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The term ‘Graphic Novel' was, I suppose, invented to give the more serious, grown up comic book a bit of gravitas. Sadly there have been few that have lived up to the term. Bryan Talbot's Luther Arkwright is a shining exception. Indeed, it is the most important graphic novel ever published in Britain. Coming out of the 1970s with all it's attendant experimentation and ‘new wave' sensibilities, Luther Arkwright is a tour de force in graphic storytelling.
Talbot struggled for years to get it published, bit by bit, through several different publishers, constantly refining his art. This is a very adult tale of multiple parallel Earth's and the titular agent who is trapped in a backward, Puritan England, where the Commonwealth never fell, the monarchy was never restored and an oppressive, fascist state controls everything.
This is a complex science fiction story, drawing on everything from Michael Moorcock, Nicolas Roeg, 19th Century engravings, quantum chaos theory and much more besides. You can see Talbot mastering his art and his storytelling as the story progresses.
This handsome hardback edition contains both the original black and white ‘Adventures of Luther Arkwright' and it's sequel ‘Heart of Empire', published at the turn of the century. ‘Empire' is a lush work, in full colour with breathtaking artwork, more linear and refined than the previous book, but a necessary revisiting of Arkwright's world. In it one totalitarian state has been replaced by another - a restored Monarchy that has forged a worldwide Empire, crushing all opposition. But a dark, dark secret lurks at its heart. Set twenty years after the events of the first book, this rounds out the story magnificently.
Talbot's work influenced a whole generation of comic book creators, from Alan Moore to Neil Gaiman to Warren Ellis. He's a giant of the genre and this is his masterwork.