2000 AD Online Forum

Know anyone who doesn't think this deserves its own thread when there are perfectly adequate threads around this parts to host this info... well ... you clearly haven't been following my posts around here with enough passion and verve to remember that I've been hackering after this for almost as long as I've been posting here. I can't remember when Top Shelf first listed this BUT finally today while casually looking through IDW's June Solicitations

QuoteBacchus: Omnibus Edition, Vol. 1—CERTIFIED COOL
Eddie Campbell (w & a & c)
Eddie Campbell's BACCHUS is a true epic, spanning a decade of work, over a thousand pages, and several millennia of alcohol consumption. In BACCHUS, the visionary behind FROM HELL (with Alan Moore) and ALEC: THE YEARS HAVE PANTS presents his version of "an American-style comic book," filtered through his own brilliant, whimsical, and wide-ranging sensibility. With a fine blend of action, comedy, suspense, and an ear for a great story, BACCHUS brings the gods and myths of ancient Greece to modern life, as if they had never left. Nearly 600 pages, this deluxe volume collects the first half of the BACCHUS saga (including Immortality Isn't Forever, The Gods of Business, Doing the Islands with Bacchus, The Eyeball Kid: One Man Show, and Earth, Water, Air & Fire) with new notes and commentary by the author.
TPB • B&W • $39.99 • 576 pages • 7.5" x 10" • ISBN: 978-1-60309-026-1
•"Bacchus mixes air hijacks and ancient gods, gangland drama and legends, police procedural and mythic fantasy, swimming pool cleaners and classics. It shouldn't work, of course, and it works like a charm...Eddie Campbell is the unsung King of comic books. ... The man's a genius, and that's an end to it."–Neil Gaiman
•"A story of surprising richness and gravity... Bacchus stands as one of Eddie Campbell's crowning achievements as writer, artist, and executive creator."—The Comics Journal
•" Campbell is one of the premier cartoonists of his generation."—Publishers Weekly

I am so gibberingly excited!

Up on Amazon already. A title i've been meaning to read since I read the scanlations of his Cerebus team up months back. At £30 a pop I will need to mull it over, but deffinelty a title i'm intruiged by.

This quite literally made me dance around the room with pure unbridled joy. I seem to have been waiting for this ever since Banged Up finished in 2001 (?).  That's a long time, even at my age.  I have the whole of Bacchus in a bizarre hodgepodge of formats from a crazy number of publishers (all except The Face in the Bar Room Floor anyway), from Harrier, A1 and Trident floppies and semi-floppies to DHP to reprints in the back of Eddie's self-published line to several of the eventual TPBs, for many years constituting a quest in the comic shops of whatever city I happened to be in.  But a proper, comprehensive, luxury treatment: oh yes indeedy.

Bacchus may be wildly uneven (it is), but for me it is one of the greatest comics projects of all time, the comic I wish more than any other that I myself had written (if not drawn).  I've vanished down more rabbit holes chasing ideas and throwaway details from Bacchus than anything else I've ever read; I've been inspired to follow Bacchus around the islands of Greece on four wonderful occasions (including a holiday that changed my life completely) and hiked up and down innumerable hills to drink wine in his honour at temples and shrines in Greece and Italy; I've read and re-read everyone from Graves to Pharand on the myths that Campbell so effortlessly revitalises in the most deliciously convincing fashion, flagrantly revisionist and yet compellingly genuine; I've read Robbie Burns for the first time; I've taken up making my own wine; I've pondered and re-pondered the classical thesis that shapes the whole magnificent mess: everything starts out grand but turns to crap in the end, and there's never, ever, enough time. But it isn't that simple, is it?  After all, what about the noble rot?

And naturally I've brushed my teeth with a dry Riesling (but just the once).

If you haven't read this, you must.  And if you have read it, you should do so again.  Either way, buy it, and support one of the greatest comics creators of all. 

As good as comics get, and one of those things that could only ever be achieved in this medium.

i have a few of the trade paperbacks, definately an underrated character

Quote from: Hawkmonger on 18 March, 2015, 10:31:30 PM
Up on Amazon already. A title i've been meaning to read since I read the scanlations of his Cerebus team up months back. At £30 a pop I will need to mull it over, but deffinelty a title i'm intruiged by.

Ah feck it a pre-order can't hurt my wallet in the mean time! I (read as 'my wallet') bloody hate, hate you all!

Well Tordelback puts my apparent enthusiasm for Bacchus into perspective. I've waited and waited for these simply as I don't have them.

Back in the proverbial day I had all the stuff I could get hold of. I was always very jealous of my friend who had 'Immortality isn't Forever' which I borrowed frequently in the hope that one day he'd forget and it would become mine. Put I got everything else I could get my grubby mitts on. It was just about the only comic that came close to my affection for Cerebus. Just brilliant stuff.

Them my wilderness years struck.

When I got back into comics Bacchus was one of the first things I tried to track down but could never get my hands on everything, so held off. When I heard of the coming out I decided to let go all the odds and sods I'd accumulated including the 3/4s of the ongoing all my originals etc etc.

and I waited

and I waited

and I talked to the folk from Top Shelf who left me worried that it would ever happen.

and I waited

etc etc

You can't believe how excited I am to read this again AND all the stuff I never got.

I've never read a single page of Bacchus in my life.
Your collective un-curbed enthusiasm is bookmarked.

So, is this any good then?

I remember Bacchus in the late 80's 90's but never got into it.

Will pick this up under your recommendation to rectify this, in a "suck it and see" way.

Dunk!

Quote from: The Cosh on 20 March, 2015, 09:25:32 AM
So, is this any good then?

Ya know its kinda okay I guess...

Here, does anyone know if the painted stuff in the second volume will be in colour? 

Yes, obviously I've oversold it to the point where it can't help but be disappointing, but it was a very important book to me in the mid-late 90s, when Cerebus, Rare Bit Fiends, From Hell and Bacchus were pretty much the only comics I read.  Before Tharg got his claws back into me in '99 at least. I've always enjoyed teasing out the real-world aspects of wild fiction, and visiting such locations as there are (see also Star Wars, Slaine, Ghostbusters...), and Bacchus was just perfect for that - Campbell wears his knowledge lightly, but it is vast, and almost every page of Bacchus has something that can be followed to source.

Quote from: Tordelback on 20 March, 2015, 11:01:03 AM

Yes, obviously I've oversold it to the point where it can't help but be disappointing...

I dunno, I tend to agree (could you guess) that this is an important, significant work (and bloody good too) and one that even if it gets 'over-hyped' if that leads people too it then cool. They will almost certainly enjoy it. Well assuming they read a little about what it is and it sounds to their taste.

It's this (and a few others) that when people say ... certain writers... are the greatest thing that's ever happened to comics make me pause and think...

"Well they are indeed bloody good, but did they do something like ...insert those select few titles..."

and I wish deeply the outside world (outside our nerdsphere) would do the same and gave equal credit to the other quite brilliant works that were being done at and around the time of... well certain deified works (can you deify a comic? Well since when did I worry about the specifics and detail of language huh!?!). Fandom doesn't help itself by not being exposed to, or not really pushing the exposure to really significant works like this and so we go around in the same bubble thinking... a certain writer... is the only true great thing that happened to comics and people look in and see us saying that and don't bother to look any further.

Its a really short sighted view and really to the detriment of the medium as a whole.

So I say lets go ahead and hype this to death - hence I started a separate thread, as I've done with other works - cos I think some stuff we should bloody well be shouting about from the roof tops. Cos if we don't, you can sure as hell know no one else will and that's leaves everyone's view of comics all the poorer.

(well why I insisted on trying to avoid conflict by being vague when it was bloody obvious I mean the brilliant, if slightly too revered writer Alan Moore. That was just damned cowardly. Still covered it here and no one will get this far down!)

Hey, at least there's precedent for deifying Bacchus...

Got a few bits of Bacchus from the old Dark Horse Presents, etc. Pretty good, if I recall.

Must dig these out for a re-read.

Quote from: Tordelback on 18 March, 2015, 10:40:32 PM
Bacchus may be wildly uneven (it is), but for me it is one of the greatest comics projects of all time, the comic I wish more than any other that I myself had written (if not drawn).  I've vanished down more rabbit holes chasing ideas and throwaway details from Bacchus than anything else I've ever read; I've been inspired to follow Bacchus around the islands of Greece on four wonderful occasions (including a holiday that changed my life completely)

My guess is that you met your future spouse  :)

Quote from: Tordelback on 20 March, 2015, 11:01:03 AM
I've always enjoyed teasing out the real-world aspects of wild fiction, and visiting such locations as there are (see also Star Wars, Slaine, Ghostbusters...)

You've been to Tatooine!?

Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 20 March, 2015, 12:37:20 PM
and I wish deeply the outside world (outside our nerdsphere) would do the same and gave equal credit to the other quite brilliant works that were being done at and around the time of... well certain deified works (can you deify a comic? Well since when did I worry about the specifics and detail of language huh!?!). Fandom doesn't help itself by not being exposed to, or not really pushing the exposure to really significant works like this and so we go around in the same bubble thinking... a certain writer... is the only true great thing that happened to comics and people look in and see us saying that and don't bother to look any further.

Its a really short sighted view and really to the detriment of the medium as a whole.

Agreed - at the end of the day, Watchmen is a four-colour superhero comic.  We know it was produced by two great creators who graduated from 2000AD, but if you're one of those 'normal' people then you won't look much further than the surface.  Comics like Maus or Persepolis are much more accessible to the general public.  Not sure how the recent rash of superhero films (mostly Marvel) may have changed this, if at all...

Quote from: sheridan on 21 March, 2015, 11:53:40 AM.
My guess is that you met your future spouse  :)

And then abandoned her on Naxos..?

Not quite, but I did experience one of those rare moments of clarity where I realised that I wanted to have kids, a home, all that crap, with the woman I was with - or rather, I realised that I had, albeit briefly, achieved perfect contentment, knew that such a thing was actually possible and that it might never come again, and it was time to take the next steps. All thanks to Bacchus!

Not overselling it at all.

Incidentally, the unique and special place of Watchmen amongst comics is due to its extraordinary technical execution by both creators - if you don't appreciate that part of the medium it's a fairly standard conspiracy tale staring unpleasant people who achieve absolutely nothing. The third element, the deconstruction of superheroes, is now so passe I doubt anyone cares.

Quote from: sheridan on 21 March, 2015, 11:57:47 AM

Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 20 March, 2015, 12:37:20 PM
and I wish deeply the outside world (outside our nerdsphere) would do the same and gave equal credit to the other quite brilliant works that were being done at and around the time of... well certain deified works (can you deify a comic? Well since when did I worry about the specifics and detail of language huh!?!). Fandom doesn't help itself by not being exposed to, or not really pushing the exposure to really significant works like this and so we go around in the same bubble thinking... a certain writer... is the only true great thing that happened to comics and people look in and see us saying that and don't bother to look any further.

Its a really short sighted view and really to the detriment of the medium as a whole.

Agreed - at the end of the day, Watchmen is a four-colour superhero comic.  We know it was produced by two great creators who graduated from 2000AD, but if you're one of those 'normal' people then you won't look much further than the surface.  Comics like Maus or Persepolis are much more accessible to the general public.  Not sure how the recent rash of superhero films (mostly Marvel) may have changed this, if at all...

I think plenty of comics get that treatment, just not the ones we want. "Jimmy Corrigan" won a bunch of awards, for example. "Maus" and "Persepolis" even more.

Ultimately, we don't know what people who read "Watchmen" went on to read. We should be pleased that something so completely and utterly brilliant has gotten out there to the extent it has; ultimately, it'd be wonderful if more people read "Bacchus" (or whatever), but it shouldn't affect our enjoyment of either. When was the last genuinely brilliant prose novel to really become a public hit, anyway?

GREAT! Thanks for posting this! I'll definitely pick this up this summer!

Btw Tordelback. Cool to hear! I have a similar thing with 100Bullets. Put simply/short, a story that'v made a better and better person each time I'v read it. Much thanks to the questions it made me ask myself. Same also with some of Haruki Murakami writing.

I'm weeping, look at how big it's going to be! That's a lot of comic and not in expensive. Generally i'll only pay a pound for every 10 pages of comic (seem's fair, right?) and thanks to amazons price guarante it'll only be £25 for 600 pages, i'm super excited for this.

And Gosh! Comics will be stocking a special Book Plate edition, limited to 100 copies.

http://www.goshlondon.com/2015/06/gosh-exclusive-bookplate-edition-bacchus-omnibus-edition/

There's also a HC variant sold by IDW at conventions.

http://www.idwpublishing.com/product/bacchus-omnibus-hc-convention-variant/

Quote from: Hawkmonger on 07 July, 2015, 05:22:41 PM
And Gosh! Comics will be stocking a special Book Plate edition, limited to 100 copies.

http://www.goshlondon.com/2015/06/gosh-exclusive-bookplate-edition-bacchus-omnibus-edition/

Nice one - I've ordered it (Gosh is chuffing awesome too, happy to give them some cash).

Well after years of waiting for it to come out and months for it to get to the top of my reading spreadsheet (I cheated and moved it up) I've finally done it and read Bacchus after, what almost 25 years. and though I was a very different back then - old Colin still thinks young Colin's taste rocks. I want to smear myself is butter and roll around with this comic, it is simply brilliant.

Okay so like so many great works you see the creator learning his trade on the page BUT by God does he learn it well. The book is really in three parts all of which have their unique charm.

Firstly we have the rambling epic a slightly incoherent story at the beginning that really tells the tale of Joe Theseus and is very much a story trying to find its feet. It seems to roll from idea to idea not quite knowing what its trying to do and become. Yet quite majestically by the end it has and managed to bring whats gone before kicking and screaming with it.

Second up we have the short stories that in many ways define the series in my mind. Its how I came to know and love the this masterpiece. They feel very different to the epic storytelling that surrounds it (spoilers for my next paragraph I'd say!) but fits so well with the character. I might be biase (well I am) but absolutely these stories exploring myth, booze and human nature and fear are just so right. They are superb and the dark turn they take as they progress is so reflective of the myths that inform them.

By the third section, as I've said we're back to the epic storytelling, this time more focused and defined. All the creators involved have honed their craft and are on the top of their game. But christ alive however fantastic the story is and it really, really is. However devinely clever the word play . However subtle and crafted the character work is. However good all that is Eddie Campbell's art in the last story Earth, Water, Air, Fire is the standout. Its so atypical, yet so expressive. So stylised yet so grounded. Its exquiste.

I love the way we return to the same tales time and again, just as you can imagine Bacchus would return to tales time and again. Yet equally fitting each time we get a different angle, new insight, fresh perspective. Or just a different truth. Genius.

So yeah I fear I could go on and on about how pleased I am that this book has lived up to my sky high expectations (and those of you who know me know I can do that, oh boy can I). Its a very curious relief and surprise. I didn't think it could be as good as I remembered. 

But it is and every fucker who claims to love comics should be made to read this.

In my top ten.

Passed up on this most desirable volume due to core funding liquidity issues.  Reasoning that I already all have the content. Reason is a poo-poo head.

Birthday in a few months. May have to lean heavily on the wife.  Ooo-err.

Totally agree with Colin about the art on Earth, Water, Air, Fire - some of the best work by anyone in the medium of comics, ever. 

Does anyone know if the second book includes The Face on the Barroom Floor (the Cerebus crossover)?  I think it's the only bit I don't have, so I could use it as self-justification...

The second Omnibus do you mean, Tordels? Or the second TPB? I don't believe it was in the original printing but it might be in the second Omnibus but thats not out yet.

And i'll third the notion Bacchus is a masterpiece. Utterly fantastic comics.

Quote from: Hawkmonger on 17 February, 2016, 07:48:32 AM
And i'll third the notion Bacchus is a masterpiece. Utterly fantastic comics.

Oh that's good to hear as I know you said it was taking you time to get into, so after all our gushing here its good to know it paid off in the end.

Oh and Edited to say I'm not sure about the exact content of Volume 2 but will report back as soon as its available or I find the info elsewhere. You certainly couldn't imagine Dave Sim blocking it being included could you?

Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 17 February, 2016, 08:27:51 AM

Quote from: Hawkmonger on 17 February, 2016, 07:48:32 AM
And i'll third the notion Bacchus is a masterpiece. Utterly fantastic comics.

Oh that's good to hear as I know you said it was taking you time to get into, so after all our gushing here its good to know it paid off in the end.

I think it was around the beggining of Doing the Islands with Bacchus that the series just grew on me several fold. One of the most ingenious and nimbly used examples of an episodic adventure comic in the medium and utterly engrossing! By the time we got back to the gang war story line it was a refreshing return and everything seemed somewhat in line for a conclusion, which Omnibus 1 kind of does end on, so i'm curious to see how the second volume plays out.

Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 17 February, 2016, 08:27:51 AM
You certainly couldn't imagine Dave Sim blocking it being included could you?

It's not his style, given his position on co-created works, but much depends on whether he's challenged Eddie to a boxing match over some imagined atheist-feminist axis sleight!  I love the way Eddie draws Dave, and I love the way Dave draws Eddie, so it's be shame to see them at odds.That said, I think Eddie may be one of the few folk Dave hasn't fallen out with, which is odd, considering they're both voluble opinionated old geezers.

Volume two has 'French flaps' giggle giggle.

I might know wonderful comics when I read them but deep down I'm just silly little boy.

French flaps - giggle.

Gosh! comics will be stocking a special slip cover edition of Bacchus Omnibi 1 and 2, as well as Alec. Plus it's a bookplate edition, if your into that kind of thing.

So just finished Volume 2 and first off its absolutely brilliant, it really. Bacchus truly deserves his place amongst the very best, Cerebus, Grendal and Mage, Concrete, Jack Kirby's 70s writing. The very very best...

... but...

I don't think this is quite as strong a voilume 1. For a start much of the art isn't inked by Eddie Campbell and I just don't think his work is as good inked by others. I mean its still good don't get me wrong, but not as good. Eddie Campbell's inking is just devine.

The story more consistantly refined that volume 1, its quite excellent. The short stories of 1001 Nights are great, as ever with these things some gell more than others. But those that gell are quite brilliant. Both Hermes vs The Eyeball Kid and The Picture of Doreen Grey keep the epic storyline that pops in and out of the first volume, again really being focused on Joe Theseus. The last two stories while entirely captivating show that the series had probably run its natural course.

Its fitting that in a series when storytelling has been so central and so often the same story is returned to with different truths hidden in it that these last two follow a similar tale to one told on a Greek Island earlier in the series. As people give themselves over to Bacchus and all he represents anarky descends. Both are very simalar and yet have the same wonderful thread through them. King Bacchus feels a little indulgent as it examines the comics industry, but hell I love this stuff and it is fantastic. Burnside and Tosh Lyon two of my Bill favourites making a cameo is just the icing on the cake.

Banged Up sees a tired Bacchus slip further out and well it shows slight singles of the series being tired and so when it reaches it quite beautiful ending we felt as ready as ol'Deadface.

Truly even if this volume is marginally weaker than volume 1 (and it really is only marginally and most of that is the art) its still better than 99.9% of over comics out there.