Bryan Talbot amazes me. Everytime. And this time is no exception - Rated 
I struggled with this book. For the first thirty pages i found it utterly confusing. The writing, the artwork, the layout. I couldn't get into it. But the observant amongst you will note that I have given it 5 stars. That is because beyond those first 30 pages I found myself totally caught up in the most amazing work of art.
The complexity of the structure, the fully imagined alternate realities he delivers and the sheer quality of the draftsmanship were irresistible.
I have now read all of Bryan Talbot's graphic novels and am only able to communicate in hyperbole - Bryan Talbot is one of the greatest novelists working in any genre in the UK today.
A heady mix of gothic technology, psychic abilities and european history. - Rated
This is an amazing read, I've been meaning to buy the collected version for ages having got a couple of issues of the american format in the late 80's. It's been worth the wait, the story line is complex but that's what happens when you have multiple earths and a heady mix of , gothic technology, psychic abilities and european history. Different periods of history are juxtaposed and updated so that one is strangely familiar with the various strands but unaware how the mix will pan out.
The art is sublime and perfectly suited to black and white as is the story. While this isn't as well known as some of Alan Moore and Frank Miller's famous works it definteily ranks up there with them.
A strange idea that works - Rated
Somehow the idea of producing an audio book version of a comic, particularly one as visual and complex as 'Luther Arkwright', had never even occured to me. But this is a very valiant attempt and it's hard to see how anyone could have done it better.
While a few elements of the Arkwright story are a little cliched decades after it was first put on paper, it still works well and the writer of the audio adaption has done a good job of converting the comic into dialog and sound effects; though I could imagine a few parts might be a little confusing to someone who's never read the comic. The acting is good, it's nice to hear Paul Darrow in a role more recent than 'Blake's Seven', I particularly liked the portrayal of Harry Fairfax and Queen Anne, and the mix of adventure, SF, humor and romance kept me following it to the end.
It's well past time someone made a 'Luther Arkwright' movie, but until then this is probably the closest we'll get. I'm sure that if someone does make a movie they could learn a thing or two about how to adapt the story from the audio version too.
Absolutely fantastic book that everyone should own. - Rated
Luther Arkwright is probably the best comic book published in the last 15 years - better than even Grant Morrisson's Invisibles, or Garth Ennis' Preacher - a cult classic that deserves fullest attention. One of the most sprawling and complex plots, which at the same time is simple enough to follow, it's hero owes a big debt to Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius. It's wry mix of political satire, sci fi, fantasy, adventure and fart gags make this a magnificent work of art.I can't recommend this enough. 5 Stars, and that's only because Amazon don't let me award 20.
Mind Boggling Brilliance. - Rated
I'm not even going to pretend I followed most of what was going on in this book, it needs re-reading when I have time. What I could follow, though, was incredible. Huge battles across countless multiple universes that skip through several time periods, the death of an empire, and the birth of a new. Metaphysical arguments, the evolution of a new species of human. Gore, subtle humour, fart jokes, graphic sex... There's room for it all here, and more. The story is far too complex to go into, but it involves Luther Arkwright, a typical heroic type, who works for a multi-dimensional watchdog sort of thing that keeps a track on all of the other dimensions and keeps it's enemies at bay. Things mount and mount, building tension right the way through to the final battle. Bryan Talbot ranks up there with Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore for bringing intelligence back into comics (and he draws his own scripts), but for some reason doesn't get as much attention... Check out the sequel, 'Heart of Empire', which may or may not be released as a trade paperback soon. If not, pop down to your local comic shop and ask about it, it was nine issues long and ran during 1999. It's a very different tale and doesn't actually feature Luther Arkwright himself, but focuses on his daughter about twenty years after the end of this volume. It's very good. Buy this first though.
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