You can catch up with that tour on the dedicated Cartoon & Comic Book Tour of London blog at www.cartoonandcomicbooklondon.blogspot.co.uk
From time-to-time he'll be adding stops to the tour here on The Daily Constitutional. Stops such as this one…
Panel No. 23: Putney Bridge & Rivers of London
I've crossed a lot of
bridges in this series so far. Tower Bridge in particular is much-loved by
cartoon and comic book artists. It featured in my earlier posts on Spiderman and Deadpool from Marvel comics.
That grand old structure is part of the instant visual grammar of
London, as discussed in those earlier posts.
But aside from location, what is it about comic
book artists and the bridges of London?
First and foremost, the
dramatic potential of a bridge is undeniable: it can be the beginning of a
quest or a homecoming.
Then there's bridge as
metaphor, a monument to mankind's flimsy conceit that water has been conquered.
Which brings us back to drama once more with the ever-present prospect of being
driven from the bridge by forces beyond your control. Did he fall… or was he
pushed?
In the context at hand, it's important not to forget perspective. Those talented individuals who draw our comic books just love to rub our merely mortal noses in the vanishing point!
The choice of bridge
is also revealing. Like a great London Walks guide, the cartoon artist who
wants to root her/his story in true London won't just scrawl Tower Bridge shaped
like some Gothic hashtag and add the caption "Tower Bridge". The best
ones go off the beaten track.
In our series so far I've
also crossed the Archway Bridge known to locals as "suicide bridge",
a perfect location for the supernatural hipsters of London in The Vinyl Underground. Workaday
London Bridge is used vividly to illustrate alternative lifestyles in the
glorious Metroland. And Battersea Bridge adds a subtle, dowdy, Len Deighton-style
flourish to the otherwise Ian Fleming-ish world of spy thriller Velvet.
I have bridges on my
mind because I've just picked up issue no.1 of Rivers of London down at Orbital
Comics…
The action opens at Putney Bridge…
As a story it's been
around for a while now – Ben Aaranovich's original novel was published back in
2011 and met with great critical praise. In its pages we join the adventures of
Peter Grant, a young police officer who works in the small division of the Metropolitan
Police that deals with magic and the supernatural. The book is woven with
London myth and lore and is perfect for comic book adaptation.
Mr Aaronovitch shares
the writing credit on this version of his tale with Andrew Cartmel (a prolific
writer who once worked as a Doctor Who script editor), with art by Lee Sullivan
(Doctor Who magazine). The comic book also features a wonderful appendix
addressing the history of Putney, opening with the memorable line about this
riverside neighbourhood being "deeply confused about whether it's cutting-edge
trendy or just ridiculously suburban". Nicely done.
With the tale so
deeply embedded in the legend of London, I'll probably return to this comic
book later in our series (at the moment I'm updating this little "blog walking
tour" about once-a-month) but in the meantime I'm anticipating that Rivers
of London could well take the place of Über (which is going on sabbatical) as
my new fave non-superhero comic book.
Adam's Rock'n'Roll London Comic Book Fanzine Issue No.1 is available now!
You can buy it online (in print AND download) or directly from the author on the Rock'n'Roll London Walk! (You can help yourself to a FREE download sampler HERE.)
There's also a Crowdfunder campaign to help print issues No.2 & 3. You can join in here…
A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
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