The final issue of Here Be Dragons is out now, published by Titan Comics and set in the world of Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London – part urban fantasy, part modern-day police procedural.
Written by me, with guidance from Ben, script editor Andrew Cartmel (Doctor Who, The Vinyl Detective series) and senior editor David Leach (Death’s Head, Warhide), the story features interior art by José María Beroy (Deadman, Star Trek, Heavy Metal) and an exciting cover by V. V. Glass (Kamen Rider Zero One, Blade Runner: Black Lotus).
In the last issue, magic cop Peter Grant’s investigation into a series of attacks by a dragon-like wyvern uncovered connections to the Fey, legendary rock star Jimi Hendrix and the iconic Centre Point skyscraper – but with time running out, Peter must find a way to contain the creatures…or destroy them.
With Here Be Dragons I’m posting an “author commentary” piece to highlight and annotate some of the concepts that appear in the comics.
Spoiler Warning! These notes give away story points from issue #4 of Rivers of London: Here Be Dragons and other stories from the Rivers series!
The title of issue #4 is “All Along the Watchtower”, once more referencing a famous (and my personal favourite) song by Jimi Hendrix.
P.3 – The “hunters” Peter mentions are seen in the Rivers of London comic miniseries Cry Fox. I had originally planned for them to appear in this story, but that subplot was cut for length (early promo text for this series still mentions them).
P.4 – Peter calls his father – jazz trumpeter Richard ‘Lord’ Grant – for information on the life and times of Jimi Hendrix. Off this, he tracks down ex-roadie Plugs after visiting key London locations from Hendrix’s life – his flat on Brook Street in Mayfair, the Bag O’ Nails rock club, the former Olympic recording studios and the Samarkand Hotel, where Hendrix died from an overdose of sleeping pills.
P.6 – As we did in issue #3 to suggest the alternative universe of the Fey realms, the art style here shifts to something in the style of Roger Dean (notable for his work on many a prog rock album cover) and French comics artist Jean “Moebius” Giraud.
P.8 – Jimi Hendrix’s custom-made Gibson Flying V guitar appears briefly in issue #3, but it plays a bigger role in this part of the story. Nicknamed “The Black Angel”, it is (as seen later on P.11) on display in London’s Hard Rock Café. Modified for Hendrix’s left-handed playing style, it features gold-plated hardware and pearlescent ‘arrow’ inlays.
P.11 – The Hard Rock Café’s vault museum – which literally is a former bank vault – contains several legendary items of music memorabilia, including a few of Hendrix’s guitars. The magical effects surrounding the Flying V are, fittingly, a purple haze.
P.13 – Rivers of London fan-favourites Molly the maid and Toby the dog get walk-ons here; Toby’s pose mimics that of Nipper, the dog from the painting ‘His Master’s Voice’ by Francis Barraud, which later became an advertising icon. Danny Philo and the helicopter crew from issue #1 play Hendrix’s “Dolly Dagger” over India 99’s ‘Skyshout’ public address system.
P.14 – Millwall Stadium (also known as ‘The Den’) is home of one of London’s most notorious football clubs, and I chose it as the venue for the climax of the story. Frank Caffery first appears in the novel Rivers of London, and here he’s fulfilling his role as the man Peter calls when it’s time for the big guns. Frank references Godzilla and Game of Thrones in his question about the naming of the operation, but Peter chooses a designation that nods toward Hendrix’s song.
P.18 – Peter’s line “No, I don’t think I will” deliberately echoes Old Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame (even though technically, Here Be Dragons is set before that movie came out…)
P.19 – Peter suggests here that the dress sense of the High Fae bears a similarity to that of characters from the videogame World of Warcraft.
P.21 – Beverly Brook’s t-shirt is of course, from Star Trek: Discovery; her comment about a “furry jockstrap and a helmet with horns on it” is an oblique reference to the Marvel comic-book depiction of Conan the Barbarian.
P.22 – The Welsh radio announcer’s dialogue is: “This is BBC Radio Wales, continuing our tribute to Jimi Hendrix with this next classic, ‘Voodoo Child’…” I’d like to give a big thank-you to Wales’s noble son Gav Murphy for stepping in to vet the text for authenticity.
For more details on Rivers of London: Here Be Dragons, click Here or visit Titan Comics.
