The Rise And Fall Of The Trigan Empire (later shortened to, The Trigan Empire) was a science fiction comic series written mainly by Mike Butterworth and most notably drawn by the incomparable Don Lawrence.  It told the story of an alien culture that contained an educational blend of science and Earth-like ancient civilizations.

The strip first appeared (a whole two panels worth of test/tease) in the first issue of the British magazine, Ranger, in September, 1965; and then in the British Look And Learn magazine from issue 232 (June, 1966.)  Both titles were weekly educational magazines designed for young people.  Although mainly filled with articles on life, history, science and technology, both contained a small comic strip section in each issue.

The first strip told of a spaceship crashing into a swamp on Earth, the crew frozen to death, with many written volumes inside in an unknown language.  Studies of the crew reveal them to be humanoid, and around 12 feet tall.  After many years, the spaceship is turned into the central attraction of an amusement park.  Eventually, at a very advanced age, a scientist, Peter Richard Haddon, who had studied the books from the spaceship as a young man, manages to decrypt the volumes, and begins to relate the tales.

The strip initially ran from 1965 to 1982, dealing with the long-past events of an empire on the distant planet of Elekton, and quickly became one of Britain’s most popular comic strips.  Heavily influenced by mythological tale, a number of the societies seemed to be based on ancient cultures that had existed in history.  Chief among these was The Trigan Empire, apparently modeled after the Roman Empire.  This similarity even extended to Trigan City, the capital being built on five hills (in a similar fashion to the Seven Hills Of Rome.)  The Trigans had harnessed the power of flight.   Their vessels were like spaceships, but restricted to the atmosphere of the planet of Elekton.  The clothing of the Trigans was similar to that of the Romans, with many of the populace dressed in Toga-like garments, or in the case of the soldiery, in Roman-style armor.

Similarities can also be seen in Hericon, the chief rival of the Trigans, whose appearance seemed to mirror many elements of the Byzantine Empire, and the Persian Empire, too.

The series was a strange blend of low and high technologies.  The Trigans began as a nomadic tribe called the Vorgs, with no technology, initially under the leadership of three brothers, Trigo, Brag and Klud.  Trigo persuades his more conservative brothers that in the face of changing events, namely the ambitions of The Lokan Empire, that they must settle.  The fledgling Trigan nation is established under the leadership of Trigo, with the trappings of a Romanesque civilization (swords, lances and Roman-style clothing) but with high tech ray guns, sleek aircraft and a high-tech navy.  In a later story, the Trigans create a rocket ship in mere months to fly to one of the moons of Elekton.  Several of the other civilizations show a similar blend of both low and high tech.

Movie rights for a feature film based on the strip were optioned in 2009.  In December, 2011, it was revealed that a script existed and that the producers were holding meetings in England to find a director.

This torrent contains all the Trigan Empire strips I have collected over the years, including six titles that were never completed by the authors.  Also, I have yet to locate:  Revolution In Zabriz; The Reign Of Thara; The Rallu Invasion; The Sun-Worshippers; The Green Smog; The Trigan Empire Portfolio.  If anyone finds the aforementioned missing links, please help me complete my collection of this very cool and most entertaining comic.  Thank you ahead of time.

Enjoy, and please seed.