Rivers of London in Water Weed #1
Titan Comics 2018
Created by Ben Aaronovitch
Written by Andrew Cartmel
Illustrated by Lee Sullivan
Coloured by Luis Guerrero
Lettered by Rob Steen
The Special Assessment Unit. Sounds innocuous enough. But when you hear this unit of London’s Metropolitan Police investigates the class of crimes codenamed ‘Falcon’, your ears might prick up. Dig a little deeper, and you might discover words like ‘wizard’ and ‘magic’ and ‘little crocodiles’. Your conclusion might be that someone is taking the piss. But perhaps the investigations by Detective Constable Peter Grant – newly promoted cop and trainee wizard – and his colleagues at the Folly (HQ of the SAU) – really are conducted in the shadowy infraworld of London’s mythological past – and present. Among Peter’s associates are the Rivers of London – the ancient gods and goddesses of the capital’s waterways (one of them is also his girlfriend, Beverley) who, while often helpful, also skirt that fine line between good and, er, not so good…
There are few properties that manage to successfully integrate magic into a society that is completely unaware of it’s existence. While the X-Files might have been a precursor to this nowadays it’s the likes of Jim Butcher and Ben Aaronovich who continue to stretch the boundaries and explore it in ways that continually make readers think. Think about it, once upon a time magic wielders were akin to Merlin or in D&D campaigns or relegated to madmen and a foil for science but now more than ever we’re seeing practical uses that aid in everyday life. Not just superheroes or like Halliwell sisters but cops and protectors that keep the world safe though other means.
Andrew is lucky that Ben has created such characters that he can continue to draw upon and flesh out for us. The template is laid down and he gets to explore this world and continue to help grow and prosper with each consecutive tale. So far in this just the opening of this story we get a good look at Beverly and her sisters who are staying with her. The girls are the catalyst for this story as their actions dictate the need for retribution apparently. Though any drug dealer will tell you if you mess with my business it may be the end of yours. So right away we get that whole sense of something that is going to be unfolding in a way that’s creepy and different.
Just as important as the dialogue and characterisation is to the story so are the visuals. Lee and Luis do such a sublime job on the interiors here and by creating that face on the packaging of the product in question which not only symbolises the brand and quality of it but sets the stage for something more sinister and supernatural about it. I love the linework that we see here and the attention to detail in the work is simply marvellous. Combine that with the colours and how they can go from subtle to popping and even in the darkness of night the desired effect is stunning. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a superb eye for storytelling. So there is the regular work we see day to day, there is the almost satanic supervillain style of the packaging and then there’s the vision Peter has and all three very distinct styles by two men are among the reason that these work as well as they do.
I think one of the best examples of why this franchise has been a go to for me since I found it is that the magic is an afterthought. Yes it’s there and yes Beverly and her sisters are of the ancient gods and goddesses of the waterways, which is significant unto itself in London, but that’s not the focus. This is a detective series first and foremost that contain supernatural elements and use magic and those contacts they have to help solve crimes. While selling gear such as this might not be that much of a crime all things considered the effects it gives on however are something else that need looking into.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find another franchise out there quite like this one so now is a great time jump on board and see what it is all about.
Titan Comics 2018
Created by Ben Aaronovitch
Written by Andrew Cartmel
Illustrated by Lee Sullivan
Coloured by Luis Guerrero
Lettered by Rob Steen
The Special Assessment Unit. Sounds innocuous enough. But when you hear this unit of London’s Metropolitan Police investigates the class of crimes codenamed ‘Falcon’, your ears might prick up. Dig a little deeper, and you might discover words like ‘wizard’ and ‘magic’ and ‘little crocodiles’. Your conclusion might be that someone is taking the piss. But perhaps the investigations by Detective Constable Peter Grant – newly promoted cop and trainee wizard – and his colleagues at the Folly (HQ of the SAU) – really are conducted in the shadowy infraworld of London’s mythological past – and present. Among Peter’s associates are the Rivers of London – the ancient gods and goddesses of the capital’s waterways (one of them is also his girlfriend, Beverley) who, while often helpful, also skirt that fine line between good and, er, not so good…
There are few properties that manage to successfully integrate magic into a society that is completely unaware of it’s existence. While the X-Files might have been a precursor to this nowadays it’s the likes of Jim Butcher and Ben Aaronovich who continue to stretch the boundaries and explore it in ways that continually make readers think. Think about it, once upon a time magic wielders were akin to Merlin or in D&D campaigns or relegated to madmen and a foil for science but now more than ever we’re seeing practical uses that aid in everyday life. Not just superheroes or like Halliwell sisters but cops and protectors that keep the world safe though other means.
Andrew is lucky that Ben has created such characters that he can continue to draw upon and flesh out for us. The template is laid down and he gets to explore this world and continue to help grow and prosper with each consecutive tale. So far in this just the opening of this story we get a good look at Beverly and her sisters who are staying with her. The girls are the catalyst for this story as their actions dictate the need for retribution apparently. Though any drug dealer will tell you if you mess with my business it may be the end of yours. So right away we get that whole sense of something that is going to be unfolding in a way that’s creepy and different.
Just as important as the dialogue and characterisation is to the story so are the visuals. Lee and Luis do such a sublime job on the interiors here and by creating that face on the packaging of the product in question which not only symbolises the brand and quality of it but sets the stage for something more sinister and supernatural about it. I love the linework that we see here and the attention to detail in the work is simply marvellous. Combine that with the colours and how they can go from subtle to popping and even in the darkness of night the desired effect is stunning. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a superb eye for storytelling. So there is the regular work we see day to day, there is the almost satanic supervillain style of the packaging and then there’s the vision Peter has and all three very distinct styles by two men are among the reason that these work as well as they do.
I think one of the best examples of why this franchise has been a go to for me since I found it is that the magic is an afterthought. Yes it’s there and yes Beverly and her sisters are of the ancient gods and goddesses of the waterways, which is significant unto itself in London, but that’s not the focus. This is a detective series first and foremost that contain supernatural elements and use magic and those contacts they have to help solve crimes. While selling gear such as this might not be that much of a crime all things considered the effects it gives on however are something else that need looking into.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find another franchise out there quite like this one so now is a great time jump on board and see what it is all about.
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