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Rebellion reprinting Trigan Empire

Started by Colin YNWA, 20 May, 2019, 02:02:22 PM

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Colin YNWA

Well this is a biggie.

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/05/20/rebellion-don-lawrence-trigan-empire-full/

Have to say after years of coveting this I got hold of an old edition and... well wasn't that impressed. It looked beautiful but just wasn't for me. That said I'm sure there are many who will tell you otherwise.

The Amstor Computer

Excellent news - it's a series that really deserves to be available in a more affordable, widely-available format.

From memory, the most recent editions of The Trigan Empire used scans of the original art rather than scans of the printed comics. Hopefully that will be possible here too. At 300-ish pages, five or six volumes should see the whole saga reprinted too, so with any luck the whole thing will be available again fairly quickly.

Rogue Judge

I've never hear of this, but a fully colored sci-fi epic spanning several volumes has me more than interested. And that cover is amazing too.

Is this series kind of like Dan Dare?

broodblik

Looking forward to this, awesome stuff
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Pyroxian

Quote from: Rogue Judge on 20 May, 2019, 03:19:38 PM
Is this series kind of like Dan Dare?

No, it's the story of a Sci-fi Roman-esque Empire.

broodblik

When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Rogue Judge

Quote from: Pyroxian on 20 May, 2019, 04:31:56 PM
Quote from: Rogue Judge on 20 May, 2019, 03:19:38 PM
Is this series kind of like Dan Dare?

No, it's the story of a Sci-fi Roman-esque Empire.

Thanks, Im sold. Now to wait a year...

IndigoPrime

I wonder if they'll ever get to the Oli Frey stuff? (I always liked his cover art for computer mags. I wish he'd done more comics.)

Tjm86

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 20 May, 2019, 02:02:22 PM
after years of coveting this I got hold of an old edition and... well wasn't that impressed. It looked beautiful but just wasn't for me.

It's very much a creature of its time.  Lawrence's artwork is probably what lifts it more than owt else but its a bit like the early Dare stuff; there are bits that are well worth the trouble but a lot that just isn't.  Be nice if Rebellion did it hardback, just not at the sort of prices we've seen in recent years!

The Amstor Computer

If each volume is going to be 300-odd pages, hardback might be unlikely.

Can't speak to the Treasury's decision-making, but my POV would be that The Trigan Empire has been a bit of a niche purchase (a dozen 100-odd-page books at around £45-50 a pop) and while the quality of those releases has been very good, they have naturally had a very limited audience. That's also before you get into the question of the reach that a company like Rebellion has that a publisher like The Don Lawrence Collection doesn't. Ideally you want to serve the audience who were aware of the series but couldn't justify over £500 for a complete collection, as well as a wider audience who you're going to make aware of the series and are looking for an appealing price point (the niche audience who would buy a series of expensive deluxe hardbacks will likely already have done so, after all :) )

The Charley's War paperback collections were around 300 pages each with a RRP of £20, so I would think something like this in a similar format with colour interiors would be a bit more (maybe £30 or so?) but still heading toward a more mass-market pricing. Going that route gets a classic British SF epic back out there in an appealing package and gives the Treasury a showcase release for as many volumes as they commit to (I think four would do the currently-available run from the Don Lawrence Collection, with another couple of volumes seeing the whole series out there).

James Stacey

I'm so in. I've got a folder of pages cut from Look and Learn I've had for decades I can finally retire. The stories are very much of their time and its very similar to Dan Dare in that aspect if not genre. The art elevates it well above where it would be otherwise though. Every page is a joy.

ZenArcade

I am so buying this when it comes out. Z
Ed is dead, baby Ed is...Ed is dead

I, Cosh

I might buy this and leave it in the bar at a 2000AD convention like I did with the book that Colin have at the 40th...
We never really die.

Dandontdare

* makes note to follow Cosh around at next con*

Colin YNWA

Quote from: I, Cosh on 21 May, 2019, 04:40:00 PM
I might buy this and leave it in the bar at a 2000AD convention like I did with the book that Colin have at the 40th...

I reckon it was that there Rian Hughes...