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Luther Arkwright #2
Heart of Empire: Legacy of Luther Arkwright, Ltd. Ed.
Nominated for three Eisner Awards and five Eagle Awards, Bryan Talbot's internationally acclaimed graphic novel, Heart of Empire: The Legacy of Luther Arkwright is now available in a deluxe limited-edition slipcased hardcover, signed by creator Bryan Talbot. Heart of Empire is a truly epic work, both viscerally intense and scathingly funny, transcending genre and shattering the boundaries of graphic narrative. Power, mysticism, history, murder, romance, politics, religion, sex, conspiracy, spectacle, and heroism are the multiverse that makes Heart of Empire one of the most challenging, thought-provoking, and purely entertaining works of graphic fiction, truly deserving of this royal treatment! Collects Heart of Empire: The Legacy of Luther Arkwright #1-9.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
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258 people want to read
About the author
Bryan Talbot
286 books187 followersTalbot began his comics work in the underground comix scene of the late 1960s. 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).
He started The Adventures of Luther Arkwright in 1978. 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.
Talbot moved to the American market in the 1990s, 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.
Talbot has illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game.
He has also illustrated Bill Willingham's Fables, as well as returning to the Luther Arkwright universe with Heart of Empire. He has also worked on The Dead Boy Detectives.
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.
In 2007 he released Alice in Sunderland, which documents the connections between Lewis Carroll, Alice Liddell, and the Sunderland and Wearside area. He also wrote and drew the layouts for Cherubs!, which he describes as "an irreverent fast-paced supernatural comedy-adventure."
His upcoming work includes a sequel to 2009's 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 planned as the first in a series of four or five graphic novels.
Source: Wikipedia
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).
He started The Adventures of Luther Arkwright in 1978. 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.
Talbot moved to the American market in the 1990s, 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.
Talbot has illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game.
He has also illustrated Bill Willingham's Fables, as well as returning to the Luther Arkwright universe with Heart of Empire. He has also worked on The Dead Boy Detectives.
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.
In 2007 he released Alice in Sunderland, which documents the connections between Lewis Carroll, Alice Liddell, and the Sunderland and Wearside area. He also wrote and drew the layouts for Cherubs!, which he describes as "an irreverent fast-paced supernatural comedy-adventure."
His upcoming work includes a sequel to 2009's 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 planned as the first in a series of four or five graphic novels.
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 19, 2016
Esta aventura bizarra e psicadélica leva-nos ao mundo paralelo onde o Império Britânico renovado por Luther Arkwright triunfou e domina o mundo. Mas a sua própria existência, bem como a dos multiversos por onde Arkwright é capaz de viajar, está ameaçada. Uma estranha criatura inconsciente, misto de humano e algo disforme, prepara-se para aniquilar todos os universos. Entretanto, uma poderosa rainha britânica mantém-se de boa saúde graças aos latagões da sua guarda irlandesa, resistindo a um monge assassino enviado pelo Vaticano e às conspirações dos seus ministros, a sua filha, herdeira do trono, afadiga-se com os preparativos da grande exposição londrina e envolve-se com os agitadores pró-democracia que querem instaurar uma república. Os exércitos reais, com a sua tecnologia superior, acabam de arrasar o império nipónico e preparam-se para consagrar a sua hegemonia conquistando as comunidades russas e os rebeldes da ex-colónia americana.
Bizarro, divertido, daqueles livros em que parte do gozo da leitura é perceber os desvios e paralelos da linha temporal ficcional face à continuidade histórica. Uma obra que vive do fabuloso traço de Bryan Talbot, um deslumbramento retro-futurista misturando as estéticas Steampunk e fin de siècle numa Londres pejada de arquitecturas fabulísticas, máquinas voadoras e engenhos mecânicos.
Bizarro, divertido, daqueles livros em que parte do gozo da leitura é perceber os desvios e paralelos da linha temporal ficcional face à continuidade histórica. Uma obra que vive do fabuloso traço de Bryan Talbot, um deslumbramento retro-futurista misturando as estéticas Steampunk e fin de siècle numa Londres pejada de arquitecturas fabulísticas, máquinas voadoras e engenhos mecânicos.
October 18, 2009
Gosh it has taken me a while to get round to buying this considering I read and loved the original Arkwright comics when they were first printed.
This sequel has some beautiful artwork, particularly the full page tableaux - though it is a bit too gory in some places for my liking. What is a little disappointing is that Arkwright’s character seemed a bit - well simply two dimensional and flat in this book, which is kind of ironic considering the multiverse setting of the book. His daughter was much more interesting and nuanced as a character. Overall I enjoyed it but not as much as the original Arkwright comics
This sequel has some beautiful artwork, particularly the full page tableaux - though it is a bit too gory in some places for my liking. What is a little disappointing is that Arkwright’s character seemed a bit - well simply two dimensional and flat in this book, which is kind of ironic considering the multiverse setting of the book. His daughter was much more interesting and nuanced as a character. Overall I enjoyed it but not as much as the original Arkwright comics
January 24, 2016
Este tebeo de aventuras lleno de excesos tiene una concepción más simple de lo que a priori pudiera parecer. En el fondo, es una locura Moorcockiana en la que Bryan Talbot desata su vena punk; una historia de aventuras de buenos y malos solucionada a tiros y, cuando es necesario, los habituales deus ex machina. Muy entretenida y gráficamente espectacular.
January 20, 2009
A linear and less pyrotechnic sequel to the Adventures of Luther Arkwright but packed with allusions to history, pop culture, and literature. A symbolic rewrite of English history in the style of Moorcock, Ackroyd, or Blake. Oppression, decadence, racialism, protestant catholic division, imperialism and fascism are all touched in the wild adventure. The malevolent empire of Albion that was birthed by the revolution in the first volume (cue The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”) whose heart (many clues are in the title) is a London that is part Moorcock’s Gloriana and part Metropolis. This more the journey of princess Victoria (Arkwright’s daughter) as she redeems herself and the cruel world created by her mother the Empress(part Moorcock’s Gloriana, part Red Queen, and part Countess Bathory). Lots of dark and bawdy humor and full of great fantasy and scifi conceits. I miss the black and white art of the first one but the choice of color was thematic and it works. Many little drops to pop culture the weirdest being the cast of Kenneth Baker(yes R2D2) as the Empress’s secretary and the appearance of the banned comic Lord Horror. These stories aren’t just great comics these are great works of Science fiction, literature, and fantasy. The author bio in pitch perfect Victorian style is hilarious and adds to the story.
February 4, 2012
Personally, I liked the first book better; it showcased the raw talent and imagination of Talbot. But Heart of Empire, as a sequel, is a greater work. Talbot brings a decade of technical and storytelling skill to bear. Painted with a bold and glorious palette, the pages practically leap out at you.
Talbot has to deal with the construction of a history permeated with the myth of Arkwright and the iron fist of the Queen. Despite England's shining grandeur, it is a dark place behind the scenes. Certain scenes are certain to offend the Royal family and the Papal family alike. In the course of this story, heroes are reduced to unlikable figures, and cads are brought up from their lowered statures.
The pacing, in which mysterious events build up to a boil, and the protagonists and antagonists alike race towards a doomsday countdown parallels the first book, and is no less effective in its momentum of suspense.
Talbot has to deal with the construction of a history permeated with the myth of Arkwright and the iron fist of the Queen. Despite England's shining grandeur, it is a dark place behind the scenes. Certain scenes are certain to offend the Royal family and the Papal family alike. In the course of this story, heroes are reduced to unlikable figures, and cads are brought up from their lowered statures.
The pacing, in which mysterious events build up to a boil, and the protagonists and antagonists alike race towards a doomsday countdown parallels the first book, and is no less effective in its momentum of suspense.
June 14, 2021
This is such an effortless, meticulously plotted headrush of a book. I read this and it's prequel in a combined volume and consuming this after the first Arkwright was like eating cocaine laced candied psychotropic mushrooms after having veggies in ayahuasca. Bryan Talbot is a master of the comic form.
December 31, 2022
I'm a huge fan of The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, an incredibly ambitious and superbly executed graphic novel from the 1980s. It's a fine mix of alternate history, spy thriller, religion, sex, science fiction, comedy, and satire. So I was eager to track down the sequel.
Heart of Empire is a faithful sequel. It takes place some years after the apocalyptic conclusion of the original, depicting a British empire even more global-spanning and horrible than the historical peak. A monstrous empress rules, surrounded by all kinds of plots: a papal assassination threat, an unruly heir, schemes with the government, various rebel groups, not to mention growing alarm from the multiverse-spanning super-science civilization. All of these plots build up to a giant climax.
Heart returns to its source material throughout, bringing back inventions, characters, and ideas, as well as re-running some of the earlier story.
The art is grand. There's a lot of interesting work with color, especially in tinting some scenes. Still, I think I prefer the original black and white. Talbot crams some images with rich details about this world, from fonts to Victoriana to sight gags.
Heart is, however, definitely a sequel. It offers the warm glow of visiting a familiar place, but lacks the original's mind-blowing power and creativity. It's comforting and very well done.
Recommended - but please start with the original.
Heart of Empire is a faithful sequel. It takes place some years after the apocalyptic conclusion of the original, depicting a British empire even more global-spanning and horrible than the historical peak. A monstrous empress rules, surrounded by all kinds of plots: a papal assassination threat, an unruly heir, schemes with the government, various rebel groups, not to mention growing alarm from the multiverse-spanning super-science civilization. All of these plots build up to a giant climax.
Heart returns to its source material throughout, bringing back inventions, characters, and ideas, as well as re-running some of the earlier story.
The art is grand. There's a lot of interesting work with color, especially in tinting some scenes. Still, I think I prefer the original black and white. Talbot crams some images with rich details about this world, from fonts to Victoriana to sight gags.
Heart is, however, definitely a sequel. It offers the warm glow of visiting a familiar place, but lacks the original's mind-blowing power and creativity. It's comforting and very well done.
Recommended - but please start with the original.
October 16, 2022
Bryan Talbot nos ofrece una gran secuela de "Las Aventuras de Luther Arkwright". Es cierto que el nivel de dibujo es menor en esta continuación, y otra cosa que podemos apreciar es el cambio de estilo de escritura. En "Las Aventuras de Luther Arkwright" primaba la lectura densa, rellena de textos y dibujos muy detallados con trazo fino. En "El Corazón del Imperio" la lectura es más ágil y accesible, con sus pros y sus contras, y el dibujo es más simple y de trazo grueso. Es interesante ver estos dos distintos estilos de narrativa, propios cada uno de su época. Obviamente recomiendo leer primero Las Aventuras de Luther Arkwright, para después adentrarnos la secuela. El viaje merece la pena.
December 3, 2019
This was a definite improvement over the first volume.
The storyline was much clearer, the art was as good as the last one, and the alternate history stuff is fun.
Ultimately though, there were a lot of unlike-able characters and I wasn't really rooting for anyone. I can't believe the princess was so ignorant of her environment for so long. It wasn't a storyline I particularly enjoyed.
Don't waste your time on this series.
The storyline was much clearer, the art was as good as the last one, and the alternate history stuff is fun.
Ultimately though, there were a lot of unlike-able characters and I wasn't really rooting for anyone. I can't believe the princess was so ignorant of her environment for so long. It wasn't a storyline I particularly enjoyed.
Don't waste your time on this series.
January 29, 2023
Arkwright walked so Sandman could run.
Who knew the previously critiqued horniness of the Adventures would become pivotal plot points in Empire? And in service of even more exaggerated lewdness?
Empire is fun, but not the mind-blowing experimentation of Adventures. Still, for the high concept sci-fi world building, the audacity to paint with repurposed historical and contemporary figures, while slapping in graphic toilet humor for color- it gets the four stars.
Who knew the previously critiqued horniness of the Adventures would become pivotal plot points in Empire? And in service of even more exaggerated lewdness?
Empire is fun, but not the mind-blowing experimentation of Adventures. Still, for the high concept sci-fi world building, the audacity to paint with repurposed historical and contemporary figures, while slapping in graphic toilet humor for color- it gets the four stars.
April 19, 2018
I loved this sequel but didn’t like or understood the original (for me prequel) adventures of Luther Arkwright, though I love the art.
June 3, 2020
Uma obra em dois volumes, bastante inteligente e instigante, dentro do gênero de ficção científica.
April 30, 2018
I actually have this in the original issues of the four color series back when originally published. The back matters (which are an integral part of the legend) are thus available to the reader. Talbot continues to impress by the depth of his artistry. As does Moore, Campbell, Gaiman and the like.
June 26, 2016
A sequel that is not as... important as its predecessor, and I might even add that not as good. It's far too "normal", far too straightforward (slightly lacking on the experimental side, which was a huge asset in AOLA) and even the color, it seems to me, causes the story to lose some of its magic - even though it's quite obvious that Talbot chose this method deliberatly to create a contrast to the ascetic Puritan regime in AOLA.
That isn't to say that it's still not a first-class story. There are even things I liked about this more than I did in the first book: the protagonist, for instance. I was much more invested in Victoria than I was in Luther since she was... faulty, in a human kind of way, not as perfect as Luther, even though she was snotty as hell at times. And then there was Fairfax who was simply hilarious. I especially have to praise the language used overall, ranging from the most ornate speeches to the lowest street slang and really showing the richness of English language. As a foreigner, I had to look up several terms I was not familiar with - especially when Fairfax was talking -, just to find that they mostly, and quite unsurprisingly referred to flatulence and bowel movement LOL. Still, they were hilarious and even though the story was much less politics-heavy and experimental, with much more emphasis put on the aspect of adventure, it was still a page-turner. Not to mention there is still a TON of small hidden details put into the story which make it a fun intertextual piece: popculture references, actual historical figures appearing in the story, etc. I can certainly see why "Arkwright" was so influential in its time and still continues to leave its mark today. And even though HOE does not measure up to the original, it is an amazing tie-in to a magnificent work.
That isn't to say that it's still not a first-class story. There are even things I liked about this more than I did in the first book: the protagonist, for instance. I was much more invested in Victoria than I was in Luther since she was... faulty, in a human kind of way, not as perfect as Luther, even though she was snotty as hell at times. And then there was Fairfax who was simply hilarious. I especially have to praise the language used overall, ranging from the most ornate speeches to the lowest street slang and really showing the richness of English language. As a foreigner, I had to look up several terms I was not familiar with - especially when Fairfax was talking -, just to find that they mostly, and quite unsurprisingly referred to flatulence and bowel movement LOL. Still, they were hilarious and even though the story was much less politics-heavy and experimental, with much more emphasis put on the aspect of adventure, it was still a page-turner. Not to mention there is still a TON of small hidden details put into the story which make it a fun intertextual piece: popculture references, actual historical figures appearing in the story, etc. I can certainly see why "Arkwright" was so influential in its time and still continues to leave its mark today. And even though HOE does not measure up to the original, it is an amazing tie-in to a magnificent work.
May 6, 2016
This sequel to Bryan Talbot's quite obviously Moorcock-inspired and absolutely wonderful graphic novel The Adventures of Luther Arkwright opens and mostly takes place in Para 00.72.87, a good while after the events in the previous story. There is a clear steampunk sensibility to the work, mixed with the alternate time-lines/dimensions, as it is set on a future alternate-reality Earth.
The Empire under Queen Anne (Empress of the World and former consort to the missing Luther Arkwright) is going in nasty directions and there are nasty things afoot in the shadows of reality, in a manner of speaking. Unlike its predecessor this is a fully coloured volume, which really makes the large ensemble cast of characters (with a slight focus on Victoria, the Princess Royal) pop. Filled to the brim with weird characters, Victorian morals and double-standards, multiverse ideas, high concepts, sex, death and everything anyone who has read the first outing of Luther Arkwright could expect (and more!), this is a highly recommended read.
Mayhap not for the squeamish, mind you.
The Empire under Queen Anne (Empress of the World and former consort to the missing Luther Arkwright) is going in nasty directions and there are nasty things afoot in the shadows of reality, in a manner of speaking. Unlike its predecessor this is a fully coloured volume, which really makes the large ensemble cast of characters (with a slight focus on Victoria, the Princess Royal) pop. Filled to the brim with weird characters, Victorian morals and double-standards, multiverse ideas, high concepts, sex, death and everything anyone who has read the first outing of Luther Arkwright could expect (and more!), this is a highly recommended read.
Mayhap not for the squeamish, mind you.
September 26, 2012
Not great, but a hell of a lot better than its predecessor. It's funny what a decade or so can do for a creative artist, and I don't think I've ever seen a clearer example than the strides Talbot made between the first Arkwright book and this one. The overwriting is gone, saved solely for characters who tend to run on a bit as characters (in fact, Luther himself criticises one of them for rambling so excessively, and is stung right back for his own verbosity). The art is considerably clearer, due to Talbot using larger and less cluttered panels, as well as due to the magnificent colouring here. The psychic-babble has been considerably stripped down, as well, though that's not saying much: it's the nature of the story that there must be a great deal of explanation of reasonably silly sci-fi devices at play.
Overall, an enjoyable read. The downside: it won't make a heck of a lot of sense without the painful slog through the first book. But at least it's saved that book from its library purge in my house.
Overall, an enjoyable read. The downside: it won't make a heck of a lot of sense without the painful slog through the first book. But at least it's saved that book from its library purge in my house.
October 14, 2010
The involved story of an alternate dimension where England is an empire ruling most of the world, there's a new kind of superpowered human in town, and famous figures have very different places in society. Fascinated by the choice to have Elizabethan fashion and language back in vogue. I enjoyed that the characters were extremely multidimensional and imperfect, but I also didn't really connect with any of the characters. Enjoyed the lushness of the imagined world, but I'm not quite as obsessed with England as Talbot. Which makes sense, since he's a native.
November 1, 2015
The sequel to "The Adventures of Luther Arkwright" is a much more straightforward adventure romp set in a beautifully realised authoritarian Elizabethan-Victorian Britain. I read this before the 'Adventures of' and found that while the story did not grasp me as much without the context, the world itself was deeply intriguing.
April 2, 2016
Spektakulárně barvité, úžasně nápadité, královsky zábavné vyprávění o alternativní Britské říši na přelomu 19 a 20 století. Leč místy malinkato přehnané (třeba scifoidnější linii s Wotanem bych klidně oželel).
February 26, 2009
This was a fun read with great images and interesting, complex characters. Part historical, part steam-punk-esque, part science fiction, it was all good.
June 3, 2020
Segundo e último volume. Um bom fechamento para a história.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews