by Bryan Talbot
'The Art of Bryan Talbot' (96 pp.) is a large (11.9" x 9") size trade paperback published in 2007 by NBM (Nantier, Beall, Minoustchine), a small press dedicated to publishing graphic novels and art.
Talbot (b. 1952) is one of most recognized graphic artists in the UK. This book provides an overview of his artistic output, starting with his work as an underground comix artist in the mid-70s.
Talbot's artistic skills enabled him to take on commercial artwork assignments for mainstream UK magazines and publishers.
Of course, Talbot's 'The Adventures of Luther Arkwright' gets deserved attention in this volume:
As does his work for 2000 AD comics, and such characters as Judge Dredd and Nemesis the Warlock:
In the 90s, Talbot produced 'Heart of Empire', the sequel to 'Arkwright':
As well as the graphic novel 'One Bad Rat'.
Some of Talbot's work in the 90s is less well known to American audiences, such his covers for the anthology series 'Neil Gaiman's Teknophage'..
The book closes with coverage of Talbot's work in the 2000s, most notably the 'Grandville' series of graphic novels. There also is a helpful 'Bryan Talbot Stripography' which lists his complete comic book and graphic novel output from 1971 to 2007.
'The Art of Bryan Talbot' can be found for affordable prices (i.e., under $10) at your usual online retailers, and it's worth getting if you are a fan of his work, a fan of the 'Arkwright' canon, or just someone who appreciates good graphic art in general.
The book is well-produced, with the image reproductions at high resolution and the explanatory text assisting with, rather than competing with, the artwork. It's also sure to generate some severe 70s and 80s Nostalgia, particularly for UK readers.
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