Comic Book of the Moment

The New York Times reports on Manhattan Guardian, a comic book series set in the fictional city Cinderella City, an amalgam of real and imagined New York City. What sets it apart from other comic incarnations, like Gotham and Metropolis, is the overt inclusion of unbuilt projects for the city, beyond the usual grime and grit found in Superman, Batman, and the like. An issue from earlier this year featured a proposed hotel by Antoni Gaudi and an office building by Hans Hollein with a facade resembling the grill of a Rolls-Royce. This image from the forthcoming September release shows a design that Frank Lloyd Wright proposed for Ellis Island.



Created and authored by Grant Morrison, he said "by embellishing on the existing New York he was tapping into his favorite comic book power: the ability to create alternative realities." I can only imagine, as the article indicates, that "after immersing yourself in Mr. Morrison's version of New York, it's a little hard to see the city in quite the same way."