The Rise and Fall of The Trigan Empire Volume One

The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire #1

by Mike Butterworth, Don Lawrence (Illustrator)

“A comic I loved!” – Neil Gaiman

The first of a four-volume series reprinting The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire - a landmark 1960s science fiction series which rivalled Game of Thrones in popularity and was the precursor to every mythic sci-fi adventure to come!

Under the leadership of Trigo, the Vorg tribesmen band together to resist the Lokan invaders, forming a new country, The Trigan Empire. This is the epic story of its rise and fall.

Featuring an extraordinary combination of the Roman Empire and ancient Greece, Trigo’s story is told in ground breaking fully painted artwork. This is the first in a series collecting all the stories painted by the legendary Don Lawrence.

 

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Sequential Art, Comix

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2020

About the author

John Michael Butterworth (10 January 1924 – 4 October 1986) was a British comic book writer, best known for his comic strip The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire in the British weeklies Ranger and Look and Learn.

His first novel, The Soundless Scream, appeared in 1967 followed over the next few years by a number of well-received crime novels which appeared under his full name, which has led to some confusion between his work and that of science fiction writer and Savoy Books publisher Michael Butterworth. Butterworth also turned his hand to Gothic romance novels under the pen-name Carola Salisbury and "bodice rippers" as Janette Seymour.

He died of a heart attack at the age of 62.

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

The dialogue is hokey beyond belief. Continuity is shaky even at the most rudimentary level, with a broken leg incapacitating someone one week but promptly forgotten as soon as we're past the cliffhanger. The worldbuilding and history make no sense whatsoever: in the first story, a nomadic tribe of hunters decide to make a city instead; start by building a wall despite the fact they know the enemy already has lethal aircraft; fuck up the first wall, which promptly crushes a bunch of people who were uncertain about urban life in the first place; and yet, after taking in one very educated refugee, are soon able to overthrow said technologically superior society, the Lokans. Who, granted, were fighting a war on two fronts, but even so. Oh yes, and the conniving Lokans are a shocking Yellow Peril stereotype, right down to a story where they pose as refugees but plan a sneaky overthrow of their trusting hosts. Given which, one can only be grateful when, in the second story, the superstitious but brave savages who live in the jungle are at least green-skinned rather than anything more realistic and problematic. One of them promptly joins the Trigans and forms a junior heroic double-act with Trigo's nephew, who gets to be the young prince type despite his main gift being a knack for crashing aicraft to rival Launchpad from Duck Tales. Meanwhile, Trigo himself, founder of the great empire, supposedly the brilliant leader it can't do without, repeatedly falls into the most obvious traps, political and otherwise, without ever seeming to learn a damn thing from the experience (though I suppose that bit is at least accurate to history, more's the pity).

Despite all of which, the towering cities and the lowering mountains, the noble Trigans, the elegant classicism and the shiny retro SF trappings, are just so beautifully rendered that I loved it anyway and could completely see why this fired the imagination of a generation before mine. Chris Weston and Liam Sharp were both apprenticed to Don Lawrence; Neil Gaiman provides a blurb. It feels like the noblest, most evocative art from the historical Ladybirds, without being held back by the facts of history (for a given value of 'facts', sure, but all the same). It's the 'It's all true, or ought to be, and more and better besides' version of history. It's about how I picture Edgar Rice Burroughs' planetary romances in my head, without the inconvenience of actually reading Edgar Rice Burroughs. Sometimes it even sneaks through quite a subversive message, as in the story where the Trigans discover the exploitative truth behind their traditional understanding of the afterlife. Yes, it's very much of its time, but right now I'm inclined to take that as getting my mind off this one.

[Carlex · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fist volume of "The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire" covers the period from the founding of the Trigan empire by warlord Trigo to the first interplanetary journey off planet Elekton, which is where all the stories take place.

The comic is clearly indebted to the Flash Gordon comic strips: like in the world Mongo, there is the planet that we will get exploring and we will know abotu the intrigues and wars between the Trigan Empire and the other civilizations with the undisputed leadership of the main character Trigo, although little by little it gives way to its nephew Janno. It could be said that it is an adaptation of Alex Raymond's work at the sixties: the content of this first volume was published between 1965 and 1968. Like its predecessor, the stories are simple, self-contained and in this case intended for publication in monthly installments, so that its continuous reading like in this volume can be a bit repetitive for the reader.

The aesthetics of the Trigan Empire comic, also like in the Alex Raymond’s, combine the aspect of historical nations with some modern technology: swords and laser pistols, horses and rocketships... The Trigan Empire is clearly similar to the Roman Empire, the brave men with their “centurion” style, its Gladius sword and with some updated details, such as visors on helmets and some futurist weapons. Other Elekton civilizations are copied from other Earth ethnicities: the empires of China and Persia or the Zulu Kingdom.

However, the Trigan stories err of Eurocentrism -but in no case of racism- and women are practically invisible in the plot, but we must assume that this is typical at the time it was written. Otherwise the reader will delight with the magnificent drawings by Don Lawrence, which is the best part of this comic. Regarding to the script by Mike Butterworth, he manages to get away from the Flash Gordon stories getting his own personality, being enough for what this comic sets out to do.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Іноді випадкові зустрічі ведуть до великих відкриттів. Так трапилося із «Злітом і падінням Триґанської імперії» Майка Баттерворта й Дона Лоуренса. Побачивши збірки цієї британської класики, одразу захотів мати її у себе. Коли взявся за перший том, був упевнений, що прочитаю її швидко й незабаром поділюся враженнями. Та цей шлях виявився набагато довшим.

Річ у тім, що збірка має не лише багато історій, а й багато описового тексту — щедро розкиданого у кадрах на кожній сторінці. Інколи здавалося, що читаєш не комікс, а ілюстрований історичний літопис далекої планети. І якби не перерви, які доводилось робити регулярно, аби не втратити смак до процесу, я б, мабуть, так і залишив усе на середині. Але ця пригода варта зусиль. І тепер час трохи розповісти про неї.

Перша збірка «Триґанської імперії» розповідає про становлення однієї з найграндіозніших вигаданих цивілізацій в історії коміксів. Усе починається з того, як Тріґо — войовничий, амбітний лідер кочового племені ворґів — вирішує покінчити з життям у наметах і створити могутню державу. Згодом виникає місто Триґан, починаються війни із сусідніми землями, сутички з технологічно розвиненими локанами, інтриги, перевороти, мандрівки в джунглі й до підземель.

Ці історії розповідаються у стилі легенди або хроніки, починаючи з передмови про знайдені на Землі інопланетні книги. Але вже після першої історії це забувається, і ми просто слідкуємо за бурхливим життям імперії, в якій усе розвивається з шаленою швидкістю: міста будуються, монархії падають і повертаються, авіація з’являється у кочівників — усе з гіпертрофованою драматичністю.

Попри хиби оповідь захоплює. Передусім масштабністю. Це справжня сага, в якій змішалися Римська імперія, антична міфологія і пригодницький дух 1960-х. Кожна історія — це драма з великими ставками: зрада, експедиція, переворот, порятунок держави.

Навіть шаблонність сюжетів не заважає. Навпаки — вона створює певну ритміку, завдяки якій цей всесвіт відчувається завершеним і впізнаваним. Іноді він викликає подив, іноді сміх, а іноді — щиру насолоду від того, наскільки серйозно все це подано.

Електон — планета, на якій відбуваються події — сцена для безмежної фантазії. Тут є джунглі з зеленошкірими племенами, лазерні гармати, повітряні кораблі, доісторичні монстри. Світопобудова гіпертрофована й часто нелогічна, але саме це додає їй шарму.

Персонажами є імператор-герой Тріґо, мудрець Перик, хоробрий племінник Янно, підступні зрадники, могутні тирани. Їхні вчинки часто алогічні, рішення імпульсивні, але це частина жанру й доби. Тріґо може кілька разів наступити на ті самі граблі й все одно лишається улюбленцем народу. Його племінник може бути безглуздо впертим — і водночас порятунком імперії. Це не психологічний реалізм, це міф. І коли приймаєш це як умову гри, історії починають працювати.

О, цей малюнок! Це головна причина, чому варто читати ці комікси. Дон Лоуренс створює дивовижну, деталізовану, кінематографічну картину кожної сцени. Його персонажі — живі, з виразними обличчями. Його міста — монументальні, з куполами, терасами, арками, схожими на римські форуми у майбутньому. Його техніка неймовірна.

Якщо чесно, подекуди я сміявся з цього коміксу — з його серйозного тону, з надмірних підписів, з того, як імперія що кілька історій — руйнується, а потім знову воскресає. Це міф, з усіма притаманними жанру перебільшеннями, пафосом і наївністю. Але ще — з безмежною фантазією, щирістю і графічною красою.

«Зліт і падіння Триґанської імперії, Том 1» — це історія про імперії, міфи, поразки й перемоги, розказана з розмахом і блиском. Так, тексту тут забагато. Так, герої плоскі. Так, сюжет буває схематичним. Але ці вади бліднуть на тлі того, що дає цей комікс — відчуття масштабного, барвистого, фантастичного світу, яких вже майже не створюють.

Тепер я точно дочитаю всі томи. Хоч би як довго це тривало.

[Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storylines are very thin and the timelines are all over the place.
but i guess it's youth sentiment

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's got an intriguing premise backed by some great art. Unfortunately, it dropped its premise just about immediately. Not much to it after that.

[Paul Griggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series I was previously unfamiliar with. A mix of Dan Dare style sci-fi, Flash Gordon fantasy and Roman history this is a gorgeous looking volume. A real treat for the eyes. A true artefact of a different era.

[Chris Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most middle class British kids of the seventies - mostly male, let’s be honest - either bought Look and Learn, were given an annual at Christmas or inherited some from a friend at some point. It was very much the inheritor of the worthier elements of Eagle, a slightly passive but admirable attempt to teach children stuff through beautiful art and simple writing. I suspect it was always quite worthy (my issues were inherited) and the sort of thing relatives felt children should be reading, in the same way that uncles and aunts would give you a book on science or history at Christmas. Anyway. Nestled among the beautiful dullness were usually two comic strips: one was adaptations of classics or lives of historical characters; and the other was Look and Learn’s own Dan Dare... but in an attempt to be progressive and educational the Trigan Empire tempered the SF larks with a heady dose of Roman/ Greek history so that the plots, although heavy on green skinned baddies with ray guns, at least had some sort of historical resonance

The weird thing about the Rebellion reprint is that for the first time I get to read the whole thing unedited (the Hamlyn edition cherry picked a lot, the luxury reprints out of my price range) and as such it’s a very different beast than I remember from childhood. Because my stack were inherited, it was - as all inherited comics tend to be - full of missing issues so the story zipped about a great deal so I now realise I filled in a LOT of gaps with my own imagination. Plus those issues tended to be towards the end of Lawrence’s run and into the final artists (who were still very good and I hope get their own volume) so all of this is new to me and paints a very different version of Trigan

Firstly there’s the framing story, which I had no idea about. It has very little to do with the plot but does nicely justify the existence of the strip in an educational setting as they are stories translated by an Earth historian from a spaceship (plus who knew Trigans were all twelve foot?!). I guess, if you squint, it could also explain something of the fatigue of reading YET ANOTHER invasion or rebellion story hot on the heels of another one. It feels like Trigan never stops being attacked but that’s possibly because these are meant to be historical papers. It does struggle a bit from one sitting though because as opposed to week on week episodes it just feels like it’s another - admittedly pretty inventive - excuse for Trigan to suffer a bit and then rebuild constantly. Judge Dredd has learned from this and tends to keep the focus low and leave the bit cataclysms to once a decade. You can definitely imagine Wagner reading this story of world building and taking note

It’s also a beautiful book. For my money better than Dan Dare. Even though they’re a very sixties looking bunch of space Romans, with their quiffs and sideburns, the art is phenomenal. Lawrence also manages to temper his initial decision to make the bastarding Lorkans green skinned Asians by making them look more alien has he goes along so it does seem - for the most part (there are still some wince inducing “savages”) - like Lawrence is trying to make Elekton a little more genetically rich than it could have been in the hands of a lesser artist

It’s also full of very vivid characters - Trigo is a bit of a bore (but it looks like the stories in the next book, if the preview is anything to go on) but has a temper on him. Similarly his dull nephew is a bit... like every flipping sixties boys comic hero of the time in U.K. comics, but his friendships make him a lot more interesting. Peric feels a lot more interesting as an adult and I’m very glad his daughter starts getting more to do so feels less like a random token female with immaculate hair. Trigo’s wife does fuck all but then again the marriage does seem to be diplomatic rather than based on love which seems an interesting detail

Because it has none of the comic relief of Dan Dare, it can feel a bit dry but comic relief would absolutely sink the epic tone it almost always achieves. And as far as world building goes it’s pretty spectacular- the other races seem believable and mostly not stereotypes. And because it doesn’t have the Mekon popping up all the time you have a far more believable series of would be tyrants trying their chances. Much as ANOTHER sodding Lokan invasion can get a bit dull, those driving it do feel believably driven by vengeance and anger

So yeah. A strange one in terms of it living up to my memory of it but still spectacular as a work of comic art. I can’t wait to read the rest and really hope 1. we get the other writers and artists covered in the books and 2. maybe a companion book explaining a bit more of the creation and context in detail

[Hakan]

After searching for years and years for that one childhood memory of "Roman soldiers with swords and rayguns" comic and discovering a few weeks ago that there was actually a huge collection of them, I decided I had to read up from the beginning to I have some idea what was happening...

Oh boy, so campy, so 70ies, so cardboard characters and drawings but what can you do? I needed to read through collection one to satisfy the inner child, if nothing else... One down, three more to go :)

[Artur Coelho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quando um disco voador se despenha na Terra, um cientista fica obcecado por decifrar os estranhos escritos que se encontram nos destroços. Um trabalho de décadas, mas que quando é terminado, dá a conhecer a história do império Trigan, do qual os tripulantes do disco voador eram os últimos sobreviventes. Do cataclismo final nada se sabe, as histórias das crónicas do império falam de um líder indomável, Trigo, capaz de subjugar nações mais avançadas e poderosas combinando coragem com diplomacia. E assim funda o império Trigan, o mais avançado do planeta Elekton.

É-me impossível não olhar para esta série clássica britânica como uma espécie de Flash Gordon à inglesa, apesar das enormes diferenças conceptuais. Aqui os heróis são o imperador e os seus amigos, mas as suas aventuras têm mais de capa e espada ou barbarismo. O próprio mundo ficcional é incongruente, um misto de ciência avançada com naves-foguete e armas de raios, armaduras de estilo romano, arquitetura clássica e espadas. Elekton é um mundo dividido entre diferentes etnias, e são todas muito distintas entre si. Trigan Empire é, no fundo, capa e espada com foguetões.

Se as histórias, típicas da ficção juvenil dos anos 70, envelheceram mal, o traço nem por isso. É, aliás, o grande argumento para se descobrir este clássico da BD britânica. O estilo de Don Lawrence é meticuloso e classicista, cada vinheta funciona como uma composição pictórica e não como ilustração. Talvez a comparação que me recorde seja com o estilo do espanhol Segrelles, que ganhou fama pelos seus álbuns mais próximos da pintura do que da BD. Trigan Empire é todo assim, num estilo cuidado de paleta de cores quentes, muita pose hierática, enorme detalhe na arquitetura e trajes, e naves futuristas num estilo deliciosamente retro.

[Joe Santoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series should get more love.. I picked this up on a lark (looked good in the previews catalog).. even my friends from the UK in the classic comics forum hadn't mentioned it before, despite it being a 20 year-plus series.

I'm really glad I found it... totally up my alley. The Trigans are a Roman Empire analog on an alien planet, so there's plenty of future tech around as well. Alot of the plots are pretty standard (the empire is founded by brothers on a hill.. one story is almost beat for beat Ben Hur without the Jesus bits, etc)... but it's really fun. Sure, the continuity isn't real tight... many of the stories speak of a couple years passing, but none of the adults age.. the kids just grow up. But taken one story at a time, it's pretty entertaining.

Then there's the art.. Don Lawrence is amazing. He does faces well enough that you can actually recognize each character, he does great retro future ships and boats and such, and the city itself is great. If you're a fan of Sword and Planet books, you owe it to yourself to check this out.

[Al Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art work is absolutely fantastic, painted instead of drawn like most comics, but the stories are really bizarre and not in a good way, the premise is strange, with airplanes and triemes, laser guns and swords, it is never internally consistent and the writer goes back to the same weary well to start a storyline far too often….

If you want an interesting science fantasy book; read Flash Gordon or Dan Dare, this is subpar as far as writing goes, nothing objectionable really just not very good, but again fantastic art.

[Tim Pendry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am afraid this got a star for nostalgia so if you were not an eleven year old boy in the 1960s in Britain, I suggest you knock that star off. Nevertheless, this is solid British comic book stuff, a mash-up between the classics to be taught in grammar schools and scifi.

There are Dan Dare-like adventures in space, sword fights, heroic family struggles, imperial conquest, evil aliens (lots of evil aliens), invasion of the 'earth' (Eleckton) and invasion from earth to the moon, nods to classic mythology, dog fights in the air ... what's not to love about it.

Don Lawrence's famous art work is, of course, what makes it very British, with a particular heroic fantasy quality all its own which will be instantly recognisable to anyone who came across the 'educational' boy's magazine (dull and worthy in other respects) 'Look and Learn' back in the day.

The story by Mike Butterworth should not be dismissed out of hand just because it is completely absurd especially in its assumptions about time, space and technology. Butterworth managed to do something unique - to get inside the mind of an intelligent unformed pre-adolescent.

If you forget everything that you have learned or experienced since you were between 10 and 12, you will also forget its absurdities and just lose yourself in the variations of some basic themes that boys of that age can hold onto - above all, fantasies of power and suspicion of other minds.

Each story line builds the plot of the rise and fall of a Roman analogue empire (this volume is only the first of four) yet the story lines tend to centre on a very few themes of which one is the way that minds can be changed to become other than they are by malignant intervention.

This world is one of simple good and evil but certainly not along politically correct lines. We are not supposed to turn a hair at conquest or slavery so long as the slaves are well treated and the conquest is by a noble and just hero. And we channel our inner boy to go along with that.

This is very male stuff from another age. 'Girls' turn up rarely as either natural healers (basically mummies), as peace-ensuring wives (Trigo's imperial wife gets one episode and is forgotten) or wicked witches or manipulators who might see the error of their ways - and then become a healer.

The core heroic community is a family with a granddad (Peric, the most brilliant scientist on Electron), a 'dad' (Trigo), an uncle (dim but brave Brag - the evil uncle gets topped in episode one), the heir with which the reader can identify (Janno) and his mate (the green-coloured Keren).

Since the reader can choose Brag or Trigo as 'Dad' (Janno is actually Brag's son), he has the nice psychological option of reading back his own father into either option but always seeing Trigo as role model - brave, resourceful, allowed to correct his mistakes, loved by his people.

The villains are not complex. They are always unutterably evil (except the errant niece Thara who is just weak and the only one who is a woman), The Lokan King is just Ming the Merciless while Thulla is the mad scientist of pulp fiction we have all grown to know and love.

This works for some 12 episodes before the two best friends get joined by the nearest thing 1967 could produce to a nerd (Roffa) and (to set us off on Volume 2) a major plot twist that completely buggers up the comfortable family model and which I am damned if I am going to spoil for you.

This tale was always structured for fairly intelligent, or rather educated, boys, the ones who went to grammar schol in those days, because it presupposed that the reader would get sufficient of the classical and science fiction tropes to appreciate the mash-up.

The fact that the reader was not at all expected to apply critical thinking to the implementation of the mash-up is entirely beside the point. Once you had accepted the absurd premise, it hung together surprisingly well with analogue fauna, flora, architecture, war tactics and so forth.

There is no doubt that the art work is superb, almost cinematic, geared like the text to a particular segment of childhood at a particular time in history and it is good to see a publisher invest in bringing it to nostalgics and comic book fans wanting to know the history of their loved medium.

[Dogfood · Rating 1 out of 5]

Die Rezension betrifft nicht nur Volume 1, sondern alle drei Bände, 860 Seiten insgesamt.

Wie soll ich es bewerten? Aus einer Sicht wie jeder andere Comic-Leser, kann es dafür maximal einen von fünf Sternen geben. Über die Zeichnungen kann man noch diskutieren, aber die Stories, die zwischen 1965 und 1982 geschrieben wurden, sind einfältig und haben einen üblen reaktionären Grundton. Alles Übel der Welt kommt von draußen und der zweitgrößte Feind sitzt im eigenen Hause. Die Stories sind Varianten der gleichen 3–4 Grundmuster. Die Chance über 20 Jahre ein Kaiserreich sich verändern zu lassen, wurde nicht genutzt – abgesehen von zunehmend grauen Schlägen Trigos und dem Einzug von 70er-Jahre Brutalismus-Architektur im vormals römisch geprägten Kaiserreich.

Aber da gibt es noch meine persönliche Ebene – die des Jungen, der die Stories als Achtjähriger Mitte der 70er Jahre zum ersten Mal las und der sich an den spektakulären Bildern ergötzte, an der prächtigen Kolorierung und den etwas abseitigen Farben. An dieser irren Mischung aus römischen Reich mit Schwertern, Monstern, Flugzeugen, Strahlengewehren und Außerirdischen.

Wie sehr sich einige Panels bei mir eingebrannt hatten, merkte ich erst, als ich diese Bilder nach über vierzig Jahren jetzt wieder sah. Don Lawrence hatte eine ganz eigene Mischung aus Farben, Formen und Mimiken. Er brachte Dinge zu Papier, die nicht zu beschreiben waren.

Aber das kannst du nur mit den Augen eines Achtjährigen Mitte der 70er Jahre sehen und nicht als jemand, für den eine solche Kolorierung im Zeitalter der Computer-Kolorierung Mindeststandard ist und der im Fernsehen alle drei Wochen einen neuen Marvel-Film vorgesetzt bekommt.

Aber das ist nur mein persönliches Ding. Für alle anderen, die sich die Comics jetzt kaufen werden, dürften die Zeichnungen altbacken und textlastig vorkommen. Und wie oben geschrieben: über die üble Grundtonalität der Serie lässt sich heute, knapp 60 Jahre nach Entstehen, nicht mehr hinwegsehen.

[Shyue Chou Chuang · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember the Hamlyn collection with great fondness. I recall as a child, I would read it in a Japanese bookstore, Shizuoka Yajimaya in Plaza Singapura. I didn't ask my parents to buy it for me then as adults then would usually frown on comics. In any case, decades later, when I learned that they were to be released in handsome softbound editions, I ordered the first three volumes.

I didn't read them at once after they arrived. One weekend, I decided to settle down on a comfortable chair and read them all. These beloved comics that once appeared in those Look and Learn publications were amazing for their time with painted panels and artwork. They were head and shoulders above anything that DC or Marvel had released then in terms of art.

However, this is just what it is, nostalgia. The Trigan Empire is essentially a series of sword-and-sandal stories set in a 1950s rocket ship science fiction setting, mixed with elements from ancient Rome and Greece. The stories are simplistic morality tales, mostly a grab for power from the heroic and righteous Trigan ruler, Trigo, by aliens, evil rivals, other kingdoms and more. After a while, it becomes repetitive. I don't think I will be pre-ordering the fourth volume.

The panels are skilfully painted, the people are well-rendered, however, the design of the entire series is rather lacking, there is the usual Roman and Greek architecture, and also people clothed in Roman or Greek trappings well rendered to be sure, beyond that the design is rather sparse. The sensibility of the design is that of 1950s and 1960s science fiction with tubular rocket ships, and also delta-winged rocket planes.

[Rob Frampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've long-awaited this affordable reissue of the Trigan Empire strips from the 1960s, the comic which not only showed me that there was more to kids' picture books than war stories and pie-eating strongmen, but also that a whole new world of science fiction was out there for me to explore. And, while there are problems to negotiate in rereading it, the effort is definitely worth it.
Problems? Yup. Like H.P. Lovecraft there are hints of racism in the portrayal of savage races (largely green-skinned, but they might as well be black or brown) while the noble, handsome Trigans are almost all fair-haired and square-of-jaw (so square-of-jaw, in fact, that they're more like Gerry Anderson puppets than anything else), but the stories are engaging and fast-moving, and the architectural, landscape and vehicle designs are things of wonder even after all this time. It was that unique combination of Roman-esque empire-building, sleek fighters and spacecraft, and monster-battles that grabbed me in my youth, making me realize that SF didn't need to be straightforward, it could awaken disparate ideas and make them all work together in new and fascinating ways.
So, in some ways a historical oddity, but in others a celebration of the work of a master artist. Not all of you will want to collect all of these reissued volumes, but you should definitely dip into them to see the beginning of the world of graphic novels, a detailed world explored and constantly reimagined.
A (not so small) masterpiece.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Trigan Empire was a comic I loved as a kid living in New Zealand, where British comics (including the almighty 2000 AD) were the order of the day. This particular strip was buried in the erudite pages of Look and Learn, a magazine dedicated to elevating the intellectual quality of what schoolchildren read in their free time. But like most readers, I eagerly turned first to the latest installment of The Trigan Empire.

So looking back on this comic more than forty years later, it's remarkable how silly the storylines are, not to mention the ridiculous dialogue and improbable plot turns. As science fantasy goes, it's pretty weak stuff. But then there's Don Lawrence's epic color artwork, which defies the norms of comics publishing by using full color panels rendered in truly gorgeous watercolor. The mediocrity of Mike Butterworth's writing is absolutely saved by Lawerence's remarkable visual talents, even if he is completely unable to render a human being holding a sword (somewhat of a detriment where sword fights occur regularly at least every few pages).

[Ian Sharman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"And then...it happened!"

This is simply superb! Just a work a pure genius. I loved the hardback collection of selected stories from The Trigan Empire my older sister had when I was a child and this new collection is even better.

It's very much a product of its time, and the racial and gender politics haven't aged well. That's to be expected from a British comic from the 1960s, but you should probably be aware of that going in. It has its fair share of blue skinned jungle savages, green skinned devious villains and stunning femmes fatale. And the heroes are, of course, blond haired and blue eyed.

None of it makes any sense, as Trigo takes his civilisation from nomadic savages to great city builders who visit the moon in a matter of years...but that doesn't matter. It's wonderful, fantastic nonsense, all rendered beautifully with glorious painted artwork.

I can't wait for volume two!

[John Barclay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series when I was a kid. Finding out that I could re-read the whole thing in a collected set was great news.

I hadn't realized how crazy parts of the story are. It's from such a different world in so very many ways. I am amazed at how much of the art comes instantly back in to my brain, knowing what the ships will look like, finding the uniforms and actions just as I remember them, but the names! not so much, and some of the stories, and all of the assumptions! Yikes.

I wonder if it says things about who I became? I have to keep reading the rest of it.

Mighty empires, brawling musclemen, great leaders, wise old men, oppressed masses and HUGE amounts of death and destruction. ah the 70s.

[Robert Laynton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rise and Fall of The Trigan Empire was a comic strip that appeared in the first edition of a British comic called 'Ranger', in the mid 1960's, which was aimed at older children. Eventually 'Ranger' was absorbed into another comic: 'Look and Learn'. It is an epic story told with fabulous artwork - the nearest I can compare the artwork to is 'Dan Dare' and anyone who likes 'Game of Thrones' will see something of the origin of that kind of tale right here. Lovely book, reasonably large format, in full color throughout, great price. I had no hesitation in getting volume 2 and volume 3 is on order. Great to see it reprinted at a decent price after all these years.

[John Hobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never go back...generally holds true but as someone who read the Trigan Empire stories from the Ranger days, this is one of the few comic strips that has always stuck in my mind. The artwork is of course it's strength. It was on a different level to most of its contemporaries and the stories a cut above the likes of Hotspur. I can remember the first story and the promise of a history of Trigan. I also remember being increasingly disappointed in that early premise being abandoned and it becoming more run of the mill. It's called growing older and aged 12 I gave up on Trigo. But for once my memory wasn't playing tricks. This was the golden age in British comics and Trigan was the summit.

[Liz C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this avidly as a seventies child in the Look and Learn comic. I loved it and couldn't wait for the next instalment every week. What surprised me was that I could remember a lot of them. It also developed a love of comic/graphic novels which I still have. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys this sort of thing.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK. I feel very dated. Each story is too short (I realise it was a series)

Seem to have the same theme each short story. Alien or enemies plot and takeover main city and its leaders. The sad thing is well drawn and great history explained from beginning. But seeing a whole air fleet destroyed by primitive enemies, or one city being taken - representing a whole nations loss.

[Allan Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic!
I have never read this comic series before. But saw an article in 2000ad megazine about Trigan Empire and couldn't resist.
It is amazing the art is wonderful and I love the blend with science fiction and history.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recent Reads: The Rise And Fall Of The Trigan Empire Volume 1. The classic comic strip collected at last, with restored art. Roman-influenced science fiction with storytelling as good as I remember. Literate, intelligent, and beautifully painted. Recommended.

[Barry Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because of it’s episodic nature from originally being published in Ranger and Look and Learn most of the stories aren’t too epic in length which means you can dip in and out by chapter. The artwork is glorious and the number one he reason to own a copy of the book!

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don Lawrence's art is incredible, but these stories were not meant to be read in collected form. When read at length, these stories become tedious because of the repetitive plots and lack of characterization.

[Pete Shaw]

Superb edition, crisp and clear artwork and at a bargain price.. highly recommended

[Colin Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great set of 1960's sci fi comics from my childhood. Can praise this series well enough.

[Lars Hamann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trip down memorylane ->5 Stars. The actual comic after so many years -> poor Storyline, racism, .. but I still love the drawings.

[Dominic Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just bought this. When I was a kid, these stories were serialized in *Look and Learn*, a massive pile of which resided in several large cardboard boxes in my junior school. We were allowed *Look and Learn* on the basis that it contained information as well as wild Zargots being blown to bits by disintegrators.

It has taken this long for the Trigan Empire to come down in price. Books - admittedly gorgeous books - were being produced for 40 or 50 pounds apiece, which I can afford, but can't really justify to myself. Now, finally, we have an edition which is affordable by regular human beings. I've included a Goodreads link below, as it's not a direct link to a commercial website. But you should get this and bask in its brilliance.