Albion (comics)

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Albion is also the archaic name for Great Britain. For other meanings, see Albion (disambiguation)
Cover to Albion issue 1, by Dave Gibbons.
Cover to Albion issue 1, by Dave Gibbons.

Albion is a six-issue comic book series plotted by Alan Moore, written by his daughter Leah Moore & John Reppion with covers by Dave Gibbons and art by Shane Oakley and George Freeman. It is published through DC Comics' WildStorm imprint. The series aims to revive classic British comics characters such as Captain Hurricane, Robot Archie, The Steel Claw and The Spider (as well as minor characters like Fishboy and Faceache), all of whom appeared in comics published by Odhams Press and later IPC Media during the 1960s and early 1970s, such as Valiant and Lion.

Contents

[edit] Fictional setting

The story revolves around a modern-day Britain where comic book characters have turned out to really exist. The British public had been largely unaware of their existence throughout the '60s and '70s, thinking them to be fictional.

Most of the IPC heroes are now interned within an asylum (comparisons are drawn with Camp X-Ray), and the daughter of one of the inmates - who calls herself Penny (AKA Penny Dreadful) - is determined to reveal their existence to the larger public. Using a similar narrative device to that which Alan Moore employed in Supreme and Tom Strong, flashbacks are related in the style of comics of yesteryear. Ergo, Penny Dreadful's childhood is drawn in a style similar to Dennis the Menace or the Bash Street Kids.

[edit] Plot details

Spoiler warning: Promotional information about upcoming comic book storylines follows. Details and publication status are subject to change.

[edit] Albion # 1

This introduces the main characters, including Danny, Penny (Dolmann), Charles Love (Charlie Peace), Janus Stark, Grimly Feendish, Tim Kelly and Louis Crandell (The Steel Claw).

The solicitation text for this issue reads - "Britain never had any super-heroes. It had something much stranger: a collection of paragons, monsters, and clowns that vanished a quarter century ago, never to be seen again. Who were Robot Archie and The Steel Claw? Who was Captain Hurricane, or The Spider? And where have they been for 25 years? Find out in the spectacular and historic first issue of Albion!"

[edit] Albion # 2

This reveals more about Penny's background, and introduces Zip Nolan, Mole, Togo, Eric Dolmann, Brian's Brain, Maggot Malone and Captain Hurricane.

The solicitation text for this issue reads - "Alan Moore’s 6-issue miniseries reimagining classic British heroes continues! While Penny and Danny do their best to repair and refurbish Robot Archie to his past glory, they share with each other stories of a bygone heroic era. Meanwhile, Grimly Feendish is imprisoned and thrown into solitary confinement. Plus, the introduction of the mysterious character known as Captain Hurricane."

[edit] Albion # 3

This tells about Danny's and Captain Hurricane [ better known as simon worrall's ] backgrounds, and identifies two key protagonists that had been previously introduced. The solicitation text for this issue reads - "The 6-issue miniseries reimagining classic British heroes continues! If Penny and Danny were familiar with the prison where Grimly Feendish, Captain Hurricane and The Steel Claw were kept, they might have been little more prepared for what they discover in Charles Love's nostalgia shop…"

[edit] Albion #4

The solicitation text for this issue reads - "Penny is determined to rescue her father, and her new allies are almost convinced that it's worth the risk. After all, if the government kept the old comics folk around, surely there's one heck of a weapons cache to be found, too. But will the prisoners of The Castle be waiting when their small band arrives?"

[edit] Albion # 5

The solicitation text for this issue reads - "Our heroes — if they are heroes — have made it to the Castle. Inside, the Brain is still predicting disaster...and when Robot Archie attacks, he's proved right! But where are Penny, Danny and Charlie Love? Could there be more trouble than even the Brain is expecting?"

[edit] Albion # 6

The solicitation text for this issue reads - "This is it — the final thrilling chapter of Albion, as only Alan Moore could conceive it! Robot Archie, Penny, Danny, and Charlie release most of the inmates in the armory. But all Hell breaks loose when the prison guards must release their horrible secret weapon: Captain Hurricane!"

[edit] Characters

Characters who appear in Albion include;

  • Bad Penny
  • Brian's Brain
  • Captain Hurricane
  • Charlie Peace
  • The Cloak
  • Cursitor Doom
  • Dolmann
  • The Dwarf
  • Eagle-Eye
  • Faceache
  • Grimly Feendish
  • Janus Stark
  • Jason Hyde
  • Kelly's Eye
  • Martha's Monster Make-Up
  • Mytek the Mighty
  • Queen of the Seas
  • Robot Archie
  • Rubberman
  • The Spider
  • Tri-Man
  • Zip Nolan

[edit] Spinoffs

Thunderbolt Jaxon, a "spinoff" of Albion - written by Dave Gibbons and drawn by John Higgins, with covers by Gibbons - was launched as a five issue mini-series in 2006.

Battler Britton, a five-part series (starting in July 2006) based on IPC's classic WWII air ace, Wing Commander Robert "Battler" Britton. Britton was the star of such comics as Sun, Knockout and the long-running digest titles Air Ace Picture Library and Battle Picture Library. The script is by well-known comics author (and WWII expert) Garth Ennis, with art by New Zealand's Colin Wilson. Covers are by Garry Leach.

[edit] Bibliography

A trade paperback was released on December 13th, 2006 collecting together all six issues (ISBN 1-4012-0994-7)

[edit] External links

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