Bryan Talbot (born 24 February 1952) is a British comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of '' The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' and its sequel '' Heart of Empire'', as well as the ''Grandville'' series of books. He collaborated with his wife,

Mary M. Talbot Mary Talbot is a British academic and author. She has written several well received academic works in critical discourse analysis and since 2009 has turned her hand to freelance writing. Her first graphic novel ''Dotter of Her Father's Eyes'', pu ...

to produce '' Dotter of Her Father's Eyes'', which won the 2012 Costa biography award.

Early life

Bryan Talbot was born in Wigan, Lancashire on 24 February 1952. He attended Wigan Grammar School, the Wigan School of Art, and Harris College in

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston, Lancashire, City of Preston local government district. Preston ...

, from which he graduated with a degree in Graphic Design.

Career

Talbot began his comics work in the

underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...

scene of the late 1960s. In 1969 his first work appeared as illustrations in ''Mallorn'', the British

Tolkien Society The Tolkien Society is an Charitable organization, educational charity and literary society devoted to the study and promotion of the life and works of the author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien. It began informally in 1969, and held its inaugura ...

magazine, followed in 1972 by a weekly strip in his

college newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repo ...

. 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 Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', '' V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell ...

as Chester Williams for ''

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations i ...

''. Talbot started '' The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' in 1978. It was originally published in '' Near Myths'' and continued on over the years in other publications, including '' Pssst!'' and by the publisher Valkyrie Press. It was eventually collected into one volume by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

. Along with Raymond Briggs' '' When the Wind Blows'' it is one of the first British

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s. In the early to mid-eighties he provided art for some of '' 2000 ADs flagship serials, producing three series of '' Nemesis the Warlock'', as well as occasional strips for ''

Judge Dredd Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running c ...

''. His ''

The Tale of One Bad Rat ''The Tale of One Bad Rat'' is a 4-issue comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by Bryan Talbot. It was first published by Dark Horse Comics in 1994 and later brought out in a collected edition. The story is about a victim of child abu ...

'' deals with a girl's recovery from childhood

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

. Talbot moved to the U.S. market in the 1990s, principally for

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

, on titles such as ''

Hellblazer ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introduced. Its central character is ...

'', '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'', and '' Dead Boy Detectives''. Talbot collaborated with

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

on '' The Sandman'' and provided art for the " Fables & Reflections", "

A Game of You ''A Game of You'' (1993) is the fifth collection of issues in the DC Comics series, '' The Sandman''. Written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt, Stan Woch and Dick Giordano, and lettered by ...

", and " Worlds' End" story arcs. He drew '' The Nazz'' limited series which was written by Tom Veitch and worked with Tom's brother Rick Veitch on ''Teknophage'', one of a number of

mini-series A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

he drew for Tekno Comix. Talbot has illustrated cards for the '' Magic: The Gathering'' collectible card game. He has illustrated Bill Willingham's ''

Fables Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that illustrat ...

'', as well as returning to the Luther Arkwright universe with '' Heart of Empire''. In 2006, he announced the graphic novel ''Metronome'', an existential, textless erotically charged visual poem, written under the pseudonym Véronique Tanaka. He admitted that he was the author in 2009. Talbot turned down an offer to appear in character as Tanaka for an in-store signing of the work. In 2007 he released ''

Alice in Sunderland ''Alice in Sunderland: An Entertainment'' is a 2007 graphic novel by comics writer and artist Bryan Talbot. It explores the links between Lewis Carroll and the Sunderland area, with wider themes of history, myth and storytelling. Overview The ...

'', which documents the connections between

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

Alice Liddell Alice Pleasance Hargreaves (''née'' Liddell, ; 4 May 1852 – 16 November 1934), was an English woman who, in her childhood, was an acquaintance and photography subject of Lewis Carroll. One of the stories he told her during a boating trip bec ...

, and the

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

and

Wearside Wearside () is a built-up area in both Tyne and Wear and County Durham, Northern England. It is named after the River Wear which flows through it and traditionally all in the County of Durham. In the 2011 census, its official name was the Sund ...

area. He wrote and drew the layouts for ''

Cherubs! ''Cherubs! Paradise Lost'' is a graphic novel by Bryan Talbot who wrote the script and provided the layouts, with the finished art by Mark Stafford. The first book, or 'cantica' was published by Desperado Publishing in November 2007 and the first ...

'', which he describes as "an irreverent fast-paced supernatural comedy-adventure." In 2019 it was reported that Talbot was producing the latest instalment in the Arkwright series tentatively titled ''The Legend of Luther Arkwright'', to be published in 2021.

Awards and recognition

* 1985 Eagle Award for Favourite Character for

Torquemada Torquemada may refer to: People * Juan de Torquemada (cardinal) (1388–1468), Spanish cardinal and ecclesiastical writer * Tomás de Torquemada (1420–1498), prominent leader of the Spanish Inquisition * Antonio de Torquemada (c. 1507– ...

, from '' Nemesis the Warlock'' * 1988: ** Eagle Award for Favourite Artist (British) ** Eagle Award for Favourite New Comic, for ''The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' ** Eagle Award for Favourite Character (UK), for Luther Arkwright ** Eagle Award for Favourite Comic Cover, for ''The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' * 1989 Society of Strip Illustration Mekon Award for "Best British Work" for ''The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' * 1995 UK Comic Art Award for Best New Publication for ''The Tale of One Bad Rat'' * 1996 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: Reprint, 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 The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual co ...

* 2007: ** BSFA Award nominee, Best Novel, for ''Alice in Sunderland'' ** Nominated for "Award for Favourite Comics Writer/Artist" Eagle Award ** Nominated for "Favourite Original Graphic Novel" Eagle Award, for ''Alice in Sunderland'' * 2008: Nominated for "Best Painter or Multimedia Artist (interior art)"

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

. * 2009 Talbot was given an

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad ho ...

of Arts by

University of Sunderland , mottoeng = Sweetly absorbing knowledge , established = 1901 - Sunderland Technical College1969 - Sunderland Polytechnic1992 - University of Sunderland (gained university status) , staff = , chancellor = Eme ...

in July 2009, the first time this has been done for a comic book artist. * 2010: Nominated for "Favourite Original Graphic Novel Published During 2009" Eagle Award for ''Grandville'' * 2012: ** Talbot was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters on 17 July 2012 by

Northumbria University , mottoeng = A lifetime of learning , established = 1877 - Rutherford College of Technology1969 - Newcastle Polytechnic1992 - gained university status , type = Public , budget = ...

in recognition of his lifetime's work in the graphic novel field. ** Winner of the

Costa biography award The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...

for '' Dotter of Her Father's Eyes'', with Mary Talbot. ** Prix SNCF for Best Bande Dessinée 2012 for Grandville Mon Amour * 2014: Guest of honor at NordicFuzzCon. * 2018: Elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, ele ...

Bibliography

2000 AD

Tharg's Future Shocks

*"The Wages of Sin" (with

, in '' 2000 AD'' No. 257, 1982)

''Ro-Busters''

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

Nemesis the Warlock

* "The Gothic Empire (Book IV)" (in ''2000 AD'' No. 390–406, 1984–1985) * "Vengeance of Thoth (Book V)" (in ''2000 AD'' No. 435–445, 1985) * "Torquemurder (Book VI) Part 1" (in ''2000 AD'' No. 482–487, 1986) * "Torquemurder (Book VI) Part 2" (in ''2000 AD'' No. 500–504, 1986–1987) *''

'': "The Garden of Alien Delights" (with Pat Mills, in ''Diceman'' No. 3, 1986)

Sláine

*"The Time Killer" (with Pat Mills, in ''2000 AD'' No. 431, 1985)

Judge Dredd

* "House of Death" (with John Wagner/ Alan Grant, in '' Diceman'' No. 1, 1986) * "Last Voyage of the Flying Dutchman" (with John Wagner/Alan Grant, in ''2000 AD'' No. 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) * "Caterpillars" (script by Michael Carroll, coloured by Alwyn Talbot, in ''2000 AD'' No. 1730, April 2011)

Enemy Alien

* "Enemy Alien" (with script and pencils Mike Matthews, in ''2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1987'')

Memento

* "Memento" (in ''2000 AD'' Prog 2002, 2001)

Ad Astra

*''Frank Fazakerly, Space Ace of the Future'' (October 1978 - September 1981)

Avatar Press

* '' Nightjar'' (with Alan Moore, in ''

Alan Moore's Yuggoth Cultures and Other Growths ''Alan Moore's Yuggoth Cultures and Other Growths'' is a three-issue comic book miniseries presenting work written by comics writer Alan Moore, based on the writings of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was published by Avatar Press in 2003. Ba ...

'' No. 1,

Avatar Press Avatar Press is an independent American comic book publisher founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois. Avatar Press is most notable for publishing bad girl comics, such as ''Faust'', ''Pandora'', ''Hellina'', ''L ...

, 2003)

Brainstorm Comix

Chester P Hackenbush, the Psychedelic Alchemist

* "Out of the Crucible" (in Brainstorm Comix No. 1, 1975, Alchemy) * "From Here to Infinity" (in Brainstorm Comix No. 2, 1976, Alchemy) * "A Streetcar Named Delirium" (in Brainstorm Comix No. 4, 1977, Alchemy)

Amazing Rock'n'Roll Adventures

* "The Omega Report" (in Brainstorm Comix No. 6, 1978, Alchemy)

Dark Horse Comics

*''

'' (1995, )

DC Comics/Vertigo

*''

Annual No. 1'' (written by Jamie Delano, 1989) *''

The Nazz (Graphic Novel) ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' (written by Tom Veitch, issue #1 coloured by Steve Whittaker and issues #2-4 coloured by Les Dorscheid, 1990 - 1991) *''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...

: Dark Legends'' (reprints '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' No. 39 – 40, 50, 52 – 54, 1996, )

The Sandman

*''The Song of Orpheus'' (in Sandman Special 1, inks by Mark Buckingham, coloured by

Daniel Vozzo Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength ...

, 1991) *''

'' (

, 1991–1992, ) *'' Fables and Reflections'' (DC Comics, 1991–1993, ) *'' Worlds' End'' (DC Comics, 1993, ) *''

The Dreaming The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...

'' No. 9–12 (writer, with artists Dave Taylor (No. 9) and Peter Doherty (No. 10–12), DC Comics, February–May 1997) *'' The Dead Boy Detectives'' (with Ed Brubaker,

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties ...

, four-issue mini-series, 2001)

Shade, the Changing Man

*The Santa Fe Trail (written by

Peter Milligan Peter Milligan (born 24 June 1961) is a British comic book writer who has written extensively for both British and American comic book industries. In the UK, Milligan has contributed to numerous anthology titles including '' 2000 AD'', '' Revo ...

, inks by Mark Pennington, coloured by Daniel Vozzo, August 1991)

Fables

*''Bag o’Bones'' (with Bill Willingham, Vertigo, 2004, )

Desperado Publishing

*''

'' (with

Mark Stafford Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

, 104 pages, Desperado Publishing, November 2007, )

Jonathan Cape

*''

'' (graphic novel,

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a London publishing firm founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death in 1960. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard set up the publishing house in 1921. They established a reputation ...

, April 2007, ) *'' Dotter of Her Father's Eyes'' (written by

, 2012) *'' Sally Heathcote: Suffragette'' ( written by Mary Talbot, lettering, layouts and rough pencils by Bryan, finished artwork by

Kate Charlesworth Kate Charlesworth (born 1950) is a British cartoonist and artist who has produced comics and illustrations since the 1970s. Her work has appeared in LGBT publications such as '' The Pink Paper'', '' Gay News'', '' Strip AIDS'', ''Dyke's Delight' ...

, 2014) *''

The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' (written by

, 2016) *''

Rain (Graphic Novel) Mary Talbot is a British academic and author. She has written several well received academic works in critical discourse analysis and since 2009 has turned her hand to freelance writing. Her first graphic novel ''Dotter of Her Father's Eyes'', p ...

'' (written by

, 2019)

Grandville

*''Grandville'' (graphic novel, 104 pages, November 2009) *''Grandville Mon Amour'' (graphic novel, 104 pages, December 2010) *''Grandville Bête Noire'' (graphic novel, 104 pages, December 2012) *''Grandville: Nöel'' (graphic novel, Jonathan Cape, November 2014) *''Grandville: Force Majeure'' (graphic novel, Jonathan Cape, November 2017)

Luther Arkwright

*''The Papist Affair'' (in The Mixed Bunch 1, 1976) *'' The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' (various publishers: 1978–1989, ) *''For A Few Gallons More'' (with Chris Welch, in Moon Comics 3, 1979 Street Comics) *''The Fire Opal of Set'' (in Imagine 14, 1984 TSR UK Ltd) *'' Heart of Empire: Or the Legacy of Luther Arkwright'' (Dark Horse Comics, nine-issue limited series, 1999, ) *''

The Legend of Luther Arkwright ''The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' is a limited series comic book written and drawn by Bryan Talbot. The story is adult in tone, with many mythological, historical and political references, and a little explicit sex. English writer Warren E ...

(forthcoming)

Moonstone Books

NBM Publishing

*''The Art of Bryan Talbot'' (96 pages, NBM Publishing, December 2007, ) *''

Metronome A metronome, from ancient Greek μέτρον (''métron'', "measure") and νομός (nomós, "custom", "melody") is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a regular interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats pe ...

'' (as Véronique Tanaka, 64 pages, NBM Publishing, May 2008, )

Sounds

*Scumworld (credited to The Crabs from Uranus, 1983 – 1984)

Tekno Comix

*''Neil Gaiman’s Mr. Hero the Newmatic Man'' (Issue #1, 6 pages pencils and inks, written by Rick Veitch, coloured by

Angus McKie Angus McKie (born July 1951) is a British artist who has worked as a colourist in the comics industry. He is best known as an English science fiction illustrator whose work appeared on the covers of numerous science fiction paperback novels in ...

, 1995) *''Neil Gaiman’s Mr. Hero the Newmatic Man'' (Issue #2, 5 pages, inked by Angus McKie (1995, Tekno Comix Written by Rick Veitch, coloured by

, 1995) *''

Neil Gaiman’s Wheel of Worlds Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...

'' One shot, 11 pages (1995, Tekno Comix Written by Rick Veitch, coloured by Angus McKie,) *''Neil Gaiman's Teknophage'' (pencils only, written by Rick Veitch, Issues #1-6, 1995-1996) *''Neil Gaiman's Phage: Shadow Death'' (script, with pencils by David Pugh and inks by Tim Perkins, six-issue limited series, Tekno Comix, June–November 1996)

Other

* ''Superharris'' with Bonk in Hac, Harris College's Student Newspaper 1971 - 1972) * ''Brainworms'' (script by

Matthias Schultheiss Matthias Schultheiss (born 27 July 1946) is a German graphic novel artist. He is known, especially in France for his works ''Bell's Theorem (comic), Bell's Theorem'' and ''The Sharks of Lagos'' published in the mid to late-1980s. Life and work ...

, in ''

Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

presents the Second Xpresso Special'', 1991)

References

Interviews

British Comics Month – Bryan Talbot speaks
Forbidden Planet, 26 July 2006
Curioser and curioser – Bryan draws on Alice
'' Sunderland Echo'', 17 March 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Talbot, Bryan 1952 births Living people 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists Alumni of the University of Central Lancashire British comics artists British comics writers British graphic novelists Costa Book Award winners DC Comics people Game artists Inkpot Award winners People from Wigan Pseudonymous artists Silver Age comics creators Underground cartoonists