This similarity even extended to Trigan City, the capital being built on five hills, in a similar fashion to the seven hills of Rome. Chief among these was the Trigan Empire, apparently modelled on Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Heavily influenced by mythological tales, a number of the societies seemed to be based on ancient cultures that had existed in history.
The series initially ran from 1965 to 1982, dealing with the long-past events of an empire on the distant planet of Elekton. The comic remains notable for the unique artwork by Don Lawrence which combines a painterly photo-realistic style with caricaturistic renderings that remain anatomically convincing. The stories revolved around a strong and heroic leader who defended his empire from constants threats from both without and within. It told the story of an alien culture in which futuristic technology, such as antigravity vehicles and energy ray weapons, was blended with architecture, dress, and customs reminiscent of ancient civilizations, the most obvious being those of Ancient Greece and Rome. The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire, later called simply The Trigan Empire, is a science fiction comic series written mainly by Mike Butterworth with artwork (initially watercolours, later gouache) by Don Lawrence, among others. The Rise and Fall of The Trigan Empire (2020- )
The Trigan Empire (The Don Lawrence Collection) (2004-2008) (12 vols) The Look and Learn Book of the Trigan Empire (1973) The End of the Day by Claire North | review by Ste.Original material for the series has been published as a strip in the comics anthology(s) Ranger and Look and Learn.Lightning in the Blood, by Marie Brennan (Tor.com).Kim Reaper: Grim Beginnings, by Sarah Graley (Oni.Atalante, la Legende, Tome 1: Le Pacte, by Crisse.The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire, Volume I.The Lost Child of Lychford, by Paul Cornell (Tor.c.
Space Bandits, by Mark Millar and Matteo Scalera (.I can’t wait to read the rest of the saga at last. And it’s a very solid read: 304 pages long, but it’s like reading an omnibus of French albums rather than whizzing through an American comic. It’s baffling that Trigo ever makes his brother deputy emperor when he knows just how useless he is.īut the yo-yo fortunes of the empire inspire endlessly thrilling escapades – rescues, sneak attacks, plots, plans and desperate searches for allies – so it would be daft to complain about that aspect too much. And it’s frustrating that the Trigans can be such dunderheads, constantly being conquered or fooled or having their minds controlled. There are some slightly old-fashioned aspects to it. Reading it now, I realise that the stories aren’t perhaps entirely original, or to put it another way, I now understand why Gods of Mars felt so familiar when I read it. It doesn’t always read as well as it looks, since it’s not always clear in which order panels and dialogue should be read, but that’s forgivable. Every panel looks amazing, like the Ladybird books of the seventies, with a succession of distinctive faces, locations, creatures and vehicles. It’s written by Mike Butterworth (not the Michael Moorcock collaborator of that name), with wonderfully illustrative artwork by Don Lawrence. This is adventure in the classic style, as we see the founding of their city, battles with monsters, and the wars they must fight against predatory neighbours. This is, essentially, a tale of the Roman Empire, if it had come into contact with more technologically advanced civilisations early in its development and still managed to come out on top, accelerating them through what for us were two thousand years of changes in the space of one man’s lifetime: Trigo, destined to become an emperor. As with many classic British comics, the copyright is now held by Rebellion, publishers of 2000 AD and the Sniper Elite games, who have published this chunky collection as part of their Treasury of British Comics. Although Look and Learn and the strip continued to run till 1982, I first encountered it in the 1978 Hamlyn collection, lent to me for one glorious night only. This book collects stories of the Trigan Empire which appeared in Ranger from September 1965 to June 1966, and then Look and Learn from June 1966 to May 1967.