Posted in: Comics, Review, Titan | Tagged: Andrew Cartmel, Ben Aaronovitch, crime, fantasy, Lee Sullivan, Luis guerrero, memo regalado, Rivers of London, rivers of london: water weed, Titan comics

Rivers of London: Water Weed #1 Review – Strange, Unfocused, and Not Compelling

A pair of weed dealers are riding the Thames in the dead of night. After a drop, the two are surprised by Olympia and Chelsea who steal their cargo and return home to Bev and Grant, who are having guests over. Grant gets a hit of the product and detects something more malicious in it. This calls for investigation. Meanwhile, the one who employed the dealers wants to strike back at Olympia and Chelsea for stealing their product.

Boy, this one throws you in the deep in very quickly.

This isn't technically a First Impressions Review, as this is the first issue of this volume. That said, the book assumes you know the mythos of Rivers of London.

For example, I remember the plot synopsis saying that Olympia and Chelsea are goddesses. That is not made clear in the story at all. Supernatural powers are only made clear in a short story at the end, and even those are vague.

A lot of the story is vague and stream-of-conscience. Grant's weird vision is unexplained until the end. I guess these people are gods, but they live mundane lives as cops and babysitters. Their personalities are okay; Olympia and Chelsea are the most interesting, but they aren't in the comic enough despite taking centerstage on the cover. Also, the comic can't seem to decide whether it's okay with weed.

The artwork isn't stellar either. The world has a mundane visual design. It doesn't look bad at any point, but there's nothing visually grabbing about the aesthetic either. The sisters dressing up with face paint is interesting, but that's only for a short sequence. The color work is a little better, giving some life to the visuals. However, it is unable to salvage the aesthetic completely.

Rivers of London: Water Weed #1 is a strange comic about some of the least interesting gods I've ever seen (except for American Gods: My Ainsel zing!). The story is a little unfocused, and characters nor the art grab my attention. This one isn't recommended. Give it a pass.

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