THE KNIGHTS OF PENDRAGON: "A MODERN CLASSIC"

It's funny how the past comes back to haunt you.

It was recently brought to my attention that Comic Heroes #4 features a review of my beloved Knights of Pendragon, recently collected for the first time by Panini; it comes complete with new cover by my good friend and the original series artist, Gary Erskine (opposite). The review runs as follows:

Inspector Dai Thomas has a problem. He keeps dreaming about hideous, violent death and, even as he finds himself drawn into a series of unusually creative murders, Dai realises something else. His dreams are leading him somewhere and, worse, his dreams are changing him. Aided by Captain Britain and journalist Kate McLellan, Dai finds himself drawn into a battle older than history, one that he may not survive…

Knights of Pendragon is a modern classic, it’s really that simple. The central premise is literate, smart, utterly English and neatly woven into the Marvel continuity. Dai is a painfully human hero, fragile and cautious and at the same time desperate to embrace the world he finds himself in. The supporting characters are equally impressive, Kate in particular proving to be a genuinely sympathetic female lead, while the use of Marvel characters like Captain Britain and Union Jack is brave, grounded and feels real.

The whole book is illustrated with the combination of intensity and fragility that Gary Erskine’s best work embodies and Knights of Pendragon is smart, horrific and long overlooked. If you’re a superhero or a horror fan, this unusual piece of work is a must-read.

Many thanks to Alasdair Stuart for such a glowing review. Made me proud that my baby's all grown up.

Pendragon (or KOP as we all used to shorthand it as) has always been very special to me. I was just the editor but I worked closely with my friends Dan Abnett (nay, New York Times bestselling author Dan Abnett) and John Tomlinson (currently writing Judge Dredd in 2000 AD) in developing the story, as well providing my own insights and ideas on the various green issues I had an interest in (particularly shark fishing, cane toads and whaling). I owe a big thank-you to Brady Webb at Panini for allowing my to contribute a forward to the collection – and not changing some of the more contentious comments I made. After all, KOP had a rather difficult upbringing and ruffled a few feathers at Marvel US (Yes, I did used to work at Marvel UK, you know...).

One story that never made it into the forward followed my rather sudden departure from Marvel. It had always been tradition that when an editor left, all the artists that worked for him or her would usually do some sort of personalised piece for them that would then be presented as a portfolio. I was never given that opportunity (it still stings me to this day...) Moreover, KOP was never collected by Marvel UK (go figure...) so John, bless his heart, and with his own money, paid for a slipcased, hardback collection of the first 18 issues – a one-off and one of my most prized possessions. The credits ran "story by Dan Abnett, John Tomlinson & Steve White". That meant a lot to me.

KOP is now 20 years old and it's great to see it finally receiving the kudos it should have had at the time. And for anyone interested, Kate McLellan was based on supermodel Tatjana Patitz; this justified Gary's habit of buying Vogue, a habit I believe he continues to this day.