Albion
Superstar comics scripter Moore made much of his early reputation by refurbishing hoary old superheroes with new trappings. Here he's up to the same trick, butAlbionis unlikely to have the same impact, since the figures revived are from British boys' adventure comics of the 1960s and 1970s. The setup: the Spider, Grimly Feendish, the Steel Claw, and Captain Hurricane have been imprisoned by the government for decades, and now one of their daughters is out to free them. Obviously, the nostalgia factor that likely will make this a hit with British comics fans won't be in play on this side of the pond. Furthermore, Moore came up with only the plotline and left full scripting to his daughter, Leah, and her husband, John Reppion. They are capable but not in the same class as the elder Moore, who would have smoothed such rough edges as a critical lack of character development. Shane Oakley's visual approach dispenses with the dated looks of the original comics, but his decidedly modern style sacrifices clarity to flamboyance.Gordon FlaggCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved