By d. emerson eddy — Over the past month or so, we've been reading through the classic 2000 AD serial by Grant Morrison and Steve Yeowell Zenith. Part of Phase III's large appeal is heroes across the multiverse, with the story bringing in a lot of familiar (or not so familiar to many North American audiences) faces from old IPC/Fleetway comics. It inspired me to look at another initiative to bring the old British heroes to light, when DC/Wildstorm was given a crack at them in the mid '00s. The first of them being Albion by Alan Moore, Leah Moore, John Reppion, Shane Oakley, George Freeman, Richard Friend, Sandra Hope, Peter Guzman, Wildstorm FX, Tony Aviña, and Todd Klein. 

Albion drops us in a world that I wouldn't necessarily call “grim and gritty” per se, but one where the bright colors of four color fantasies have been traded for bleak dreariness. It's one where our protagonist Danny finds out that the characters in his cherished British comics are real, but they've all been corralled and kidnapped by the government, sequestered off in a secluded Scottish prison. In some ways, it feels like a commentary on what would happen should you take all of the “fun” away inherent in superheroes, like another elaboration on the form that Alan Moore (with Chris Sprouse, JH Williams III, and other brilliant collaborators) was also exploring at the time in Tom Strong and Promethea.

Shane Oakley's pencils are an interesting choice for this story. His style is one of sharp angles and dark shadows, somewhat reminiscent of Richard Case and D'Israeli. With heavy inks from George Freeman and darker hues from Wildstorm FX and Tony Aviña, the overall impression of the artwork is one of darkness. It's fitting, given the subject matter, and provides a baseline for when the story showcases some of the earlier times, bringing in call backs to old comics with simpler designs and brighter colours. There are also a number of pages with 9-panel grids, which this being an Alan Moore collaboration, and they bring to mind Watchmen, though the application here and tone deliver something of a reinforcement of the idea that the world as seen here is gloomy without the inherent silliness of the superheroes. Todd Klein's lettering nicely embellishes upon all of the characters in this book, playing with some approaches for the flashbacks and giving a unique electronic voice for the Brain.

It may be somewhat hard to track down these days as it's out of print and the rights to the characters have reverted to Rebellion, but I think it's worth it to try to track down the Albion collection from Moore, Moore, Reppion, Oakley, Freeman, Friend, Hope, Guzman, Wildstorm FX, Aviña, and Klein. Not only do you get an interesting adventure of lost and forgotten heroes, but the collection also includes an essay from Steve Holland on the IPC/Fleetway heroes and a collection of some of the old original comics featuring the characters.

Classic Comic of the Week: Albion

Albion
Writers: Alan Moore (plot), Leah Moore & John Reppion (script)
Penciller: Shane Oakley
Inkers: George Freeman, Richard Friend, Sandra Hope & Peter Guzman
Colorist: Wildstorm FX & Tony Aviña
Letterer: Todd Klein
Publisher: DC Comics / Wildstorm
Rediscover the classic heroes of Britain's yesteryear in a new series that teams legendary Alan Moore as plotter with writers Leah Moore & John Reppion (WILD GIRL), artists Shane Oakley & George Freeman and cover artist Dave Gibbons (WATCHMEN)! Britain never had any super-heroes. It had something much stranger: a collection of paragons, monsters, and clowns that vanished a quarter century ago, never to be seen again. Who were Robot Archie and the Steel Claw? Who was Captain Hurricane, or the Spider? And where have they been for 25 years?
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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.