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Stickleback (comics)
Encyclopedia
Stickleback is the eponymous title character of a steampunk
comic
series created by Ian Edginton
and D'Israeli
appearing in UK comics anthology 2000 AD. Described by his author as a "bad guy," Stickleback is cast initially as a Moriarty
-type figure, "The Pope of Crime[, who] secretly presides over the criminal fraternity of a fantastical, grotesque, Gormenghast
-style old London town."
The artist has stated that Stickleback takes place in the same universe as Ian Edginton and Steve Yeowell
(and Mike Collins)'s The Red Seas
.
in August 2008.
A festive one-off in the 2008 end of year special, "Twas the Fight Before Christmas," was drawn by new artist I. N. J. Culbard, who has worked with Edginton on two graphic novel adaptations of books for Self Made Hero
.
Bey and Chipps do not return for the second story, which revolves around Lovecraftian goings-on at Buffalo Bill
Cody's Wild West Circus.
The main characters include:
, various Cthulu/Lovecraft characters and tropes; Nigel Kneale
's Kinvig
; Doctor Who
(in particular the serial "The Dæmons
" (1971)) and British television series such as Only Fools and Horses
, Steptoe and Son
and Dixon of Dock Green
.
) are getting old and so they agree to letting a druid sacrifice them so that they can defend the capital forever.
The story moves forward to a Victorian era
London where Abdul Alhazred
is conducting a séance
. However, it appears to be more hypnotism
than Spiritualism
and the medium is trying to extract information from his clients. Luckily the guest are undercover police officers but an attempt to arrest the villains reveals them to be clockwork
automata
. They were all created by Prof. Philo Thynne who left his position at London University's Mechanical Engineering Department to run the scheme, not for his personal gain, but to build a device to protect him from Stickleback, with whom he had previously had some kind of contact.
In a series of events a clockwork cow explodes and derails a train with a mysterious cargo, Chief Constable Lime pulls Bey off the case and the latter is kidnapped by a couple of witch doctor
s. Bey is delivered to Stickleback who reveals that, although his criminal organisation has yet to be targeted, there is a mysterious well-connected group, called the City Fathers
, had started taking out various criminal gangs with the intention of taking over London. Stickleback claims that Chief Constable Lime is one of them and that he needs Bey's help and so sets him free, with all the evidence collected by the gang.
An underworld meeting between Stickleback's key 'staff' (including one Mr Tickle, who oversees Black Bob and Tonga) is interrupted by Her Majesty's Agent Alexander Ashenden who extends Stickleback an amnesty in exchange for services rendered. Stickleback makes his own deal. Stickleback's investigations point to 'Buffalo Bill Cody' and his Wild West Circus (including Annie Oakley
and Egg Shen) being involved in Lovecraftian doings. Advice from Orlando Doyle (one of several explicit links placing Stickleback in the same "Edginton-verse" as the author's Red Seas
) leads to a showdown between the Circus folk and Stickleback's freaks.
Flashbacks and questions bring the mystery of Stickleback's origins to the fore, and Limehouse
's Empress is asked to offer him help.
/vector
style, and the "black & white & grey" technique he had used on Leviathan. Feeling that the Leviathan technique was "no longer distinctive," and because the artist "felt I'd done all I wanted to with it," he opted for "an untested technique that was radically different from anything I'd done before."
Citing his main influence as Alberto Breccia
, and in particular Breccia (and Juan Sasturain)'s Perramus. Writing in March 2007, D'Israeli stated that
Anxious not to "completely throw over the sense of place that had existed in my work to date," D'Israeli drew also on the work of "Breccia's one-time assistant José Muñoz
," and that of "cartoonist John Glashan
(a favourite from childhood)" to maintain the sense of architectural place even when only "built up using the loosest of drawing[s]."
and the first two have been collected into a trade paperback
:
Other similar comics are:
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
comic
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
series created by Ian Edginton
Ian Edginton
Ian Edginton is a British comic book writer.He is one of the few British comic talents to follow the reverse trajectory to the one usually taken: becoming successful in American comics before returning to work for 2000 AD.-Biography:...
and D'Israeli
D'Israeli
Matt Brooker, whose work most often appears under the pseudonym D'Israeli , is a British comic artist, colorist, writer and letterer. Other pseudonyms he uses include "Molly Eyre" , for his writing, and "Harry V...
appearing in UK comics anthology 2000 AD. Described by his author as a "bad guy," Stickleback is cast initially as a Moriarty
Professor Moriarty
Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and the archenemy of the detective Sherlock Holmes in the fiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Moriarty is a criminal mastermind, described by Holmes as the "Napoleon of Crime". Doyle lifted the phrase from a real Scotland Yard inspector who was...
-type figure, "The Pope of Crime[, who] secretly presides over the criminal fraternity of a fantastical, grotesque, Gormenghast
Gormenghast (series)
The Gormenghast series comprises three novels by Mervyn Peake, featuring Castle Gormenghast, and Titus Groan, the title character of the first book.-Works in the series:...
-style old London town."
The artist has stated that Stickleback takes place in the same universe as Ian Edginton and Steve Yeowell
Steve Yeowell
Steve Yeowell is a British comics artist, well-known for his work on the long-running science fiction and fantasy weekly comic 2000 AD.-Biography:...
(and Mike Collins)'s The Red Seas
The Red Seas
The Red Seas is a series for 2000 AD, written by Ian Edginton and drawn by Steve Yeowell.The stories revolve around Captain Jack Dancer and the crew of his ship the Red Wench. It mixes pirates with anomalous phenomena, including magic, zombies, the hollow earth and werewolves.-Crew:*Jack Dancer:...
.
Publication history
The series currently consists of three serials (and one single-parter), starting with double - ten page - features in the end of year special issues of 2006, 2007 and 2009, and were then serialised in five page instalments. The first two stories were collected into a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
in August 2008.
A festive one-off in the 2008 end of year special, "Twas the Fight Before Christmas," was drawn by new artist I. N. J. Culbard, who has worked with Edginton on two graphic novel adaptations of books for Self Made Hero
Self Made Hero
SelfMadeHero is a British graphic novel and manga publishing company, and imprint of Metro Media Ltd, who specialise in adapting works of literature.They launched with two lines in 2007:...
.
Characters
Although the title character, Stickleback does not appear in the series immediately, instead ceding the limelight to main character Detective Valentine Bey, and his assistant Sgt. Leonard Chipps. When he makes his appearance, Stickleback (whose true name and origin are only hinted at throughout) is accompanied by a "coterie of freakish compatriots."Bey and Chipps do not return for the second story, which revolves around Lovecraftian goings-on at Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
Cody's Wild West Circus.
The main characters include:
- Stickleback, the eponymous and semi-mythical villain whose exposed spine (which may not be real) gives him his epithet. Stickleback runs a criminal underworld overseen by a gang of outcasts including:
- Black Bob, a zombie.
- Little Tonga, a pygmy with a blow-pipe, similar to the character of Tonga from the Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
novel The Sign of the Four. - Mister Peepers and Mister Lug, siamese twinsConjoined twinsConjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of...
. The former has complex binocular spectacles and the latter has large ears . - Gay John, a dapper drug baron.
- Miss Scarlet, a tattooed Madam.
- Fiery Jack, a burning man reminiscent of a Victorian-era Human TorchHuman TorchThe Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
.
- Detective Valentine Bey, "The Dark Detective" on the trail of the enigmatic Pope of Crime.
- Sergeant Leonard Chipps, Bey's assistant.
- Chief Constable Delius Lime, their superior, and City Father.
- Alexander Ashenden, representing a particular Agency of the Government.
Plot
Throughout the Stickleback episodes, artist D'Israeli includes nods both overt and sly to a variety of steampunk, Victoriana and other characters and objects. These are noted by the artist on his Blog, and include Gog and MagogGog and Magog
Gog and Magog are names that appear primarily in various Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures, as well as numerous subsequent references in other works. Their context can be either genealogical or eschatological and apocalyptic, as in Ezekiel and Revelation...
, various Cthulu/Lovecraft characters and tropes; Nigel Kneale
Nigel Kneale
Nigel Kneale was a British screenwriter from the Isle of Man. Active in television, film, radio drama and prose fiction, he wrote professionally for over fifty years, was a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award and was twice nominated for the British Film Award for Best Screenplay...
's Kinvig
Kinvig
- Synopsis :Des Kinvig runs an electrical repair shop in the small town of Bingleton.One day his store is visited by Miss Griffin , who is from the planet Mercury and in need of Des' help...
; Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
(in particular the serial "The Dæmons
The Dæmons
The Dæmons is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in five weekly parts from May 22 to June 19, 1971.-Plot:...
" (1971)) and British television series such as Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
, Steptoe and Son
Steptoe and Son
Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old...
and Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
.
Mother London
The story opens at some point in the mythical past. Gog and Magog (the defenders of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) are getting old and so they agree to letting a druid sacrifice them so that they can defend the capital forever.
The story moves forward to a Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
London where Abdul Alhazred
Abdul Alhazred
Abdul Alhazred is a fictional character created by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. He is the so-called "Mad Arab" credited with authoring the imaginary book Kitab al-Azif , and as such an integral part of Cthulhu Mythos lore....
is conducting a séance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
. However, it appears to be more hypnotism
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
than Spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
and the medium is trying to extract information from his clients. Luckily the guest are undercover police officers but an attempt to arrest the villains reveals them to be clockwork
Clockwork
A clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion. Specifically, the term refers to a mechanical device utilizing a complex series of gears....
automata
Automaton
An automaton is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. An alternative spelling, now obsolete, is automation.-Etymology:...
. They were all created by Prof. Philo Thynne who left his position at London University's Mechanical Engineering Department to run the scheme, not for his personal gain, but to build a device to protect him from Stickleback, with whom he had previously had some kind of contact.
In a series of events a clockwork cow explodes and derails a train with a mysterious cargo, Chief Constable Lime pulls Bey off the case and the latter is kidnapped by a couple of witch doctor
Witch doctor
A witch doctor originally referred to a type of healer who treated ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. It is currently used to refer to healers in some third world regions, who use traditional healing rather than contemporary medicine...
s. Bey is delivered to Stickleback who reveals that, although his criminal organisation has yet to be targeted, there is a mysterious well-connected group, called the City Fathers
City father
The term city fathers is used to mean two things: firstly , it denotes a member of a municipal council over a city. Secondly, it can signify the "Founding Fathers" of the city...
, had started taking out various criminal gangs with the intention of taking over London. Stickleback claims that Chief Constable Lime is one of them and that he needs Bey's help and so sets him free, with all the evidence collected by the gang.
England's Glory
The second tale opens on the supernatural murder of an unnamed individual by Chinese hopping vampires, overseen by a mysterious American. Elsewhere, in the wake of "Mother London," Stickleback's gang are coming under increasing criminal pressure.An underworld meeting between Stickleback's key 'staff' (including one Mr Tickle, who oversees Black Bob and Tonga) is interrupted by Her Majesty's Agent Alexander Ashenden who extends Stickleback an amnesty in exchange for services rendered. Stickleback makes his own deal. Stickleback's investigations point to 'Buffalo Bill Cody' and his Wild West Circus (including Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley , born Phoebe Ann Mosey, was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar.Oakley's most famous trick is perhaps...
and Egg Shen) being involved in Lovecraftian doings. Advice from Orlando Doyle (one of several explicit links placing Stickleback in the same "Edginton-verse" as the author's Red Seas
The Red Seas
The Red Seas is a series for 2000 AD, written by Ian Edginton and drawn by Steve Yeowell.The stories revolve around Captain Jack Dancer and the crew of his ship the Red Wench. It mixes pirates with anomalous phenomena, including magic, zombies, the hollow earth and werewolves.-Crew:*Jack Dancer:...
) leads to a showdown between the Circus folk and Stickleback's freaks.
Flashbacks and questions bring the mystery of Stickleback's origins to the fore, and Limehouse
Limehouse
Limehouse is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is on the northern bank of the River Thames opposite Rotherhithe and between Ratcliff to the west and Millwall to the east....
's Empress is asked to offer him help.
Art style
Artist D'Israeli utilised a new style for his work on Stickleback, eschewing the clear lineLigne claire
Ligne claire is a style of drawing pioneered by Hergé, the Belgian creator of The Adventures of Tintin. It uses clear strong lines of uniform importance. Artists working in it do not use hatching, while contrast is downplayed as well...
/vector
Vector graphics
Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon, which are all based on mathematical expressions, to represent images in computer graphics...
style, and the "black & white & grey" technique he had used on Leviathan. Feeling that the Leviathan technique was "no longer distinctive," and because the artist "felt I'd done all I wanted to with it," he opted for "an untested technique that was radically different from anything I'd done before."
Citing his main influence as Alberto Breccia
Alberto Breccia
Alberto Breccia was an Uruguay-born Argentine comics artist and writer.-Biography:Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Breccia moved with his parents to Buenos Aires, Argentina when he was three years old...
, and in particular Breccia (and Juan Sasturain)'s Perramus. Writing in March 2007, D'Israeli stated that
Anxious not to "completely throw over the sense of place that had existed in my work to date," D'Israeli drew also on the work of "Breccia's one-time assistant José Muñoz
José Antonio Muñoz
José Antonio Muñoz or simply Muñoz is an Argentine artist. He is most notable for his influential black-and-white artwork...
," and that of "cartoonist John Glashan
John Glashan
John Glashan was a Scottish cartoonist, illustrator and playwright. He was the creator of the "Genius" cartoons....
(a favourite from childhood)" to maintain the sense of architectural place even when only "built up using the loosest of drawing[s]."
Publications
All stories are written by Ian EdgintonIan Edginton
Ian Edginton is a British comic book writer.He is one of the few British comic talents to follow the reverse trajectory to the one usually taken: becoming successful in American comics before returning to work for 2000 AD.-Biography:...
and the first two have been collected into a trade paperback
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Stickleback: England's Glory (with art by D'IsraeliD'IsraeliMatt Brooker, whose work most often appears under the pseudonym D'Israeli , is a British comic artist, colorist, writer and letterer. Other pseudonyms he uses include "Molly Eyre" , for his writing, and "Harry V...
, RebellionRebellion DevelopmentsRebellion is a British computer games company, based in Oxford, who are most famous for the first Aliens vs. Predator computer game. It has published comic books since 2000 and launched its own book imprint, Abaddon Books, in 2006.-History:...
, August 2008, 132 pages, ISBN 1905437749) collects:- "Mother London" (from 2000 AD, Prog 2007 and #1518-1525, 2006–2007)
- "England's Glory" (from 2000 AD, Prog 2008 and #1567-1577, 2007–2008)
- "'Twas the Fight Before Christmas" (with art by Ian Culbard, in 2000 AD Prog 2009, 2008)
- "London's Burning" (from 2000 AD, #1666-1676, 2010)
See also
- The Red SeasThe Red SeasThe Red Seas is a series for 2000 AD, written by Ian Edginton and drawn by Steve Yeowell.The stories revolve around Captain Jack Dancer and the crew of his ship the Red Wench. It mixes pirates with anomalous phenomena, including magic, zombies, the hollow earth and werewolves.-Crew:*Jack Dancer:...
by Ian Edginton and Steve YeowellSteve YeowellSteve Yeowell is a British comics artist, well-known for his work on the long-running science fiction and fantasy weekly comic 2000 AD.-Biography:...
, set in the same universe as Stickleback.
Other similar work
Other works by the same team include:- H.G. Wells' The War of the WorldsH.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (comic)H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds is a comic adaptation of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds by Ian Edginton and D'Israeli. The same team earlier created the comic Scarlet Traces, and several characters from it can be seen in this series, as well as this series reusing the designs of the Martians...
- LeviathanLeviathan (comic)Leviathan is a horror comic series created by Ian Edginton and D'Israeli and appearing in the British comic 2000 AD starting in 2003.The story is set on a massive ocean liner which has been transported to some sort of parallel world with no land or landmarks...
- Scarlet TracesScarlet TracesScarlet Traces is a comic story of the Steampunk genre, written by Ian Edginton and illustrated by D'Israeli. It was original published online before being serialised in 2002. A sequel, Scarlet Traces: The Great Game, followed in 2006....
Other similar comics are:
- The League of Extraordinary GentlemenThe League of Extraordinary GentlemenThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, publication of which began in 1999. The series spans two six-issue limited series and a graphic novel from the America's Best Comics imprint of Wildstorm/DC, and a third miniseries...
by Alan MooreAlan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and Kevin O'NeillKevin O'Neill (comics)Kevin O'Neill is an English comic book illustrator best known as the co-creator of Nemesis the Warlock, Marshal Law , and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen .-Early career:...
External links
- Stickleback References by the artist
- Stickleback annotations