Preview: ‘New Adventures From The Trigan Empire’ — The Return Of A Brit Classic

The Trigan Empire rises once more — an all-new story from the world of Don Lawrence‘s The Rise And Fall of The Trigan Empire, as Mike Carroll and Tom Foster bring you New Adventures From The Trigan Empire …

The Rise And Fall of The Trigan Empire by Mike Butterworth and Don Lawrence is one of those classic series talked of in revered, hushed tones by artists and fans alike.

Mixing Roman and Greek mythology and styles with the pulp sci-fi of the likes of Flash Gordon, it took us to an Empire on the distant planet of Elekton. It ran from 1965 to 1982 in the pages of Ranger and Look and Learn, quite unlike anything else in comics of the day (or since for that matter). Printing on higher quality paper and in colour, it allowed Lawrence to really push the boundaries of what comics were. Every page was a painterly thing of beauty, lush and so full of imagination, something that inspired a generation of children — and not a few artists to boot.

Well, after the successful reprint volumes from Rebellion and the Treasury of British Comics that finally collected the series in full, we’re now getting the first ever continuation of that original saga in the New Adventures From The Trigan Empire, where writer Mike Carroll and artist Tom Foster begin the tale of what happened next to The Trigan Empire.

Carroll had this to say when the book was first announced…

“The idea of continuing such an iconic, well-loved comic strip was a tad absolutely terrifying at first, but it’s a story I’ve adored since I first encountered it in Look and Learn back in the early 1970s, so there was no way I could or would turn down the opportunity and the honour… Thrilling tales of heroic swordsmen in jet-fighters battling slavering monsters and devious aliens, all gloriously rendered by some of the finest comic artists in the business. Who wouldn’t want to work on that? This is both right up my alley and very well established in my wheelhouse!

‘The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire ran for sixteen years. It opens with the founding of Trigan City, and the forging of the Empire, and it really is wonderfully inventive stuff, with dozens of exhilarating stories told over hundreds of pages… But where do we go from there? How do we pick up the reins on a story that’s been on hiatus for four decades – especially one that might feel a little old-fashioned to some present-day readers – while still staying true to its legacy? Luckily, we have the phenomenal Tom Foster on board providing some career-best artwork, and as for the story… well, sadly, my spoilerphobia prevents me from giving away any plot details. But, you know, we never did get to see the fall that was promised in the original title …”

And Carroll’s quite right. Although it ran for those 16 years plus, there was never much in the way of the ‘fall’ promised in the title from the start. It seems he’s about to change that.

These new adventures are set decades after the original series, with the Trigan Empire now many years past its halcyon days. An ageing Emperor Trigo sits in power and, with age, finds himself turning to matters of succession. His nephew, Janno, is the obvious choice, all but anointed. But there is another, a new threat to this Empire in decline, and that’s from Trigo’s abandoned son, Nikko. Exiled many years prior, Nikko’s hatred for the Empire that cast him out has grown alongside his own Empire. Now, with the Trigan Empire weakened and its future uncertain, he’s in the ideal position to both take his revenge and finally claim the Empire he’s always believed should be his.

Originally announced for release in November last year, the first volume of New Adventures From The Trigan Empire is now set for a release date of 20th May 2026 in a rather attractive-looking hardcover edition. There’s also a numbered webshop exclusive edition available exclusively from the 2000 AD and Treasury of British webshops.

When I last previewed this ahead of that November release date, the only preview pages were unlettered. But now, with the new complete pages, we get a much better idea of just how this one might work.

As Carroll said, there’s a huge feeling of nostalgia attached to this one; ‘heroic swordsmen in jet-fighters battling slavering monsters and devious aliens’ indeed. But he’s also right in saying that that same nostalgia can feel old-fashioned, and there is a case to be made that the Trigan Empire was, at times, whisper it oh so quietly, formulaic in the extreme. Of course, looking at Lawrence’s artwork distracted plenty from that, but it was still there.

However, just in the six pages you can read here, I think Carroll’s got the tone right. And Tom Foster’s definitely got the look right. Obviously, as you’ll see in the couple of pages below this, all of this prologue is one to set up, just as in the original, the retelling of the saga of the Trigan Empire.

But given how this all reads, I’m hopeful and eager to get my hands on the whole of Book 1.

New Adventures of The Trigan Empire – by Mike Carroll and Tom Foster.

Published by Rebellion and the Treasury of British Comics on the 20th of May 2026