In 1999, British comics laureate Bryan Talbot unleashed a sensational, lurid, epic fantasy called Heart of Empire. A continuation of his best-known work, The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, Heart of Empire was also a masterful exhibition of Talbot's various talents -- from concocting scathing satires on monarchy (including their sexual perversions and drug habits), and his ability to imagine and perfectly illustrate an architectural miracle, to creating a truly amazing alternate reality full of bizarre characters and shattered perceptions. One telling of a story this huge is never enough, so Dark Horse is collecting the entire nine-issue series into a 296-page trade paperback volume, on sale in February.

In an alternate reality, the world lies tight within the iron grip of a totalitarian empire controlled entirely by the wickedly psychic and outrageously nymphomaniac Queen of England. Elsewhere in Europe, the dying Pope gets an edict from God: he will send his top assassin to the Imperial Palace with precise instructions -- surrender the Brittanic empire to the Papacy, or suffer death at the hands of a stinky, perverted monk-assassin. Princess Victoria has plans of her own however, which start with the completion of her architectural masterpiece on Victory Day. Plagued by debilitating headaches, a staff of sniveling ignoramuses, and her own crippling genius, Victoria is virtually alone in this world, living under the shadows of her long-dead twin brother, and the legendary father she never knew -- Luther Arkwright. With a religious terrorist bent on turning the British empire to Vatican rule, an insane and rotting family controlling the throne, and an ancient alchemist predicting total cataclysm on Victory Day, young Victoria -- aided by her disgusting and flatulent old uncle -- is about to discover the horrible truths that lie at the Heart of Empire!

"I've tried to produce a thought provoking, gripping yarn with sumptuous visuals, that increases tension and action with each chapter," said Talbot. "There's intrigue, excitement, and humor, and nothing is completely as it seems."

Heart of Empire is the full-color trade paperback collection of Bryan Talbot's Eisner Award-nominated comic-book series. Look for Heart of Empire -- an exciting stand-alone read -- on sale February 28 for $29.95.