There are more than a couple old DC miniseries that are probably far better remembered as trades, than as single issues. I have a random single issue of Dark Knight Returns floating around somewhere, and how many people read that in singles? Ditto Watchmen. Today's book isn't as well known, but at the rate I'm piecing together the run of it, it could take me a millennium: from 1983, Camelot 3000 #9, "Grailquest 3000" Written by Mike W. Barr, art by Brian Bolland, embellishments by Terry Austin.
Actually, I kind of like that it's taking me forever to randomly find issues of this series (I found #9 here bagged in a dollar store with the Path #3) since it took a long time to be published, starting in December 1982 and running until the twelfth issue April 1985! On Wikipedia's article on the book, Barr mentions it took Bolland nine months to draw the last issue, at least in part from an urge to top himself every issue. And it looks really sharp, even though it now seems a fairly traditional Arthur/Lancelot/Guinevere triangle, set in a sci-fi future that wouldn't have seemed out of place in classic DC space comics. There are some mildly subversive gender identity issues--the knight Tristan is reincarnated as a woman, which poses some problems with his lover Isolde remaining a woman--but while somewhat tame, it's done quite well.
Camelot 3000 has been collected a few times...but while I enjoy it in random bursts, I would just have to find the trade by chance as well, rather than just getting it on Amazon or something. The hunt is kind of adding to it...
Hey, I have this! The Bolland art is very nice. I have the Trade, which is a good thing, since apparently it was issued all out of sequence and drove everyone nuts.
ReplyDeleteNothing like the thrill of the hunt!
Yeah the art for those issues are absolutely gorgeous. But then that's Brian Bolland for ya'.
ReplyDeleteI guess despite being beautifully drawn, and a very cool story and take on the King Arthur legend, I've just never really felt the need to buy this. Huh. Go figure right?
Hope it doesn't take as long as to collect the whole series as it took Bolland to draw it;)
I patiently waited this series out back in the early 80's. One of my favorite series and one of the few sets of comics that remains from my comic days.
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