920London

by Remy Boydell

North of London, 2005. A doomed romance between an emo kid and a scene kid. More than friends, less than lovers, they're trying to grow shrooms before the world ends. Send help.

Solo graphic no

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Queer, LGBT, Graphic Novels Comics, Transgender, Adult

136 pages, Paperback

Published June 16, 2020

Reviews

[poet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really less of a story and more a mood. A strong mood throughout. It's full of a lot of strong feelings that are very familiar. The art is beautiful. I think it's worth reading.

[Haley The Caffeinated Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

Lovely artwork, it totally met the early/mid 00's vibe with like 200% accuracy lol but the story was a bit lacking, I wanted to know more because the characters did intrigue me, still, the artwork was definitely worth the peek alone.

I received a copy via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Alex Sarll]

Two emo kids, who aren't really fucking anymore so much as just codependent, potter around the mid-noughties capital being underwhelmed by goth clubs, failing to grow magic mushrooms, and generally wishing life were otherwise – a sort of low-wattage Wet Moon, and I wasn't even that big a fan of Wet Moon. Also, they're anthropomorphic animals, which I generally don't go for either in anything even vaguely within sight of realism, because it always begs so many worldbuilding questions. But the watercolour art would be wonderfully evocative even under normal circumstances, and as is, when a disappointing suburban house party would be the social highlight of the month, I was a lot more susceptible than I might normally have been. In particular, there was a double-page spread of a pumpkin patch which took my breath away. Though equally, all the presentiments of apocalypse and standard bullshit conversations about the zombie apocalypse hit harder than usual: the opening line is "happy people don't start believing in the end of the world".

(Edelweiss ARC)

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

grey nostalgia is most likely the best way to describe this relatively short work
I would give it a 4/6 rating, but theres only uptil 5, anyway.

Remy does atmosphere and storytelling through images alone, also it was pretty apparently that there wasnt a second author on this one.

Luckily I feel like the pictures is telling a lot of the story in such a way that its getting a pretty high score for me personally.

oh yeah and I was a scene kid back in the day.

[BookCupid · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations were quite soothing.

2 codependent beings, unable to go on their own, stay together despite the fact that they can't seem to make each other happy. They say that a lot of problems arise from couples that don't fight. No matter if one of them wants to keep her partner close, she still manages not to put in any effort to discuss her feelings.

This is how cheating starts.

[asmalldyke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uh, I guess I definitely read that. Certainly there were words and images on the pages.

I read it because there's an Ada Rook song based on it, but frankly reading this has considerably damaged my understanding of the entire Black-Dresses-sphere, so that wasn't helpful. The whole "dogs" thing was lightly distracting and I was personally displeased with every time 920london earned its R18 rating ("My pee is mixing with his pee...") but man, what the hell are you reading me for? Disregard this opinion.

I was sort of faintly surprised to be getting whiffs of Nevada off of this, but it is somewhat similar in terms of vibe and especially dialogue, we're just codependent. Not so much the shrooms or the god-given right to wear hoodies, stuff. It was really weird and I understood maybe a third of the words in this thing.

I guess, if you're listening to Rookie's Bustle and you wanna read this because the song is based on it, it'll likely be a cool thing for YOU to read and enjoy. It definitely has specific moods and vibes, but I might as well be a fucking space alien without a sense of humour, and this hurt my brain.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sapphic-ish trans furries experience ennui and serial mini mental health crises. Adorable but very dark art includes some nudity, a razor blade lollipop, needles, and a magic mushroom theme.

Didn't land for me, but I was delighted by the Gir bookbag. Kind of a graphic novel of existential misery?

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artist was obviously on mushroom when he wrote it. It didn't make sense. I'm glad the summary on the back cover explained what was going on.

[ashes ➷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUGH I wish this was what I wanted it to be. I read and loved The Pervert, and I was excited for Remy's main brand elements to come to the fore-- you know, gay trans emo/scene doggirl types. And I'm happy to say that, if you come solely for that, if you just want to see more from Remy Boydell, you will absolutely be satisfied.

For me, I wanted more of an ending. It was a nice start to a story, but nothing on the blurb really got answered-- to the point that I'm now wondering whether this was a part one...? But that doesn't really go with the overall feeling of the book. I really don't know; it started a lot of things (their relationship, the shrooms-growing operation, the potential apocalypse, Hana's mental illness) but I didn't feel that I got closure to any of them.

...but I can't dislike this book. I mean, the art is GORGEOUS, and I do like what there is of the book-- I just wanted so much more. I especially like the idea here and the potential for more in this style; I love the resurgence of emo/scene coming up right now among modern pessimism. I love the actual trans character written by an actual trans woman who, therefore, is incredibly real and empathetic and lovable.

I really think I could've sat through much, much more of this book; the characters had so much space to grow in. Hoping for another book in the series, or another story about them, or anything else to give me closure. Really great little slice of life snapshot, which I'd recommend to people who are okay with a not-so-plotful look into Remy's style.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not an emo or scene kid (a bit before my time), but I feel like this will definitely resonate with lots of people. I was very dramatic and quietly fatalistic as a teen though, so identifying with Hana was easy. I wish the story had been a bit more fleshed out, more connected.

[xenia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful, sparse, and undeveloped—just like me when I was a scene kid.

—

Hot emo MINDFREAK Garfield hits diff tho.

[Kiara Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

ich weiß auch nicht

[Saturniidead ★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Content warnings are listed at the end of my review!

This is just early 2000s subculture and vibes (literally opening with a Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge reference, and has boy band Gloomy Bear, Gir, Jack Skellington in a dream), the back is the entirety of the story without any subtext or development, you get what you see and nothing more. I will say, the era is depicted extraordinarily well, even making commentary on the often deeply problematic behavior of pop culture icons, and the art depicting it is absolutely beautiful. There's various still life's of just scenery as the characters are travelling and it is frame worthy artwork, it alone is a 5/5 easily. Story wise, there's next to nothing to work with, and I wasn't aware of the characters names until concerningly late.

Hana and Kiki are a barely together couple still together for no apparent reason other than habit, and we watch the two become caught up with personal concerns. Hana, a deeply depressed trans woman, has been reliant on magic mushrooms suddenly finds that her dealer has been shut down, so she gloomily attempts to grow her own supply with great difficulty and many failures. Kiki becomes aware that her dubious ex boyfriend has become a recent star in the local music scene, riling her up into wanting to similarly become a attractive public figure in the alt fashion and nightlife communities. They sleep in the same bed and walk around together, but besides that the two care very little about the other, offer dry suggestions and non-answers to conversations, and just generally being completely gloomy.

Summary:
Readability: ★★★☆☆, I mean, not a lot happens so it's quick and easy to understand... there's just nothing to understand. Themes are dark and depressing, heavy on the suicidal thoughts, planning suicide, hopelessness, and depression. Consider content warnings before reading because the book doesn't offer any kind of closure or comfort.

Entertainment: ★☆☆☆☆, Nothing happened, there was no character arcs, no character growth, no changes. You observe two people over a short period of time barely paying any real care to each other, and are both self destructive.

Audience: Don't read if you're not in the right headspace. The trans rep was interesting and nuanced, as Hana's mental health was not good and she dresses very plainly- but nothing comes of this. I don't recommend.

Content Warnings: crying, dating fans, disordered eating, drugs, falling out of love, grooming, masturbation, needles, nudity, razor blade, sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts, tampons, urine

[Robert Pierson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork was kind of interesting I’m not usually a big fan of this style but I think for this it kind of story it worked however the story itself was really dark and really confusing the synopsis on the bag helped a little bit but not a whole lot it’s definitely for that dark emo with a lot of drug references I think the characters could probably use with a lot of therapy The characters relationship is clearly over they just can’t admit it to themselves all in all there are a lot better graphic novels out there than this one.

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing went no where in this book YET AGAIN
arts cute not worth it
hoping it would do more with the whole emo and scene kid thing but NO IT WAS BLAND
boo i was really looking forward to this one
(not sure why I keep reading this and pervert haha I guess the art? Also I think I miss the emo/scene kid subculture)

[Elysa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read the back of it after I finished to figure out what it was about. Apparently it's about a doomed romance with 2 emo kids in 2005 London. There's not really story telling. It's just scenes of the two characters. I loved the art.

[Malum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plotless, pointless, and rambling.

[Jay Byrd · Rating 3 out of 5]

{SPOILER ALERT}

This book has a strong basis and I really want to see it succeed.
However, I feel it needs to address a few things.

The story has a bad case of telling that something is a certain way instead of showing it. The book says the characters are in London, but the only time the language use actually struck me as European was when Kiki said "Shite". There's also the fact that Hana is telling Kiki that she's jealous while not actually showing this beyond her quiet "okay" when Kiki chooses to go out to parties or asks why Hana is trying to have conversations with her on the walks to said parties.

Hana's suicide ideations are also very alarming in the book. One scene was very alarming in which she fantasizes about her death by being hit by a subway train. In this scene, she has angel wings and looks at peace towards the sky. While this could be reflective of her own views on suicide, this may be the wrong message to spread to the audience reading this. Portraying suicide with the angel wings and peace in death can inadvertently make it look appealing to the audience, which are likely pretty young given the story centers around 2005 emo culture. While Kiki does well by talking Hana out of her fantasy, it isn't clearly adressing the flaws of the vision itself, only the idea of suicide.

Another thing I found confusing as the reader was keeping up with names. Hana's name is rarely mentioned in the book, and the first time I remembered her name was actually in the labeled illustration in the back of the book next to Kiki's picture (also labeled). This can be problematic for new readers who can't connect with your characters as well without knowing their names.

Another thing I would be mindful of is the cartoon references of the side characters. One character was based off of Garfield's design and he was inherently antagonistic. This can be seen as a direct criticism/opinion of his source media if the author isn't careful. It's generally unwise to create something that could be viewed as satirical without going all the way to either explain it or debunk what the viewer assumes about it. The copyright claims feel like a tightrope walk here as I recognized Gir's design (from Invader Zim) being used on a side character as well. While I feel like legally, these are parodies, and can't be prosecuted, the designs do make the story's cast feel very jarring and non cohesive. At many times it's hard to believe the characters are even from the same universe.

On this point, there are both humans and anthropomorphic characters in the story, and the human characters are way more realistically drawn than the anthropomorphic characters. This is jarring and presents questions that aren't addressed in the slightest.

The concepts and themes in this book are very strong, and I do appreciate Hana's depiction in practicing vocal therapy. This subject isn't much talked about in the GSM (gender sex minority/LGBTQIA+) community but is a very realistic part of many of their lives. This brings a very level feeling to the character as I can get a sense of who she is and what her aspirations are. Kiki serves a similar role, but it's hard to distinguish their actual personalities. Their dialogue is very similar, even when their actions aren't. They feel as though they could easily fit any role.

The dialogue also jumps around a lot and feels very choppy at times. It feels like reading a script and I encourage the author to work on lines that really accent the characters and their mannerisms.

All in all, this book has very strong points, but it has a long way to go to make a fresh impression on new readers. The plot itself is interesting, and I enjoy the reality of how Hana self medicates to substitute therapy, as it is something that is addressed in the story beyond a small, one off, mention. I have questions about how Kiki wants to be a super star and Hana doesn't want to go to therapy. What was their falling out? Why is Hana jealous of Kiki's party friends? Why is this hard for Hana when she was generally complicit in her mannerisms? 920london has strong plot points, but characterization of the central characters and unifying the worldly designs are something to be desired.

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So… I really enjoyed this comic! The scemo subculture had always looked sick to me.

I understand the criticisms about there not being a direct plotline, everything feeling like it jumps from point to point, but this is intentional, maybe not the best executed in some people's eyes, but this story reading as a “loosely linked collection of emotions” is what makes it so appealing.

This story starts off with Hana’s last ditch to feel normal again. A lot of people with mental health issues don't have good experiences with therapy, and without this they cannot access treatment or medication. Mushrooms are mostly known for being psychedelics, so people seeing Hana as being self destruction isn't unreasonable, but I believe she's microdosing them as an alternative form of antidepressants.

This story uses the theme of the “ending of the world” to refer to the end of relationships, connection.

Depression (and also queerness) makes us isolated from others, so in turn we cling to what we do have. Hana doesn't have any other friends, family or lovers from the looks of things, just Kiki. She (literally) sleeps with her every night just to feel a little less alone in the world, and perhaps this is what Kiki does too. She mentioned to Hana that as a child she didn't have any friends, just her brother's clique she tried her hardest to fit in yet never was truly accepted into. She also gets no texts from her uni friends when they go out clubbing. I think the difference between the two girls is that Kiki is focused on the future, she wants the fame of MSI, to dance with the crowd, to live life big and proud. She doesn't want to die in shitty England, the place where she has only mediocre memories and everyone sees her as weirdo. Hana freaks out when Kiki mentions that “everything is going to change.” She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life after Kiki leaves, she's more focused on the past and the comfort she felt in it, to the point she almost forgot that Kiki isn't her girlfriend anymore and started to feel jealous that she gets to move on, it fucks with her how easy it seems like it is for her to move on.

Kiki also brings up the concept of zombies a few times, she's interested in the concept of coming back alive after death. Hana replies that she'd just be dead, meaning she doesn't believe in anything after the end of the relationship. It feels like the end of the world when Hana eventually will get a new boyfriend, graduate, and move to L.A.

The Buncefield Oil explosion was a real event, the massive fire forcing about 2000 people to evacuate their homes. Afterwards, a sculpture to commemorate this called the Phoenix Gateway was made. Phoenixes are immortal creatures that are always reborn from the ashes of their predecessor's destruction. At the end of the story, Kiki leaves, and both of them are reborn.

[Siina · Rating 3 out of 5]

920London is very much depressing, but in a sense I think it fits. It's about two friends, who are more than friends, but don't have sex together anymore. Basically they live like an old couple trying to survive their problems waiting for the apocalypse and growing shrooms. They live in London and hang out in Camden, so your basic emo kids. The atmosphere is dark and suffocating and it's hard to see the point, but at the same time it is so fitting once again and kind of sums up the situation so well. The story is axed though as in this probably has a continuation at some point I hope, since the ending doesn't work at all. It felt like there were pages missing. Also, we only see the surface of the characters and I kind of want to know more.

The art is smudgy and distorted, almost sketchy like. I do like the anthropomorphic characters and the setting being London is awesome. The characters naivety and stupidity is great and all in all the setting is quite refreshing. This reminded me of Marja Siira's Kirjoitukset. Boydell still needs to work with this, but this is an interesting start.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this looked fine – the splash pages, even if they weren't always strictly part of the narrative, really made good calling cards for the artist's watercolours. But the story, when it wasn't jumping to wordless cut-away shots, presented too much of the characters' lacklustre qualities and humdrum life. A college age-couple, who are both foxes (of course), are clearly going nowhere fast, with no idea of what they want if it isn't to grow their own magic mushrooms. She thinks she wants to be noticed at parties and become some kind of celebrity, as long as it doesn't mean sharing that or anything with her ex, and he – well, he kind of wants shooting, or a rocket up his arse at least. Perhaps because she looked really fit (IKR) I found him a real waste of my time. I'll concede some people will be much closer to the target audience for this, so I'll nudge this up to three stars – it probably is a book that does what it sets out to do, but I'd have wanted something a bit more traditionally engaging.

[Harry Jahnke · Rating 2 out of 5]

When this book first came to me I was very skeptical because this cover just screams early 2000's DeviantArt. I'll say this: this book is very much an homage to the early 00's and is very accurate in that regard. That's a compliment, I swear. And the art is actually strangely compelling, I really liked it. My problem is that the author can't seem to pick one thread to follow for more than a few pages. Is this book about suicidal thoughts? Is it about depression? Is it about self-medication? Is the book actually about the blonde girl? Is it about her relationship with her ex? Is this about emotional abuse? Who knows! This kept reminding me of Stitches by David Small. Stitches was also a graphic memoir that had a very meandering style but at the same time, all of the different stories came together in one unifying theme of familial abuse and the vicious cycle that creates. This book however can't sit still long enough to make that connection and I found that a little disappointing. I'd love to see this book if it just told one story or could choose on one thing to focus on.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a kid who grew up in the 20s with Green Day, I really enjoyed reading about the emo scene, even if I never participated in it. I just wish there was more of a story.

An emo kid and scene kid is a great setup for a dark comedy, especially when they think of the end of the world. They intrigued me, but I wanted to learn more about them.

The artwork is reminiscent of early 2000s deviantart, before the mass influx of saturated digital art and shoddy cringey characters. I really enjoy Boydell's tones and considered buying a copy just for that. It's a shame the story didn't have as much going for it.

I finished Boydell's recent work the Pervert. My main complaint was that the stories were too short. With a longer story like 920London, I was desperately hoping to find a story, but a lot of the dialogue and action doesn't cut beneath the surface. I really hope Boydell next work gets more depth, or possibly a writer to help Boydell out. Early 2000s angst is an untapped area filled with possibility that I had hoped to read more of.

[Ciro Cicogna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sintesi perfettamente riuscita di quella crisi emocore che in molti abbiamo vissuto in svariate forme, l'opera è come se avesse un duplice punto di vista per via dei protagonisti che aggiungono un layer per così dire all'opera con il loro rapporto. Ciò che manca al fumetto per fare il salto è un ulteriore analisi, cioè uno scoperchiare quel malessere per descriverlo ma questo ci porta ad un punto importante: a che ci serve ad oggi descrivere questo "male oscuro" tutto sommato onnipresente? Ne siamo inghiottiti, io ormai da quasi trentenne digerito e sputato da quei binari famelici sento di non avere proprio niente da dire di quel vuoto e Boydell esprime proprio questa assenza. Continuerò però a credere che questa lacuna non sia dovuta, ma solo la sconfitta più comoda. A ragione di ciò servono comunque queste opere che ti ricordano che quel male va scoperchiato, che quei ricordi non vanno accantonati, che tutte quelle sensazioni su cui il nostro "qui ed ora" poggia devono essere disegnate, scritte, filmate, scolpite, ecc senza mai fermarsi.

[D.L. Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was unsure of writing this one, but as an author myself, I know all honesty leads to growth.

I love the art, and the worlds created by Remy Boydell. They feel both familiar and surreal in a way that the feel very grounded.

That being said, this I enjoyed even less than "Pervert", Boydell's other work as the ending in "Pervert" left ess questions and didn't see so "Just thrown together".

I feel like we meet these characters at stages in their relationships that are always perpendicular, and it makes the pacing very jarring at points.

However, maybe that was the point?

I don't want to leave any spoilers but in retrospect that could have been the reason as the storytelling beats were reflective of the relationships presented. Jarring and never in tune.

For that reason, I am increasing my rating literally as I am writing this.

I want to more from Remy Boydell in their progression, and wish them the best in their artistic journey.

[Carol☕️✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lastima que no puedo agregarle media estrella más,no siento que merezca las 3 estrellas pero tampoco las 4 completas
Empezaré con lo obvio,el arte. El estilo de dibujo me encanta pero sobre todo los colores,me encanta que esté echo a mano en acuarelas,le da cierto toque personal que últimamente siento que es lo que me me gusta más de ciertos cómics y me ayuda a conectar mejor.
Personalmente,no he podido conectar como quisiera con la obra,entiendo esta dependencia,pero sobre todo,el querer destacar,ser famoso a pesar de que no me siento cómodo estando en grandes multitudes o teniendo la atención completa de alguien.
“No creo que te guste la fama”.
Me gusta esta subtrama de que el mundo o al menos una parte cerca de lo que conozco se irá a la mierda mientras estoy lejos de casa y aún así querer vivir mi vida yendo a fiestas o buscando esa fama que anhelo

[Britt Halliburton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is nice, beautiful colouring with lovely looking characters. The story is very much of its time, which makes it a hit or miss depending on how well you relate, but it's also very emo and melodramatic - exactly how many teenagers felt at the time, though these characters do seem to be older, yet act like sixteen year olds. With more casual drug use.

A slice of life piece that, unfortunately, doesn't seem to go anywhere. There are plenty of good, relatable scenes, but some less relatable for me, so it will depend on the reader, but without the relatability then some of the actions and dialogue leave the reader wondering why they're behaving this way.

Overall, it's a short, pretty, though self-indulgently emo.

[c d · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the art in it, and seeing small pinhole views into the lives of the characters, and resonating with some of the desires and experiences these portray. It's not incredibly deep, but neither is the experience itself. It feels miles deeper than it really is, and the emotional expanse that one has going through it betrays the objective truth around it. I also liked the pop culture miasma, manifesting as the characters' distant desires. I do wish there was a stronger resolution that tied into the apocalyptic theme, but my interp is that things can feel doomed, but they eventually resolve and pass. Not feeling much better afterwards, but not cataclysmic like they did

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt very indulgent, which I love because why love things ironically anyway? Even though I was only emo adjacent in high school every reference hit like a bus. Who didn't have a wish fulfillment fantasy that your favorite alt band would pull up to you on their tour bus and designate you their princess?? Still I felt like the story's through line was pretty flimsy and the dialogue was so sparse sometimes I'd struggle to follow conversations. The gorgeous art mostly made up for it, I'm a sucker for that old deviant art style with the super thick black outlines, swirly eyes, and desaturated watercolors. 10/10 would comment "SOO kewl!1!!!1!! x3 <33"*signature with fifty sanrio stickers*

[a_book_and_a_bun · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LOVED the art style and was so excited to find this at a local shop but I was genuinely confused most of the book. It felt like full pages were missing or completley out of order until I got to the end and l was wrong... that was just the book. The diagolgue jumped so quickly from one thing to the next and there was little to no context throughout. I understand the vibes it was trying for but I was taken way out of the world every page or so wondering what I missed or how the hell we got here. Maybe I just don't get it🤷‍♀️.