Albion (comics)

Albion is a six-issue comic book limited series plotted by Alan Moore, written by his daughter Leah Moore and her husband John Reppion, with covers by Dave Gibbons and art by Shane Oakley and George Freeman. The series aimed to revive classic IPC-owned British comics characters, all of whom appeared in comics published by Odhams Press and Amalgamated Press/Fleetway Publications/IPC Media during the 1960s and early 1970s, such as Smash!, Valiant, and Lion.

As a result of a deal forged by vice-president Bob Wayne of DC Comics and publishing director Andrew Sumner of IPC Media. Sumner described himself as a life-long fan of the characters. It was published through DC Comics' WildStorm imprint. In an interview with The Independent, Sumner noted that "These are characters who have been talked about by UK comic fans for the last 30 years since they ceased publication. They were a fundamental part of every British male's childhood in the Sixties". In an interview with Newsarama, Leah Moore noted that producing the series was made easier by Sumner being in contact with Wayne when the series was first pitched by Alan Moore and Shane Oakley. Her father had already plotted the issues when she and John Reppion began writing the stories, and subsequently proofed the dialogue. Alan Moore had hoped to write the series entirely but was busy with his work for America's Best Comics. Leah Moore also noted that the website International Hero was a source of research for the series.

Debuting with a cover date of August 2005, the first two issues were released monthly, with the third issue delayed two months – Moore & Reppion cited scheduling as impacting the art production), while Oakley suggested ongoing copyright issues were a factor. Initially solicited release between October 2005 and January 2006, issues 4–6 were subsequently resolicited, and finally released throughout 2006, with cover dates between June and November. The TPB collection followed swiftly after No. 6 was released in both the US and UK, from WildStorm and Titan Books respectively. Sumner felt the delays impacted the series' sales.

The British superhero scene becomes embarrassing to the government. As a result, they hire criminal turned crimefighter the Spider to hunt and capture them. He achieves almost total success and the various superhumans are imprisoned in a castle in Scotland, requisitioned from the comatose Cursitor Doom by the Ministry of Defence. Their existence is covered up and the comics based on them are passed off as fictional works.

Decades later Danny is an unemployed orphan; his parents were killed in a bus crash. He has no memory of his life before the accident and has found solace in comics. Danny buys old back issues from a Liverpool antiques store ran by the dour Charles Love, and is confused when he finds an issue of Valiant featuring Janus Stark which he didn't think existed. Later on television, he sees a news item on criminal Grymleigh Gartside Fiendstien. Recognising him as Grimly Feendish from the pages of Smash!, he calls out the name outside court as he is taken to prison and is grabbed by Penny.

Penny takes him to a lock-up where she has been gathering information on the cover-up, including suppressed interviews with creators about meeting the real heroes and footage showing that Margaret Thatcher survived an IRA bombing due to wearing the Eye of Zoltec. Penny claims to be the daughter of the imprisoned Eric Dolmann and is in possession of some of her father's robots. Danny is initially sceptical until she takes him to the basement of a pub in Manchester, where Robot Archie is on display. Danny takes her to the antique shop, where Penny instantly recognises the proprietor as the time-travelling Victorian thief Charlie Peace. He is initially hostile until they make a deal – if Peace helps them rescue Eric and the other heroes, he will be able to loot the exotic technology held at the castle. Penny repairs Archie and the group sets off, travelling to Scotland on the Buoyant Queen thanks to Peace's connections.

The prison is overseen by Ian Eagleton, previously the archenemy of Feendish. Due to growing American concern over the dangers nature of the prisoners CIA Agent Zip Nolan has arrived to inspect the castle. Eagleton takes Nolan on a tour of the facility, and Nolan is shocked by the low level of security, including the degree of freedom given to supercomputer The Brain and dogsbody Faceache. Nolan meets several other inmates including Rubberman (kept at low temperatures to inhibit his powers after an escape attempt), Captain Hurricane (a psychotic, sedated World War II supersoldier who functions as the last resort to combat escapees) and the Spider. The latter largely engages in mind games, infuriating Nolan.

Arriving at the castle, Peace uses a Sapper to drill into the vault under the prison containing the technology captured along with the superhumans along with Danny and Penny. To provide a distraction a heavily modified Robot Archie storms the front gates. The trio begin releasing the prisoners but Penny finds out from Louis Crandell and Tim Kelly that her father died of a heart attack some years beforehand. Danny meanwhile is accosted by Cursitor Doom, long comatose until the break-in. He explains that he is actually his son, Danny Doom, and passes on his memory and the revelation that the castle is actually the Dooms' ancestral seat Castle Baalskein. Archie is finally destroyed by prison security but the prisoners – apart from the Spider – are now free and armed. Eagleton is attacked by Feendish, while Captain Hurricane is unleashed to restore order. However he is stomped by the reactivated Mytek, which then smashes down a wall and allows the prisoners out into the world. Nolan attempts to secure the Spider, only to find he was piloting Mytek, his place being taken by Faceache in return for the chance to reunite with his beloved Martha. Mytek goes out to sea with the Spider at the controls while the rest of the freed heroes escape on the Queen, wondering what their next move will be.