A1 (Vol. 3)

    (Atomeka, 2004)
™ and ©2004 the individual creators

Anthologies are, by their very nature, hit-and-miss affairs, but never have more hits come from a single source as the now legendary British A1.

And, while it’s certainly true the first issue of its revival is mostly reprints, oh, what reprints they are. The line-up includes “The Bojeffries Saga” by Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse (sort of an edgier UK version of The Addams Family); an indelibly odd installment of Flaming Carrot by Bob Burden that’s more tone poem than comic; and Dave Gibbons and Ed McKeever’s extreme-close-up musings on a super-man.

It’s good to have A1 back, even if the only “original” piece in it is “Shark-Man” by Ronald Shusett and Steve Pugh, sadly an altogether more conventional story. It may become more than just an aquatic Batman defending a futuristic city of the sea, but you couldn’t tell it from this. While it may read like a conventional super-hero strip, it’s visually stunning, taking place in a remarkably lush, well-realized world. We need more like this, more often.

— S.A. Bennett
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  • 0
    #0
    Regular Cover by Steve Parkhouse
    Cover: $4.99
    W: Alan Moore, Steve Dillon, Ronald Shusett, Bob Burden, Dave Gibbons  ·  A: Steve Parkhouse, Steve Dillon, Steve Pugh, Garry Leach, Ted McKeever
    ca. 2004
    1 copy for $29.98
  • 0/C
    #0 Variation C
    Cover: $4.99
    W: Alan Moore, Steve Dillon, Ronald Shusett, Bob Burden, Dave Gibbons  ·  A: Steve Parkhouse, Steve Dillon, Steve Pugh, Bob Burden, Ted McKeever
    ca. 2004
    2 copies from $24.00