The Art of Bryan Talbot

The Art of Bryan Talbot
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.

Heavy Metal magazine July 1984

'Heavy Metal' magazine July 1984

July, 1984, and as I am driving from upstate New York down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to go to graduate school at LSU. On the car radio, the single 'Boys Do Fall in Love' from Robin Gibb's new album 'Secret Agent', is in rotation.  

'Boys' wound up being a modest hit that Summer, but it remains a great song, and epitomizes the synth-heavy, eletronic drum sound of mid-80s pop. 

After the BeeGee's 1981 album 'Living Eyes' tanked, signalling the end of the disco era with crushing finality, it was Robin Gibb, as a solo artist (with some help from brother Maurice), who let the world know there was more to the band than the one-two disco beats and over-exposed Barry-Gibb-falsetto that had come to be associated with the band's music. 

So 'Boys Do Fall in Love' is on the radio, and the latest issue of 'Heavy Metal' magazine is on the magazine racks, featuring a front cover by Dave Dorman, and a back cover by  Ron Lightburn.

The Dossier section is one of the more ludicrous to appear in the magazine, focusing on - likely enough - Heavy Metal music, and showcasing an up-and-coming singer named.....Thor. 

Other bands in the spotlight include 'Manowar' and 'Slayer'. It's hard to tell if the HM staff ('Rok' critic Lou Stathis, along with Tim Sommer, Josh Ribakove, and  Jess Schalles) who wrote the Dossier intended that their coverage be facetious, or if they were playing it straight, but only those who grew up in the 80s can truly treasure the wonderful awfulness of these bands and their clothing/ costumes.

Other sections of the Dossier review sf books, and there is an interview with aging comedian Jerry Lewis (!) about his genuinely awful movie, 'Slapstick of Another Kind.'

The graphic content of the July issue sees a new series from Jeronaton, titled 'The Great Passage'; ongoing episodes of Thorne's 'Lann', Druillet's 'Salammbo II', 'The Hunting Party' by Cristin and Bilal; 'The Railways' by Renard and Schuiten; and 'TexArcana' by FIndley.

Among the better of the singleton strips is Alfonso Azpiri's 'Daymares / Nightdreams'. I've posted it below.

Book Review: Legend

Book Review: 'Legend' by David Gemmell

4 / 5 Stars

This Del Rey Books edition (345 pp) of ‘Legend’ was published in November, 1994. The cover artwork is by Mark Harrison.

The British writer David Gemmell (1948 – 2006) was a prolific writer of fantasy literature, with 31 books to his credit. ‘Legend’ (1984) was his first book; it became the first volume in what would come to be known as the ‘Drenai’ series, which grew to 11 books.

The story’s premise is simple and straightforward: a half-million strong horde of Mongol-type barbarians called the Nadir are intent on invading the peaceful lands of the Drenai Empire. The sole obstacle to their advance is the fortress of Dos Delnoch, a ‘Helms Deep’ -style construction designed to withstand a lengthy siege, built with multiple walls, gates, and redoubts.

Abalayn, the inept ruler of the Drenai, has neglected his armies, and as a result, only 10,000 men are available to hold the fortress. As the novel opens, Rek, a kind of less-heroic analogue to Strider / Aragorn, is debating whether to join the defenders and face certain death in a hopeless cause, or to simply light out for foreign territories and a safer existence.

In the course of making a decision to join the defense, he is influenced by the knowledge that Druss (the ‘Legend’ of the book’s title) has himself decided to come out of retirement to fight at Dos Delnoch.

Despite being in his 60s, Druss remains the match of any fighter half his age. Not only is Druss possessed of herculean strength and stamina, but when equipped with his axe ‘Snaga’ (unashamedly modeled on Elric of Melnibone’s magic sword ‘Stormbringer’), Druss is the combat equivalent of a score of fighting men. 

As the opening chapters unfold....and continue unfolding.....the cast of characters, heroes and villains, is assembled and set on their paths to Dos Delnoch.

Will Rek, Druss, and other heroes (including several lady warriors) succeed in holding off the Nadir masses long enough for the Drenai to field an army to come to their rescue ? Or will they fall to the last man and woman, and leave their homeland exposed to destruction ?

While it is virtually impossible to look at any store’s shelving of new or used sf and fantasy paperbacks and not see at least one entry from Gemmell, up until now I have not read any of Gemmell’s works; ‘Legend’ was my first introduction to his writing.

‘Legend’ is not perfect, but it’s decent heroic fantasy, and capable first novel. 

Needless to say the narrative takes its time arriving at the siege around which the plot is centered – it’s not until page 218 (!) that the fighting is joined between Nadir and Drenai, by which time my patience was starting to be tried.

The siege narrative itself is layered with frequent expository passages, in which the various characters ponder their fates and reasons for facing death (or dishonor), deep emotional interludes between lovers, morale-boosting speeches by Druss, superficial jests and jokes that cover up the deep-seated fear gripping each and every combatant, etc.

But the novel avoids a contrived ending, and left me willing to try the additional entries in the ‘Drenai’ saga.

Tony Carey: First Day of Summer

Tony Carey: 'First Day of Summer'
July, 1984

As July, 1984 gets under way, MTV is airing a new video from California musician - and former keyboardist for the band 'Rainbow' - Tony Carey. The video, for the song 'First Day of Summer', is a great one, with plenty of 80s culture on display, as well as being a great song in its own right. 

'First Day of Summer' was one of the tracks on Carey's 1984 album Some Tough City, which contains a number of other noteworthy tracks, too, such as 'A Fine Fine Day'.

Even today, some Midwest radio stations will put the song into rotation as Summer gets underway......

Well, the kid and me
Were the team to beat
We could stand with the big boys
Generate some heat

And we never thought nothing
'Bout living on the street back then

Yes, and we lied a little
And we maybe stole some
Saying, Southern California
Here we come

And we took off
Down the highway saying
Never going back again

It was on the
First day of summer
We were the number one
Out front runner

On the first day of summer
Nothing feels the same
And it feels so good

It was on the first day of summer
On the first day of summer
On the first day of summer
The whole world knows your name
And it feels so good

Now the kid was driving
And I rode shotgun
We were splitting up the money
From our number ones

Beating time to the radio
Yes, I'm gonna be someone

Camping by the road
Out in Santa Fe
The kid stole the keys
And then he drove away

And I wound up washing dishes
In a Holiday Inn
Sometime I wonder
What became of him

It was on the
First day of summer
We were the number one
Out front runner

On the first day of summer
Nothing feels the same
And it feels so good

It was on the first day of summer
It was on the first day of summer
On the first day of summer
The whole world knows your name
Don't it feel good

It was on the first day of summer
On the first day of summer
On the first day of summer
The whole world knows your name

New York: Year Zero issue 3

New York: Year Zero
by Ricardo Barreiro (script) and Juan Zanotto (art)
Eclipse Comics
Issue 3, September 1988

Issue One is here.

Issue Two is here.

In this third issue, our hero, Brian Chester, finds himself the bodyguard - with added benefits  - to the beautiful daughter of one of New York City's corporate kingpins.

However, he soon discovers that corporate 'warfare' in NYC means much more than lawsuits and nasty memos....