Starlord Annual 1981 Cover – Brian Bolland’s (possibly) first painted cover

Holy smokes! Just wonderful! Thanks for sharing this rare gem.

And thanks for the 'Holy smokes'! It's been a while since I've had one of those in the comments.

Great looking cover! Early Bolland! That's a book I would pick up to read based on the cover, for sure! Congrats!

Thanks, Dave! The annuals sometimes had some 'filler' material, and they often weren't as good as the regular comics - so the covers had to look spectacular to make sure the kids were excited about them! ;-)

Doesn't look anything like Chris Pratt..buy not bad! By the way,  just joking. Awesome and fun find! Love it!!

Ha ha. Perhaps there are many stars out there with lords? Anyway, thanks!

Excellent and rare Bolland painted cover, congrats!!! It's a really intriguing looking group shot poster-style cover, and love the space background and other elements of color shifts going on throughout the piece! Makes me want to check it out as a sci-fi fan (thanks for sharing the detailed background info on the series history as well).

Thanks Kavi. There were some great strips in the comic. Although Strontium Dog and Ro-Busters got a new lease of life in 2000AD, Mind Wars missed out. And that was a complex and unusual tale, in which the Human empire came across as just as villainous as their Jugla empire enemies.

Lovely image of the Gronk there!

Yes, it really is a special take on the Gronk that captures all of his anxiety.

Even if this is his first, Bolland shows his true power on this painting. Love it. 
 

Thanks, yes. The colours are rich and his handling of characters that he didn't normally do is so confident.

Amazing!  What a elcectic cast of characters to get the Bolland treatment!  He controls the colors so well with the nuanced lighting and shadows.

I guess it's what gives it a real 'poster' feel, and I do look at it and wonder whether there were characters that he found tough to draw - as they were known to readers only in the style of the one artist who drew them in the comic.

Magnificent whether first or last!

This always interested me as it looks like it was drawn much earlier by Brian. Possibly 78?  79 at latest? Think it might have been an inventory leftover. Brian might remember.

Yes, definitely '79 - there's a "BB79" marking on the spaceship just above the logo. That's what's pushing me towards thinking it's his first painted cover. I don't think Brian has mentioned it being inventory, but '79 would already be after the comic folded. And the design feels like it was done deliberately for an annual or a milestone celebration, rather than an ordinary issue.

Fantastic piece of artwork.  Goodness I love Brian's work.

I know the feeling. I do keep looking at this and thinking "Gosh, do I really have this in my collection?".

Oh wow! Fabulous, and what a treat to see the image on the rear!

Yes, I try to share interesting notes and sketches on the backs of art. I suppose if I really enjoy seeing them I hope that someone else will too.

A genuine piece of history!

True!

Its amazing, Brian has always been so precise and crisp, yet so full of life

Agreed! It is quite a strange mix of talents, but so Bolland.

Beautiful cover colors by the master - congratulations my friend !!!

Excellent piece of ART! Bolland is without any doubt a MASTER! I have enjoyed a lot reading your descrption.

Thanks Toni! Glad you liked the write-up.

Always great to find a bonus on the back.

Wow, what an amazing Bolland cover, an absolute feast for the eyes, big congrats!!

Thanks, Joe! I was very relieved to win that auction.

Incredible piece. Nice to see something this special from early in his career.

Thanks! I'll try to put up something even earlier in the New Year.

Now that's a book I never ran into before! Thanks for sharing!

Amazing early piece from the by now not-affordeabl-british-master-artist (thanks to some Bats/Joker bull. by Alan Moore). As a big ABC Warriors (and the earlier Ro-Busters stories)-fan, I especially enjoy the nitty gritty bad-mouthed Ro-Jaws in front and this extremely early and clumsy cylope Version of great Hammerstein (the only ABC that even made to to Hollywood - in the 1st Judge Dredd movie with Sly Stallone). Huge congrats for this piece of UK-SF-History !

Ha ha! Thanks, Tommy. Yes, Ro-Jaws really has got his gnashers out front in this image. Now I can't notice anyone else.