ACES WEEKLY Volume 16, Week 4.

This week our tribute to Herb Trimpe comes from our Ace, Mark Montague, the creator of our 3-volume science-fiction spectacular, Dark Utopia.

One of my fondest childhood memories is of cycling to my local newsagents with my friends, to buy sweets and comics. I always bought the Beano, but even though I enjoyed it, I never really found the adventures of naughty schoolboys stealing homemade apple pies from open windows very funny or exciting. However, one day there was a new comic sitting on the shelf of the newsagents with a jaw-dropping cover of a man in a red body-suit, chained to the air-intake of a Concorde as it was taking off. Grabbing the comic, I quickly flicked through the pages and was captivated by the action-packed narrative and the muscular, dynamic visuals of Herb Trimpe. This perfect blending of art and story just blew my six-year-old imagination, and I was hooked.  His impressive control of chiaroscuro to add drama and weight to the scenes in his panels just pulled me further into the Captain's world. Later on, I discovered he also drew Wolverine and the Hulk. From there on, I bought anything I could which Herb drew. 

In the same way that the first Doctor Who you encounter dictates which Doctor becomes your favourite, I always preferred Herb's take on Captain Britain over the stellar work Alan Davis did on the character - for me it's the ultimate version. 

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