by
John Farman (writer) and John Howard (artist)
Review
by Hereward L.M. Proops
I
have this recurring dream about Prince William and Princess Kate. I dream that
for some unexplained reason they visit the Hebridean island where I live and we
get chatting. I invite them for a meal at my house. They come over, we eat
curry, drink vast quantities and get along swimmingly. My wife and Kate hit it
off over their shared love of fashion and try on each other’s dresses. William
turns out to have good taste in wine and a filthy sense of humour so we get
stewed in the kitchen and exchange knob gags. I wake up feeling confused and my
wife laughs at me for being such a silly sod.
You
see, recurring dreams aside, I would never consider myself a royalist. I see the
British monarchy as outdated, unnecessary and a financial burden the country
should rid itself of at the earliest opportunity. Why I have a recurring dream
about having the second in-line to the throne and his spouse over for dinner is
utterly beyond me.
I’ve
been interested in reading John Farman’s “Royal Descent” since I first heard
the germ of the idea from the man himself when he was giving a talk about
“School of the Damned”, his horror comic published by Glasgow’s Black Hearted
Press. The concept was brutal, simple and aimed to shock. The royal family are
forced to fight to the death in a “Battle Royale”-esque contest in order to
establish who will gain the throne. I thought the concept was hilarious but
doubted I would ever see it in print. Nearly three years later, I’m thrilled to
have been proven wrong.
Of
course, this isn’t the real royal family, but their fictional
counterparts. Princes Harry and William therefore become Hadley and Willard.
Princess Anne and Prince Charles become Agatha and Cedric and so on.
The
comic doesn’t just focus on the violent events on the Hebridean island where
the royals are stranded and forced to duke it out to see who is the last
blue-blooded man standing. Everything that happens on the island is broadcast
live on television for the entertainment of the general public. This neat
framing device enables Farman to take some very solid satirical swipes at
rolling news and exploitative “entertainment” shows such as “X Factor”. The
clean-cut studio presenters provide a hilarious emotionless commentary as the
royals hack, bludgeon, stab and slash one another to death. Each new royal
character we meet is accompanied by a title card detailing their position in
line to the throne and their kill-count. Through the vapid commentary, we learn
snippets of information about the various crises that have happened in the
United Kingdom that have lead to the battle of succession. However, Farman
doesn’t info-dump this backstory, but gradually drip-feeds the reader details.
For me, this is the cleverest aspect of the comic. This is Britain, but not as
we know it; it is at once disorientating and intriguing.
A
sharp script is nothing in a comic book if the art doesn’t match up. However,
John Howard’s black and white art is marvellously crisp and clear. The combat
between the members of the royal family is dynamic and executed with lashings
of gore. Just as Farman uses fictional counterparts of the real royal family,
Howard’s royals look somewhat familiar but aren’t identical to their real-world
brethren. The barren Hebridean landscape, all windswept grass and scattered
rocks, is well realised and contrasts sharply with the cluttered scenes of
urban decay in the cities.
When
skewering cultural institutions, someone is bound to get upset and “Royal
Descent” managed to attract the righteous indignation of the right-wing British
newspaper The Daily Mail before it was even released. However, criticising
“Royal Descent” for being controversial is like condemning water for being wet.
The best kind of satire always teeters on the edge of offensiveness. “Royal
Descent” is all the more effective by its ability to entertain and shock, to
amuse and horrify in equal measures. Better still, it manages to maintain this
balancing act throughout. It is not so horrific that we aren’t amused and never
so amusing that we don’t take it seriously.
Vital
Publishing have shown that they have balls of solid brass by releasing this
comic but the risk has paid off. “Royal Descent” is a bloody, brutal,
razor-sharp satire that deserves a wide audience. I am very much looking
forward to seeing what regal mayhem Farman and Howard unleash in upcoming
issues.
Hereward
L.M. Proops
Read
the author interview here.
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