Bryan Talbot

Infobox comics creator
name = Bryan Talbot

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imagesize =
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date and age|1952|2|24
location = Wigan, Lancashire
deathdate =
deathplace =
nationality =
area = Artist and writer
alias =


notable works = "The Adventures of Luther Arkwright"
"Heart of Empire"
"Alice in Sunderland"
awards = (1996)
Haxtur Award for Best Long Comic Strip (1999)
Inkpot Award (2000)
website = http://www.bryan-talbot.com/

Bryan Talbot (born February 24, 1952, Wigan, Lancashire) is a British comic book artist and writer. He is probably best known as the creator of "The Adventures of Luther Arkwright" and its recent sequel "Heart of Empire".

Biography

Bryan Talbot's work started in the underground comix scene of the late sixties and helped influence the later emergence of more "grown up" British comics scene, including publications like "2000 AD", and providing inspiration for some of the writers and artists who would later become known as the British Invasion of American comics'. In 1969 his first work appeared as illustrations in "Mallorn", the British Tolkien Society Magazine, followed in 1972 by a weekly strip in his college newspaper.

He continued in the scene after leaving college producing Brainstorm Comix, the first three of which formed "The Chester P. Hackenbush Trilogy" (a character reworked by Alan Moore as Chester Williams for "Swamp Thing").

In 1978 he started possibly his best known work, "The Adventures of Luther Arkwright". It was originally published in "Near Myths" and continued on over the years in other publications it was eventually collected together into one volume by Dark Horse. Along with "When the Wind Blows" it is one of the first British graphic novels.

In the early to mid-eighties he provide art for some of "2000 AD"'s flagship serials, producing 3 series of "Nemesis the Warlock", as well as strips for "Judge Dredd" and "Sláine".

"The Tale of One Bad Rat" deals with recovery from childhood sexual abuse so well that it is used in the treatment of people who have themselves recovered from such abuse.Fact|date=February 2007 It is also the second most borrowed graphic novel in American libraries.Fact|date=February 2007

In the nineties Talbot did work in the US, principally for DC, on titles like "Hellblazer", "Sandman" and "Batman". He also produced the art for "The Nazz" by Tom Veitch and worked with Tom's brother Rick Veitch on "Teknophage", one of a number of mini-series he drew for Tekno Comix.

He is the only artist to ever draw the face of Judge Fear, one of the Dark Judges from Judge Dredd in 2000 AD

Recently he has done some art duties on Bill Willingham's "Fables",Citation | last = Irvine | first = Alex | author-link = Alexander C. Irvine | contribution = Fables | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The Vertigo Encyclopedia | pages = 72-81 | publisher = Dorling Kindersley | place = New York | year = 2008 | ISBN = 0-7566-4122-5 | oclc = 213309015] as well as returning to the Luther Arkwright universe with "Heart of Empire". He has also worked on "The Dead Boy Detectives".

He is also acting as agent for French-Japanese concept artist Veronique Tanaka's ["A Graphic Poem" [Online] [http://www.downthetubes.net/news_archive/2006/07july2006.html#poem Down The Tubes] ] ["Metronome" sequence [Online] [http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=litg&article=2526 Lying In The Gutter] ] experimental graphic novel "Metronome", an existential, textless erotically-charged visual poem.

In 2007 he released "Alice in Sunderland", which documents the connections between Lewis Carroll, Alice Liddell, and the Sunderland and Wearside area. [cite news |first=Ross |last=Robertson |title=News focus: Alice in Pictureland |url=http://www.sunderlandtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=2181289&SectionID=1512 |work=Sunderland Echo |date=2007-03-27 |accessdate=2007-03-29] He also wrote and drew the layouts for "Cherubs!", which he describes as "an irreverent fast-paced supernatural comedy-adventure." [http://www.paulgravett.com/articles/098_talbot/098_talbot.htm Bryan Talbot: An Artistic Wonder From Wearside] , interview with Paul Gravett]

Upcoming work includes "Grandville", which Talbot says is "a detective steampunk thriller" and Paul Gravett calls it "an inspired reimagining of some of the first French anthropomorphic caricatures". It is due in Spring 2009.

Bibliography

Comics work includes:

*"The Adventures of Luther Arkwright" (various publishers: 1978-1989, ISBN 1-56971-255-7)

*"Brainstorm: The Complete Chester P.Hackenbush and Other Underground Classics" (Alchemy Publications, 1982, ISBN 0-9508487-0-0 reprinted 1999, ISBN 0-9508487-1-9)

*"Tharg's Future Shocks": "The Wages of Sin" (with Alan Moore, in "2000 AD" #257, 1982)

*"Ro-Busters": "Old Red Eyes is Back" (with Alan Moore, in "2000AD Annual 1983", 1982)

*"Nemesis the Warlock" (with Pat Mills):
** "The Gothic Empire (Book IV)" (in "2000 AD" #390-406, 1984-1985)
** "Vengeance of Thoth (Book V)" (in "2000 AD" #435-445, 1985)
** "Torquemurder (Book VI) Part 1" (in "2000 AD" #482-487, 1986)
** "Torquemurder (Book VI) Part 2" (in "2000 AD" #500-504, 1986-1987)

*"Sláine": "The Time Killer" (with Pat Mills, in "2000 AD" #431, 1985)

*"Judge Dredd":
** "House of Death" (with John Wagner/Alan Grant, in "Dice Man" #1, 1986)
** "Last Voyage of the Flying Dutchman" (with John Wagner/Alan Grant, in "2000 AD" #459, 1986)
** "Judge Dredd and the Seven Dwarves" (with John Wagner/Alan Grant, in "Judge Dredd Annual 1987", 1986)
** "Ladies' Night" (with John Wagner/Alan Grant, in "2000AD Annual 1987", 1986)

*"Torquemada": "The Garden of Alien Delights" (with Pat Mills, in "Dice Man" #3, 1986)

* "One-Off":
** "Alien Enemy" (with script and pencils Mike Matthews, in "2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1987")
** "Memento" (in "2000 AD" prog 2002, 2001)

*"Sandman" (with Neil Gaiman):
**"" (DC, 1991-1992, ISBN 1-56389-089-5 )
**"" (DC, 1991-1993, ISBN 1-56389-105-0 )
**"" (DC, 1993, ISBN 1-56389-170-0)

*"The Tale of One Bad Rat" (Dark Horse, 4 part mini-series, 1995, ISBN 1-56971-077-5)

*"Batman: Dark Legends" (reprints "Legends of the Dark Knight" #39 - 40, 50, 52 - 54, 1996, ISBN 1-85286-723-X)

*"The Dreaming: Gates of Horn and Ivory" (DC, 1999, ISBN 1-84023-076-2 )

*"Heart of Empire: Or the Legacy of Luther Arkwright" (Dark Horse, 9 part mini-series, 1999, ISBN 1-56971-567-X)

*"The Dead Boy Detectives" (Vertigo, 4 issue mini-series, 2001)

* "Nightjar" (with Alan Moore, in "Alan Moore's Yuggoth Cultures and Other Growths" #1, Avatar, 2003)

*"Fables: Storybook Love" (with Bill Willingham, Vertigo, 2004, ISBN 1-4012-0256-X)

*"Alice in Sunderland" (Jonathan Cape, April 2007, ISBN 978-0-224-08076-7)

*cite book |title=The Naked Artist: Comic Book Legends |isbn=1-933076-25-9 |publisher=Moonstone |location=Calumet, Illinois |url=http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=4528

*"Cherubs!" (with Mark Stafford, graphic novel, 104 pages, Desperado Publishing, November 2007, ISBN 0979593999)

*"The Art of Bryan Talbot" (96 pages, NBM Publishing, December 2007, ISBN 156163512X)

Awards

He has won a number of awards:

* 1984 Eagle Award for Best Character for Torquemada, from "Nemesis the Warlock"
* 1987 Eagle Award for Favourite Artist (British)
* 1988:
** Eagle Award for Best Artist, for "The Adventures of Luther Arkwright"
** Eagle Award for Best New Comic, for "The Adventures of Luther Arkwright"
** Eagle Award for Best Character, for Luther Arkwright
** Eagle Award for Best Comic Cover, for "The Adventures of Luther Arkwright"
* 1993 a couple of Eagle Awards, for "The Tale of One Bad Rat"
* 1996 , for "The Tale of One Bad Rat"
* 1999 Haxtur Award, for Best Long Comic Strip for "The Tale of One Bad Rat"
* 2000 Inkpot Award
* 2007:
** Nominated for "Award for Favourite Comics Writer/Artist" Eagle Award
** Nominated for "Favourite Original Graphic Novel" Eagle Award, for "Alivce in Sunderland"
* 2008: Nominated for "Best Painter or Multimedia Artist (interior art)" Eisner Award. [ [http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=153595 2008 Eisner Award Nominees Named] (press release), Newsarama, April 14, 2008]

Notes

References

*gcdb|type=credit|search=Bryan+Talbot|title=Bryan Talbot
*comicbookdb|type=creator|id=780|title=Bryan Talbot
* [http://www.2000adonline.com/index.php3?zone=droid&page=profiles&choice=BRYANT 2000AD Profile]
* [http://www.lambiek.net/artists/t/talbot_bryan.htm Bryan Talbot] at Lambiek's Comiclopedia

External links

* [http://www.bryan-talbot.com/ Bryan Talbot.com]
*myspace|lutherarkwright|Bryan Talbot
* [http://www.hairy1.demon.co.uk/psfg/bryan.htm The Preston Speculative Fiction Group biography]
* [http://www.podgallery.com/index.cfm/hurl/action=artistInfo/msgId=305 Pod Comix bio]
* [http://www.bryan-talbot.com/memento/ Memento] , comic available free online

Interviews

* [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/features/96113880014785.htm The Life of Bryan] , Comics Bulletin, 2000
* [http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1284 British Comics Month - Bryan Talbot speaks] with Forbidden Planet, July 26, 2006
* [http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6393768.html?text=bryan%2Btalbot Talbot Deconstructs Alice and Lewis] , "Publishers Weekly", November 21, 2006
* [http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v3_2/talbot/ Engraving the Void and Sketching Parallel Worlds: An Interview with Bryan Talbot] , ImageTexT, Winter 2007
* [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/features/118767676284990.htm The Many Layers of Bryan Talbot] , Comics Bulletin, August 21, 2007
* [http://shuffleboil.com/2008/01/27/bryan-talbot/ Bryan Talbot Talks About Alice in Sunderland] , Shuffleboil, January 27, 2008
* [http://www.sunderlandecho.com/daily/News-focus-Curioser-and-curioser.3884063.jp Curioser and curioser – Bryan draws on Alice] , "Sunderland Echo", March 17, 2008