The Surgeon Recut

By John Freeman on July 12, 2008

Scottish publishers Rough Cut Comics, publishers of Rose Black, the Freedom Collective and more, are releasing a trade paperback compiling the original two-issue mini-series The Surgeon, featuring the early artwork of Jaeson Finn.

The Surgeon, which ran ran for five years from its 2000 release and has been translated into German and Italian, introduced the gruesome time-travelling serial killer whose vehicle is constructed from living human bodies.

The new collection features an introduction by acclaimed British horror writer Ramsey Campbell – noted as a fan of the original series – and is expected to be a collector’s edition in its limited 3000 print-run.

Redesigned by Eagle Award nominee Thomas Mauer the 62-page edition also features the early artwork of Jaeson Finn, the storyboard artist on the recently-released $30million British science-fiction opus Doomsday, soon to be released on DVD and BluRay.

“Jaeson’s style had true cinematic dynamics, even at this early stage in his career,” says Ppublisher Ed Murphy. “His first pages in the book highlight his love of Manga, but as the action moves on, we get a glimpse of some beautifully constructed frame set-pieces.

“Jaeson’s first love was always movies, and I think – though the likes of Doomsday – we’ll see him develop into a fabulous production designer. But here, I’m pleased to be able to acknowledge his early ideas.”

In his introduction, author Ramsey Campbell celebrates its success as a comic-book series and its unfortunate mis-step as a British film project itself – “Maybe it proved too strong for the moneymen’s sensibilities,” he comments on the story, which came to comics after collapsing as a feature film due to star Richard E Grant and Peter Capaldi.

“I think it’s made something of an impact,” feels Murphy. “The film was in development since 1997 and it’s been a comic since 2000. If you look at things which have come since, it’s just too coincidental to imagine they haven’t been inspired by the series.”

• The Surgeon trade paperback is due to ship through Diamond Comic Distributors in October 2008.

About the Author
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John Freeman

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.