Water Weed by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel, Graphic Novel Review & Giveaway

Water Weed is the sixth graphic novel in the Rivers Of London series by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel. This series features wizarding cop Peter Grant, as he investigates crimes which fall a little outside the remit of the standard police force…

Note that since the graphic above was created Rivers of London Novel 7 ‘Lies Sleeping’ was released in November 2018.

To celebrate Titan Comics’ release of Water Weed we have a physical copy to giveaway – entries open worldwide.

Read our review of this graphic novel and then ENTER GIVEAWAY below.

Water Weed Synopsis:

Spring Breakers meets Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels on the banks of the Thames

When two of the less well-behaved River goddesses, Chelsea and Olympia, decide to earn a few quid on the side, Peter and Bev find themselves drawn into a sordid cannabis-smuggling operation, controlled by London’s new queenpin of crime – the brutal and beautiful Hoodette!

Author: Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel; Illustrator: Lee Sullivan, Luis Guerrero
Publisher: Titan Comics
Softcover, 112pp, $16.99, £13.99, includes Collected Issues Water Weed #1-4
On sale: January 1, 2019, ISBN: 9781785865459

BOOK REVIEW

Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London Series is another that has been highly recommended to me, and on my wishlist for some time. So I am a little late to the party but figured there is nothing stopping me from going back and reading novels 1-6, after enjoying this 6th graphic novel!

I have read relatively few graphic novels, but whenever I make time to do so I find the experience refreshing. Not sure about the science behind it, but am guessing the larger focus on graphics, the varied frame sizes and the relevance of text order and location within each frame stimulates different neurons/pathways in the brain. I also have a great appreciation for visual art forms, so that is a large contributing factor I guess. Whatever the reason behind my enjoyment of this medium, I need to make more time for it.

Water Weed Storyline

Water Weed is not a comic for the kiddies. As the title suggests, this graphic novel features adult themes such as drug use and distribution and depicts violence (a lot) and sex/nudity (a little).

However, at this story’s core beats a warm heart as protagonist PC Grant investigates seeking to stop said drug trafficking and perpetrators of related violence. I particularly enjoyed the dark, dry humour, and geeky undertones, e.g. naivety and obtuseness of particular characters, along with various, overt nods to other well-worn tropes.

Visual Presentation of Water Weed

More often than not Water Weed‘s storyline is propelled by third-person narrative (captioned) rather than dialogue (speech bubbles). Humour is woven into both forms of text. I found the varied frame layouts interesting, the text placement/order within frames intuitive and easy to read, and the characters facial expressions emotive (at times effusive).

While moodier palates are used when appropriate, I really enjoyed Sullivan and Guerrero’s liberal use of bright and strong blocks of colour in the majority of graphics. It worked well with the traditional comic black line drawings and geeky, fun nature of the story and supernatural elements. Also, if you consider the frames carefully, there are at times lovely little details to be found in the background, e.g. PC Grant’s boss feeding his dog ‘POSH’ branded dog food.

Water Weed is a fun escapist read. For me personally, it was a great way to dip my toes into Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series.

Get your copy of Water Weed (Rivers of London Volume #6) from:

Book Depository | Amazon | Wordery | B&N | Indigo | Booktopia(Aus)

Genre: SciFi-Fantasy, Crime-Detective, Mystery, Graphic

About the Author, Ben Aaronovitch

Ben Aaronovitch was born in London in 1964 and had the kind of dull routine childhood that drives a man either to drink or to science fiction. He is a screenwriter, with early notable success on BBC’s legendary Doctor Who, for which he wrote some episodes now widely regarded as classics, and which even he is quite fond of. After a decade of such work, he then decided it was time to show the world what he could really do, and embarked on his first serious original novel. The result is Rivers of London (known as Midnight Riot in the US), the debut adventure of Peter Grant.

* My receipt of Water Weed from the publisher for review did not impact the expression of my honest opinions.

Worldwide Book Giveaway

Thanks to Titan Comics we have a physical copy of Water Weed to giveaway.

• Open worldwide, entries close midnight 23 January 2019
• You can improve your chance of winning by:
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  • sharing this Facebook post (incl. entry link) with your Facebook friends/followers
• The lucky winner will be randomly selected and announced on our Facebook Page. They must then respond to an email requesting their mailing address within 5 days. If not, the prize will be forfeited and another winner chosen.

SORRY, ENTRIES CLOSED – See winner announcement.