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The Trigan Empire
THE TRIGAN EMPIRE is a great science fiction fantasy series. The story takes place on the faraway world of Elekton, half-civilized and half-savage nations.
189 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
4 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Don Lawrence
253 books19 followersDonald Southam Lawrence was an English comics artist born in London.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 22, 2021
I've been searching unsuccessfully for a book that was published in the UK in the late 70s under the "Fleetway Annuals" banner (I think). It was called "The Look And Learn Book Of The Trigan Empire". What I've found here is, I think, pretty much the same book, give or take, but published elsewhere. I had this marvellous book as a kid - until some other kid stole it off me. Then I grew up and forgot all about it, until one day, about 15-20 years ago, I found a copy of it in a second-hand shop. My eyes nearly popped out of my head and of course I bought it again. It was just as amazing as I remembered. Following some kind of brain malfunction a few years later I sold it on ebay and now I wish I hadn't. How long it's going to take me to get hold of it again is anyone's guess.
I was one of those nerdy 70s kids that read the semi-educational "Look and Learn" magazine when other kids were reading the Beano or Mickey Mouse or something, and I could never work out what was going on with the Trigan Empire because you only got a couple of pages of it every week and I only ever got a copy of the magazine when my stern, stingy mother and I were together in the right shop when she was in a good mood. Any comic strip that mixes all the glory of ancient Rome with aliens and flying saucers has got to be a winner though, right?
I understand now that what I experienced and was thrilled by as a kid in a small way is now a global phenomenon and there are countless Trigan Empire graphic novels and so on out there to collect and love to death, but I'd be happy to just get that one treasured possession of mine back again some day.
I was one of those nerdy 70s kids that read the semi-educational "Look and Learn" magazine when other kids were reading the Beano or Mickey Mouse or something, and I could never work out what was going on with the Trigan Empire because you only got a couple of pages of it every week and I only ever got a copy of the magazine when my stern, stingy mother and I were together in the right shop when she was in a good mood. Any comic strip that mixes all the glory of ancient Rome with aliens and flying saucers has got to be a winner though, right?
I understand now that what I experienced and was thrilled by as a kid in a small way is now a global phenomenon and there are countless Trigan Empire graphic novels and so on out there to collect and love to death, but I'd be happy to just get that one treasured possession of mine back again some day.
December 28, 2012
This Christmas (2012) I gave in to nostalgia (once again) and purchased a copy of The Trigan Empire, which I first read when 13 or 14 (?).
This is the tale of Trigo and his eponymous Trigan Empire, which implausibly rises from the primitive nomadism of the Vorg tribesmen who Trigo rules to building starships - all within his lifetime. It's solidly in the tradition of John Carter or the Lensmen or Flash Gordon, and - unfortunately - it too reflects the casual racism of the '60s and '70s and earlier periods. The Trigans all tend to be blond, blue-eyed Aryan types and their chief foes, the Lokans, are all drawn with a distinctly Asian cast of feature (as is Trigo's turncoat brother Klud, who's the only Vorg to sport a Lokan-style goatee). And we can only try to forget the green-skinned, ersatz Africans of Daveli.
In its inspiration, The Trigan Empire is a retelling of the history of Rome. The city of Trigan is built on five hills (two fewer than Rome's); its people are tutored by the Tharvs, ersatz Greeks who are far more civilized and advanced than either Vorg or Loka; the city is a beacon of the republican virtues celebrated by Cicero; and its ruler is another Augustus (but with the heroic prowess of a Herakles).
Despite its political incorrectness and its absurd plots, The Trigan Empire remains a favorite - if now guilty - pleasure, and I'm glad I managed to score a copy to own again.
This is the tale of Trigo and his eponymous Trigan Empire, which implausibly rises from the primitive nomadism of the Vorg tribesmen who Trigo rules to building starships - all within his lifetime. It's solidly in the tradition of John Carter or the Lensmen or Flash Gordon, and - unfortunately - it too reflects the casual racism of the '60s and '70s and earlier periods. The Trigans all tend to be blond, blue-eyed Aryan types and their chief foes, the Lokans, are all drawn with a distinctly Asian cast of feature (as is Trigo's turncoat brother Klud, who's the only Vorg to sport a Lokan-style goatee). And we can only try to forget the green-skinned, ersatz Africans of Daveli.
In its inspiration, The Trigan Empire is a retelling of the history of Rome. The city of Trigan is built on five hills (two fewer than Rome's); its people are tutored by the Tharvs, ersatz Greeks who are far more civilized and advanced than either Vorg or Loka; the city is a beacon of the republican virtues celebrated by Cicero; and its ruler is another Augustus (but with the heroic prowess of a Herakles).
Despite its political incorrectness and its absurd plots, The Trigan Empire remains a favorite - if now guilty - pleasure, and I'm glad I managed to score a copy to own again.
January 26, 2015
Panorama je bila tjedni strip magazin koji je izlazio na ovim prostorima od 1965. do 1971.
"Uključio" sam se u njega 1968., čini mi se sa brojem 122.
Panorama je začetnik Stripoteke koja i danas izlazi (valjda)
Meni kao šestogodišnjaku svi tamo objavljeni stripovi su bili čudo neviđeno i izvor neopisivog zadovoljstva.
Ako vas zanima ovdje možete pregledati sve objavljivano: http://www.stripoteka.info/stripovi/p...
(bilo je tu more kvalitetnog stripa)
Među inim tu je bio i Lawrenceov strip o Triganskom Carstvu nazvan "Daleka planeta".
Moja početna točka sa SF-om, prekretnica i sjeme svog mog budućeg interesa.
I dan danas izuzetno cijenim taj strip, njegovu priču i super kvalitetni crtež koji me je potpuno okrenio ka realističnom i hiperrealističnom stripu (te općenito ka tom vidu vizualne umjetnosti tako da danas besramno uživam u HD prikazima).
Ako vas put nanese i volite SF strip - zavirite!
"Uključio" sam se u njega 1968., čini mi se sa brojem 122.
Panorama je začetnik Stripoteke koja i danas izlazi (valjda)
Meni kao šestogodišnjaku svi tamo objavljeni stripovi su bili čudo neviđeno i izvor neopisivog zadovoljstva.
Ako vas zanima ovdje možete pregledati sve objavljivano: http://www.stripoteka.info/stripovi/p...
(bilo je tu more kvalitetnog stripa)
Među inim tu je bio i Lawrenceov strip o Triganskom Carstvu nazvan "Daleka planeta".
Moja početna točka sa SF-om, prekretnica i sjeme svog mog budućeg interesa.
I dan danas izuzetno cijenim taj strip, njegovu priču i super kvalitetni crtež koji me je potpuno okrenio ka realističnom i hiperrealističnom stripu (te općenito ka tom vidu vizualne umjetnosti tako da danas besramno uživam u HD prikazima).
Ako vas put nanese i volite SF strip - zavirite!
May 22, 2019
More than just a nostalgia-fest (I first read these stories when they appeared in Look & Learn magazine in the 1960s) - the world of The Trigan Empire was what really sparked my interest in science fiction. It was a strip like no other: full of vivid colour, beautifully though-through architecture and designs, weird monsters, grand battles... Fifty-odd years later it is still unique and wonderful and stands as an inviolable testament to the genius of Don Lawrence.
August 22, 2017
This epic story of the rise, decline and continued existence of the Trigan Empire is truly a novel in graphic form. The complete story is 189 pages and opens with a space ship with a dead crew crash landing on Earth. The technology is far in advance of anything on Earth and there is a set of books in an undecipherable language. After the best linguists in the world try and fail to translate the books, the consensus becomes that the content of the books will remain forever unknown.
Fortunately, a young student named Peter Richard Haddon refuses to accept defeat and dedicates his life to understanding the alien language. Finally, when he is an old man he reaches the point where he can translate the books and they tell a fascinating tale, the story of the Trigan Empire.
The empire was founded by Trigo, one of three brothers that are the leaders of a tribe of civilized nomadic hunters. He understands that the leader of the much more advanced nation of Loka is plotting to conquer his country of Vorg, one of the four other countries in the continent. Therefore, he knows that if his tribe and nation are to survive, they must build a great city and learn the ways of technology.
There are great battles as the Empire faces many enemies, both within and without. Their planet is called Elekton and there are many other tribes with different ways and harsh climates. There are powerful creatures in the wild and many other dangers.
This story is in the tradition of the John Carter of Mars stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the adventures of Flash Gordon on the planet Mongo. After a success and stability seems assured, another threat rises and Trigo and his allies are forced to fight once again for their Empire and what they hold dear. If you enjoy epic graphic novels featuring heroes fighting with weapons of all types from swords to directed energy weapons and monsters of all types, this is a book you will enjoy.
Fortunately, a young student named Peter Richard Haddon refuses to accept defeat and dedicates his life to understanding the alien language. Finally, when he is an old man he reaches the point where he can translate the books and they tell a fascinating tale, the story of the Trigan Empire.
The empire was founded by Trigo, one of three brothers that are the leaders of a tribe of civilized nomadic hunters. He understands that the leader of the much more advanced nation of Loka is plotting to conquer his country of Vorg, one of the four other countries in the continent. Therefore, he knows that if his tribe and nation are to survive, they must build a great city and learn the ways of technology.
There are great battles as the Empire faces many enemies, both within and without. Their planet is called Elekton and there are many other tribes with different ways and harsh climates. There are powerful creatures in the wild and many other dangers.
This story is in the tradition of the John Carter of Mars stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the adventures of Flash Gordon on the planet Mongo. After a success and stability seems assured, another threat rises and Trigo and his allies are forced to fight once again for their Empire and what they hold dear. If you enjoy epic graphic novels featuring heroes fighting with weapons of all types from swords to directed energy weapons and monsters of all types, this is a book you will enjoy.
May 13, 2019
I originally discovered this as a teenager, and read it through. I recall thinking this was a wahoo, no holds barred mix of fantasy and space opera. The story focuses on the leader of a nation of nomadic barbarians who decides that there future depends on his people settling down and building a city. The rest of the realms of this world display a high degree of technology, yet somehow, the former nomads acquire an astonishing degree of skill to operate things like "atmosphere craft" (jet aircraft) and other sci-fi devices and vehicles. The nations seen to be influenced by the Roman empire and other peoples of Earth's history. As such, there is often references to slavery in an otherwise"enlightened" kingdom. In addition, person's of color are often represented by bright graphic novel color schemes, but they are still regularly displayed as "barbarians" and "savages" by the more"civilized" Trigans (who, themselves were barbarians not that long ago." Obviously, these story elements are highly problematic, but the adventures themselves are fun and the art is mostly excellent (there are a couple of continuity errors present). I'm glad to have rediscovered this, but I'm also disappointed with the directions the story goes on occasion.
July 4, 2020
This is a great collection. The Trigan Empire was a sci-fi comics series written in the 60s and 70s, maybe also the 80s, I’m not sure. Seems it is largely overlooked or forgotten today, but what a cool series this was. It tells of Trigo, a leader of a tribe on the planet Elekton, and his founding of the empire that takes his name, which he rules over with his brother.
The setting is a planet full of wonders and dangers and other tribes and nomadic people and civilizations, which the Trigans come into conflict with through the tales. The culture and style of the Trigans looks to be inspired by ancient Romans and Greeks, and the other civilizations each seem to be vaguely modeled after civilizations we know from history. Imagine this ancient Roman aesthetic mixed with a 60s vision of the future, throw in some excellent environments that spark a sense of adventure, and you have a good idea of how this looks.
This collection is seven long stories of the Trigan Empire, amazingly illustrated and painted. The stories are cool adventures that have that unmistakable 1960s sci-fi feel to them, with a recurring cast of characters in each. Trigo and his brother take center stage for the early stories, but the previously minor characters become leading characters in the later stories, which are some of the most epic of the bunch. The writing isn’t spectacular but is good and straight forward, fast moving, just a bit undercooked and standard fare for comics of the time. But the stories are gripping, with many changes in setting, fluctuating plots, and good ideas.
The real highlight here is the art. As I said, the illustrations are brilliant. Each frame, this is no exaggeration, is of the same quality as a Golden Age of Sci-fi novel cover art, or a science fiction magazine cover. Those familiar with the genre know what this means. Those incredible covers that are sadly a thing of the distant past, replaced today with unimaginative, bland computer generated art or uninteresting ‘graphic design’ instead of any art at all. The illustrations here combine realism with imagination and fantasy and far-out scenes. Every scene is captured with high quality skill, even relatively mundane scenes like facial closeups or conversations are a pleasure to look at. But the battles, the action, the huge scenery of distant worlds, the cinematic-quality visuals are breathtaking and gorgeous.
The setting is a planet full of wonders and dangers and other tribes and nomadic people and civilizations, which the Trigans come into conflict with through the tales. The culture and style of the Trigans looks to be inspired by ancient Romans and Greeks, and the other civilizations each seem to be vaguely modeled after civilizations we know from history. Imagine this ancient Roman aesthetic mixed with a 60s vision of the future, throw in some excellent environments that spark a sense of adventure, and you have a good idea of how this looks.
This collection is seven long stories of the Trigan Empire, amazingly illustrated and painted. The stories are cool adventures that have that unmistakable 1960s sci-fi feel to them, with a recurring cast of characters in each. Trigo and his brother take center stage for the early stories, but the previously minor characters become leading characters in the later stories, which are some of the most epic of the bunch. The writing isn’t spectacular but is good and straight forward, fast moving, just a bit undercooked and standard fare for comics of the time. But the stories are gripping, with many changes in setting, fluctuating plots, and good ideas.
The real highlight here is the art. As I said, the illustrations are brilliant. Each frame, this is no exaggeration, is of the same quality as a Golden Age of Sci-fi novel cover art, or a science fiction magazine cover. Those familiar with the genre know what this means. Those incredible covers that are sadly a thing of the distant past, replaced today with unimaginative, bland computer generated art or uninteresting ‘graphic design’ instead of any art at all. The illustrations here combine realism with imagination and fantasy and far-out scenes. Every scene is captured with high quality skill, even relatively mundane scenes like facial closeups or conversations are a pleasure to look at. But the battles, the action, the huge scenery of distant worlds, the cinematic-quality visuals are breathtaking and gorgeous.
September 27, 2017
Lo leí por nostalgia, pero creo que ha envejecido fatal.
February 4, 2024
A fabulous find and a joy from beginning to end. Perhaps the end of a childhood.
February 15, 2013
My grandfather had this book and it was the first graphic novel I remember reading, and one of the earliest comics. This book is mythology, history, sci-fi all rolled into one. In this collected work, it relates the rise and fall of an entire civilization. Grand in it's scope, it opened the door to the comic/sci-fi world to me as a kid.
February 9, 2010
This awed me in 1978 as much as Star Wars had in 1977. It holds up even better than SW!
April 8, 2015
One of the best graphic novel I ever read
November 7, 2015
Classic. Awesome.
December 11, 2016
This book is a wonderful childhood memory. Part space opera, part sword and sandal epic, it hits the sweet spot of classic adventure with a twist of something new.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews