiastic foreword for the DLC edition of the first volume. “In Europe, the stories were reprinted in weekly titles and collected into albums, giving the strip a measure of permanence which it never achieved in its home country.”

Along with the trailing of a “Kelly’s Eye” collection next year in the latest Janus Stark collection, it sounds like the Treasury of British Comics will be bringing us further great classic material 2022. Much to look forward to!

ON SALE THIS WEEK FROM REBELLION

2000AD Prog 2241 - Cover by Dan Cornwell

2000AD Prog 2241
Cover by Dan Cornwell
UK and DIGITAL: 21 July £3.10
NORTH AMERICA: 22 September
DIAMOND: JUN211736

The latest issue of Galaxy’s Greatest Comic (Prog 2241) comes with in superb cover by Dan Cornwell, with the latest instalments of “Judge Dredd”, “Aquila”, “Department K” and “Skip Tracer”, plus the “Sinister Dexter” epic, “Bulletopia”, forges ahead, courtesy of Dan Abnett and Steve Yeowell, as a certain character makes his reappearance after what looked like a total-death experience…

Judge Dredd: Now That’s What I Call Justice! by John Wagner (w) John Higgins (a) Sally Hurst (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Mega-City One, 2143 AD. Home to over 160 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Unemployment is rife, boredom universal and violent crime is rampant. Tensions rest on a knife-edge and only the zero-tolerance Judges can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is
the Law! Now, an outfit called Justice Watch is executing Judges who it says killed cits…

Skip Tracer: Eden by James Peaty (w) Paul Marshall (a) Dylan Teague (c) Jim Campbell (l)

The Cube, the 27th century. This vast city floating in the depths of space was once a monitoring station, but has been refitted by the Earth-led Consociation as a solution to a universal housing problem. It’s now home to every kind of undesirable and wanted criminal. That’s where SKIP TRACER Nolan Blake comes in, a former soldier turned tracker with powerful psi-abilities. Now, he’s just discovered he’s a father…

Department K: Cosmic Chaos by Rory McConville (w) Dan Cornwell (a) Len O’Grady (c) Simon Bowland (l)

Mega-City One, 2143 AD. Justice Dept has many divisions tasked with dealing with the threats that face the metropolis, and DEPT K is a branch of Tek-Div, whose brief is to tackle interdimensional enemies. Headed by Kirby, and comprising of intern Afua, droid Estabon and the alien Blackcurrant, they’re now helping a neighbouring reality. But members of the cult the Valox are trying to destroy the multiverse…

Sinister: Its Own Devices by Dan Abnett (w) Steve Yeowell (a) John Charles (c) Simon Bowland (l)

Gun-sharks Finnigan SINISTER and Ramone DEXTER were the best hitmen money could buy in the future city of Downlode. Having whacked Holy Moses Tanenbaum, a ganglord from an alternate dimension, they found killing him reset the continuum, meaning no one knew who they were. But now a rogue A.I. is at large, which took control of Sinister, forcing Dexter to kill him. While Dexter flees with Carrie and Billi, Sinister has been resurrected…

Aquila: The Rivers of Hades, Book One by Gordon Rennie (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Dylan Teague (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Following Spartacus’s failed revolt against his Roman masters, his rebel army was crucified. Amongst these was the slave-turned-gladiator AQUILA, who cried out to the gods for vengeance — and was answered by Ammit the Devourer, a deity that gifted him with immortality in return for keeping her fed with evil men’s souls. Now, Aquila has travelled into Hades to seek out the spirit of Nero, who knows Ammit’s location…

Judge Dredd Megazine #434 - cover by Cliff Robinson & Dylan Teague

Judge Dredd Megazine #434
Cover by Cliff Robinson (Art) & Dylan Teague (Colour)
UK and DIGITAL: 21 July £5.99
NORTH AMERICA: 18 August $10.99
DIAMOND: MAY211661

Cliff Robinson and Dylan Teague’s cover for the new Judge Dredd Megazine positively leaps off the shelves too, highlighting the start of a new series of “Angelic” by Gordon Rennie and Lee Carter as the Angel Gang reimagining continues.

Also this issue, there’s intrigue as a former Chief Judge is kidnapped in the Dredd thriller “Project Providence”,
rumbles in the jungle in “The Returners” (Nicolo Assirelli’s artwork is superb on this), hellbound escapades in “Devlin Waugh”, and Brit-Cit bust-ups in “Diamond Dogs”.

Feature wise, we’re treated to interviews with veteran 2000AD writer Roy Preston and artist Ram V, and lots more.

Judge Dredd: Project Providence by Rory McConville (w) Staz Johnson (a) Pippa Bowland (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Mega-City One, 2143 AD. This vast urban hell on the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America is home to over 160 million citizens. Stemming the tide of chaos are the Judges, future law-enforcers empowered to dispense instant justice. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd – he is the Law! Now, a Sino secret agent is seeking to infiltrate a Tek department…

Diamond Dogs II by James Peaty (w) Warren Pleece (a) Simon Bowland (l)

Brit-Cit, 2142 AD. The remnants of old Britain still exist alongside the twenty-second century Mega-City, and these ruins are fought over by the Brit-Cit street gangs, who see them as valuable territory. Nia Jones used to run with the Diamond Dogs, but she was also a Justice Dept informer. Now, she’s been given the opportunity to kill the man who murdered her father…

Angelic: Restitution by Gordon Rennie (w) Lee Carter (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)

The Texas City Radlands, 2077. He emerged out of the desolate wastelands without a name or able to remember much of his past. Injured, clearly fleeing from individuals who want to do him harm, all he could do was mouth the word ‘Angel’. Now, escaping his former life, Angel is
making a home in the Cursed Earth with his adopted son Linc and strange mutant The Varmint…

The Returners: Amazonia by Si Spencer (w) Nicolo Assirelli (a) Eva De La Cruz (c) Jim Campbell (l)

South-Am, 2142 AD. Four different people in Ciudad Barranquilla – academic Barrancourt, ex-Judge Mineiro, gangbanger Correira, and transgender street-walker Chavez – all awoke from near-death experiences, and as a consequence encounter supernatural entities. Now, after being trapped in a eerie house in Brit-Cit, they’ve been transported back to their home country…

Devlin Waugh: The Reckoning by Aleš Kot (w) Mike Dowling (a) Quinton Winter (c) Simon Bowland (l)

Brit-Cit, 2142 AD. A freelance paranormal troubleshooter and exorcist for the Vatican, Devlin Waugh is the world’s foremost supernatural investigator. Despite becoming a vampire after getting bitten tackling an outbreak in an underwater prison, Devlin continues to enjoy the finer things in life. Having recently befriended a demon, Tittivillus, he’s given it up to Hell.

Bagged supplement: 2000AD Encyclopedia, Part 7: O-R
Interviews: writer Roy Preston, writer Ram V
Feature: Rewriting Extinction

Available in print from: 2000AD webshop, book stores, Amazon, and comic book stores via Diamond

Available in digital from: 2000AD webshop & apps for iPad, Android and Windows 10

THIS WEEK’S BOOK RELEASES

Check out our full guide to 2000AD and Treasury of British Comics releases in 2021 here

The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire Volume Three

The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire Volume Three
Creators: Mike Butterworth, Don Lawrence
ISBN: 9781781089323
Out: 20th July 2021
Price: £19.99
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback and webshop exclusive hardcover with cover by Chris Weston
Dimensions: 276×210mm

The third thrilling omnibus of the lost SF classic from the 1960s, an 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. 

Collected within are all the Trigan Empire stories published in chronological order, including the never before reprinted short stories not illustrated by Don Lawrence, to give you the complete saga of the Trigan Empire. Simply, brilliant.

Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Vol. 37

Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Volume 37
ISBN: 9781781088975
Release Date: 22nd July 2021
Price: £19.99
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Dimensions: 259 × 187 mm

He’s been a thorn in Dredd’s side since the Apocalypse War, but will Orlok the Assassin finally be brought to justice? The latest in the best-selling series of Judge Dredd’s adventures sees the future lawman and the Sov killer come face-to-face for what could be the last time. Will justice be served? Or will Orlok escape again? Meanwhile, Dredd investigates the twisted machinations of Judge Edgar, the Machiavellian head of the Public Surveillance Unit, and superstar writer Garth Ennis returns to write his final Dredd story, drawn by John Higgins.

Check out our full guide to 2000AD and Treasury of British Comics releases in 2021 here

Check out our full guide to Roy of the Rover releases past, present and upcoming here



Categories: 2000AD, British Comics, British Comics - Collections, British Comics - Current British Publishers, downthetubes Comics News

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