THE HISTORY OF “GRAND OLD TALES FROM THE WORLD OF MAURETANIA”

The main story from “Grand Old Tales”, “The Golden Age”, was originally serialised in issues of the original run of “Mauretania Comics” in the late 1980's. At that time I thought it was overlong and would take forever to finish, and so we printed the later episodes at a reduced size, four pages to fit on one normal page. This at least enabled me to bring the story to an end reasonably quickly. I thought that this was OK as I didn't think anyone particularly liked the story but I wanted to bring it to a conclusion.

To my surprise, I later heard that for several readers, it was their favourite thing, so much so that Marc Baines, editor and published at Glasgow's Kingly Books insisted on including “The Golden Age” in his 2005 “The Dial and Other Stories” collection of Mauretania Comics strips, so this became the first prestigious full-size representation of the tale. When the Kingly edition had sold out, a Lulu Press edition had slightly different contents but still included “The Golden Age”. But then the story did not appear in New York Review Comics' “The New World” edited by Seth for reasons of space.

And so it appears as part of “Grand Old Tales From the World of Mauretania”.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chris-Reynolds/e/B002PVY8J6

#comics #architecture #ruins

Image: Robert crashes to the ground in a comic panel.

WHY GRAND OLD TALES?

“Grand Old Tales From the World of Mauretania” was inspired by Matteo Gaspari of the Hamelin Cultural Association of Bologna. Matteo had masterminded the Italian edition of “The New World” but thought that Seth (Editor of the original New York Review Comics TNW) had left out some important stories. As a result of this thinking, Matteo published these extra stories as”L'Età d'oro” to coincide with the Tunué (Italy) TNW launch in Bologna in 2019 under his “Banana Oil” imprint. The stories were out in the world again.

I was honoured to meet Matteo that year, and his infectious enthusiasm encouraged me. Our taxi ride to Bologna railway station was particularly hilarious! Covid then took some of the wind out of my sails but the idea of these extra stories lived on.

There had been no English language version of these tales since Glasgow's Kingly Books included them in “The Dial and Other Stories” in 2005, now long out of print, and it seemed a shame to just leave these stories lying in the drawer for English readers.

So here they are for you as “Grand Old Tales From the World of Mauretania.”

#comics #graphicnovels #architecture

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chris-Reynolds/e/B002PVY8J6

 MONITOR AND ROBERT PLAY IN THE SKY

Grand Old Tales from the World of Mauretania

Monitor and Robert play a dangerous game of catapults atop the abandoned industrial buildings.

Following a cryptic message delivered through his door, Monitor makes his way through the deserted city to a rendezvous where he joins his friend Robert atop the city's abandoned warehouses.

In a more innocent time, before the destruction of their city, Monitor and Robert dare a dangerous game of catapults, seemingly among the clouds, their youthful powers at play in the sky, high among the roofs of these derelict industrial buildings. (Someone could get hurt.)

Where is the little blind girl who loves them so much? What is the story behind her dolls? What about the catapults – surely so dangerous when fired at one another? Do Monitor and Robert appreciate the dangers of this carefree play?

Before the age of responsibility or care, where will their enthralling game of cat and mouse lead?

A stray shot plummets to the earth – a cry – who is it down there?

Could this be the end of their childhood innocence?

#comics #graphicnovels #chrisreynolds #mauretaniacomics

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Image: Robert and Catherine boil a kettle among the ruins of their city.

TEA IN THE RUINED CITY

Grand Old Tales from the World of Mauretania

After the destruction of the city, rolled flat by machines, before its architectural rebuilding, Robert and his headmistress, Catherine, drink tea among the ruins.
Is this a disaster, or just reality? Reality making a friendly effort by bending and twisting its shape – to help Robert and Catherine – to achieve their hopeless dreams?
Is it necessary that they must deal with the monstrous Cwiss? Must they suffer the complacent whims of Mr. Ranger?
And what of the innocents – the other people caught up in this madness? Are they just droplets in the River of Time?
Will we really see the race between the two headmistresses, the huge golden arch, the underground spiral staircase, and the gleaming "copper" policeman?
Is it necessary that Catherine must die and lie forever buried in the ruins?
Who hit the little blind girl? What inspired Mr. Ranger to take up his career?
(It must be stressed that none of this turned out to be a dream.)

#comics #graphicnovels #ruinedcity #mauretaniacomics
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MR. RANGER SEES HIS FUTURE

It's a fine spring morning. The mountains have that blue haze that seems so mysterious and inviting.

Mr. Ranger arrives from among the hills above the village, his mind full of grand religious visions. He is looking for a plan for his life to be revealed to him by God. Today seems an auspicious day. Just based on how he feels, he randomly selects, using his personality quirks and pretensions, to become a Teacher in the village below him. He is satisfied with his choice. He is self-satisfied with his choice.

After being successful in his selection of a career, Mr. Ranger will pollute the lives of others, those he fails to understand, and those he tries to fit into his limited understanding of the world.

Parents seem to like him though. There is never any trouble in any of his classes and the children are always quiet and subdued when they return home.

At an impressionable stage of your life, would you like to be taught by this man?

From “Grand Old Tales from the World of Mauretania.”

#comics #graphicnovels #religiousnutters

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chris-Reynolds/e/B002PVY8J6

The Face of Evil?

Meet Cwiss, from “The Golden Age”, part of the book “Grand Old Tales from the World of Mauretania”

At first glance - an appearance of childhood innocence - the oval face, the freckles, the golden hair...

But then we notice the impudent turned-up nose, the sardonic smile...

Is this a friend to be trusted?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grand-Old-Tales-World-Mauretania/dp/B0B46SDLXG

Grand Old Tales from the World of Mauretania

Young Robert lives in a dream of marrying the headmistress of his school, but the dream turns into nightmare when they meet Cwiss, a dreadful incubus with other plans.

These stories originally appeared in various issues of Mauretania Comics between 1985 and 1992. They were included in 'The Dial and Other Stories' (Kingly Books, 2004, Lulu, 2006) and were published in Italian translation as 'L'età d'oro' by Banana Oil Books to coincide with the BilBOlbul comics festival in 2019.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B46SDLXG