Bryan Talbot: Father of the British Graphic Novel
by Bryan Talbot & J.D. Harlock
"It's an invaluable portrait of the world of comics, and particularly the world of British comics over the last four decades" - Neil Gaiman
An illustrated biographical novel about the legendary British comic book creator Bryan Talbot, a member of the 1980s-1990s “Brit Pack,” a group of influential British comics creators that included Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison, whose work had a major influence on the North American comics industry. The book will detail Talbot's career, his work, and never before heard stories of his time in the comics industry. From his time working with DC Comics to industry events and some landmark happenings, you don’t want to miss these tales from behind the pages!
Oversized ~400-pg hardcover, Colour and B/W. With intros by industry titans Neil Gaiman and Ed Brubaker
This campaign will be fulfilled out of the UK
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Digital copy
PDF format, ~400 pgs
$60
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Hardcover
Get a copy of the book, Hardcover, A4 (8-1/4 x 11-3/4 in), ~400 pgs
$80
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Signed Hardcover
Get a copy of the book, Hardcover, A4 (8-1/4 x 11-3/4 in), ~400 pgs. Signed by Bryan Talbot
$90
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Retailer Bundle
3 copies of the book ALL SIGNED BY BRYAN TALBOT at 50% off retail pricing. If you want multiple orde...
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As a thank you for the support, get a pack of Bryan's illustrations as DIGITAL WALLPAPERS
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As a thank you for the support, get a pack of Bryan's illustrations as DIGITAL WALLPAPERS with a pac...
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ADD-ONS
These items are only available once you have selected at least one primary Reward listed above.
$40
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LIGHT OF THE WORLD high end art print
Get a 14 x 20 high quality Giclee of the fan-favorite splash page that Ed Brubaker describes so reve...
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LUTHER ARKWRIGHT 'CHURCH' high end art print
Added to the campaign after multiple requests! Get a 14 x 20 high quality Giclee of this fan-favorit...
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LUTHER ARKWRIGHT 'ASCENSION' high end art print
Just added with a few weeks left! Get a 14 x 20 high quality Giclee of this fan-favorite splash page...
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LUTHER ARKWRIGHT 'WOODS' high end art print
Just added with a few weeks left! Get a 14 x 20 high quality Giclee of this fan-favorite splash page...
$50
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TALE OF ONE BAD RAT high end art print
Never been offered in the US or UK and is long out of print! Get a 14 x 20 high quality Giclee of th...
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ADVENTURES OF LUTHER ARKWRIGHT high end art print
Get a 14 x 20 high quality Giclee of this popular Luther Arkwright cover. Scroll down to the ART PRI...
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KING'S CROSS INTERNATIONAL AIRWAY STATION high end art print
Get a 14 x 20 high quality Giclee of this beautiful splash page from Heart of Empire. Scroll down to...
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Set of four GRANDVILLE high end art prints
8 x 11.5 high quality art prints of four glorious Grandville splash pages that have never been offer...
$475
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Original Art - Heart of Empire pg. 153
Own the one-of-a-kind original art page by Bryan Talbot! SCROLL DOWN TO 'ORIGINAL ART' SECTION BELOW...
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Original Art - Heart of Empire pg. 206
Own the one-of-a-kind original art page by Bryan Talbot! SCROLL DOWN TO 'ORIGINAL ART' SECTION BELOW...
$20
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Signed copies of scripts for graphic novels
Original scripts signed by Bryan Talbot
The Book
Experience the sweeping biography of the one and only Bryan Talbot, the Eisner Award Winning British comics artist and writer behind some of the most acclaimed comics in British and American history, with collaborators such as Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Bill Willingham, Peter Milligan and other writing icons.
From his work at DC on Batman and The Sandman to his work at 2000 AD on Judge Dredd and Nemesis the Warlock to his creator-owned comics like The Tale of One Bad Rat, Alice in Sunderland, Grandville, and the legendary The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, the first British graphic novel, you’ll discover never before revealed information about his life and work in this beautiful new hardcover designed by Alan Fisher with an exclusive cover illustration by Bryan himself and intros by industry titans Neil Gaiman and Ed Brubaker. Painstakingly compiled over 2 years, this exquisite and lavishly-illustrated book is a a must-have, not only for fans of Talbot's legendary oeuvre, but for anyone with an interest in the history of comics and the craft that goes into creating them!
Praise
This was the dark ages, pre-internet, when you'd see a few panels of something that looked amazing in a review in The Comic Journal or CBG or someplace, but actually finding the books themselves was like a quest for buried treasure most of the time. And here it was, finally in our hands. This was a long time ago, when I still imagined I would draw my own comics, and seeing the growth that Bryan Talbot's work took across the course of those two books was inspiring as hell. And the splash pages in the second book were some of the most impressive comics pages I'd seen, maybe ever. The guy lighting the cigarette, Luther leaping off the top of the spire... All of it is still burned into my brain.
I read those books so many times the pages fell out (though this was a common complaint of those editions, I recall) and when Talbot came to Comicon a year or so later, I waited until near the end of the day when no one was waiting in line, and went to talk to him. He doesn't recall this, of course, I was just a kid at a con, but he was really kind and generous with his time. He showed me his original art, and we talked about what pencils and pens and brushes he used. He showed me the amazing pages and let me hold them, to see his ink scratchings on the bristol boards up close. And he told me how long each page had taken to draw and ink. (The one with the guy lighting the cigarette was four or five days of inking, I think he said). The thing I remember leaving with was the idea that this guy was the real deal. Someone struck with the comics bug, a true artist, who probably didn't have a lazy bone in his body, based on his work ethic. I couldn't imagine how he did it all.
Flash forward fifteen or more years, and I'm working on a Sandman spinoff mini-series, The Dead Boy Detectives, and my editor Will Dennis calls to ask what I think about Bryan Talbot drawing it. I might have yelled YES down the phone line, I can't remember, but soon there I was, writing pages that I knew were going to look amazing. And here was an email from Bryan giving me feedback on the British slang and accents (I'm an Anglophile, but you can't learn proper accents from repeats of the Fast Show and Monty Python it turns out) and suggestions for locations... He was trying to make me look good, beyond just drawing the damn thing. What an amazing guy, I thought. I also recall a few medieval flashback battle scenes that are nearly as detailed as some of those Arkwright pages, that I almost feel guilty for making him draw, because I secretly knew that Bryan would draw every soldier on the field, because he told me how disciplined he was long before that.
Years after this, sitting in the bar at a convention in Portugal with Bryan and a bunch of other comics folks, I joked that any time I was getting behind on the deadline I'd write in some double-page spread - a cemetery scene, a battle - because I knew Bryan would take a week drawing it and I'd be able to catch up. Everyone laughed except Bryan, who narrowed his eyes at me for a brief moment. And then he laughed too, hopefully knowing I didn't really mean it (not completely at least). Then he took out his huge portfolio and started showing us all the pages from Alice in Sunderland, which he was still working on, and blew all our minds with all the stylistic shifts he was trying and how beautiful it was.
I can think of only a handful of cartoonists in the history of the medium who are as dedicated, and versatile, and experimental, as Bryan Talbot. And it was an honor to work with him (even briefly) and it has always been a joy to be his fan.
Ed Brubaker
July 7, 2022
“A fascinating and detailed dive into the life, influences and artistic journey of the internationally-acclaimed comics visionary. Take a walk through Bryan’s life and see his work come alive in a whole new dimension.”
- Kurt Busiek, writer of Marvels, Astro City, Avengers, etc
“This book vividly shows how Bryan took Nemesis forward and brought back the ABC Warriors. Both were huge achievements, especially the ABC Warriors because - previously - they were destined for oblivion.”
- Pat Mills, Writer, Nemesis the Warlock, Slaine, Marshal Law etc
- Jeff Smith, cartoonist and creator of the BONE and TUKI graphic novels
- Dez Skinn, Editor, Marvel UK, Warrior, Comics International
Preview
Art Prints
Original Art
All of the following original art pages are available to buy above in the Add-Ons section!
Heart of Empire pgs. 34, 153 & 206
Grandville Bête Noire pgs. 28 & 60
Digital Rewards
Here's a closer look at Bryan's creator-owned books available at the $10 level:
The book you’ve all been waiting for! The Naked Artist is an outrageous collection of the unreported exploits of comic creators, the stories only usually told late at night between the hallowed walls of convention pro bars! EISNER AWARD WINNER Bryan Talbot brings you the anecdotes, funny, shocking and downright weird, told about your favorite comic writers and artists, from Simon Bisley to Neil Gaiman, from Grant Morrison to Jeff Smith!
Metronome - a 64-page graphic novel by Bryan Talbot, writing as Véronique Tanaka. A "silent", erotically charged visual poem, an experimental non-linear story using a palette of iconic ligne clair images. Symbolism, visual puns and trompe l'oeil conspire in a visual mantra that could be described as "existential manga" if it wasn't for the fact that there is a very human and elegantly structured tale of a doomed relationship providing a solid foundation to the cutting-edge storytelling.
Stretch Goals
Some more details on the documentary THE GRAPHIC NOVEL MAN:
"The Graphic Novel Man not only reveals the life and work of a great artist and writer but also the talent and passion that has made Bryan Talbot one of the world’s most influencial comic creators."
Timeline
A few short answers to how this works.