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While doing a little Wiki surfing this evening not only do I learn that one of my favourite graphic novels, Bryan Talbot's Adventures of Luther Arkwright has been adapted into a full cast audio production available on CD but that it also stars David Tennant!

HOLY SHIT I MUST HAVE THIS!

I came across Luther Arkwright in the early 90s when I was digging through the creaky stacks of 4th Dimension Comics in New Westminster. I'd been going to this amazing store since I was 15 because the older gentleman who ran the place knew my parents were fine with me buying mature titles. This was where I picked up the first issues of Sandman, Hellblazer and Helfer's Shadow relaunch, books that would have a profound influence on me. And then this little treasure.

Talbot's artwork immediately grabbed my attention and I bought what few issues of the Dark Horse reprint they had. After reading them I was completely blown away by the density of the narrative and the depth of artistic detail so rich it had appendices for reference at the end of each issue. This was the ultimate realisation of the marriage of words and pictures, the art didn't overshadow the writing and the writing didn't drown out the art and it absolutely charged me up about drawing for comics. I could be a participant in telling the story and not just the person who makes pretty pictures to go with the words.

It took a while to find the missing chapters and later I was fortunate to come across the full sized versions originally released in the UK. The detail in those were more visible and oh so brilliant.

Totally recommended, and now I have to go and hunt down these cds. Woo hoo! I can play these while I work! I am so psyched!