"For years, Dalston has been home to monsters — and not just the property developers who own the area." Building luxury flats across east London led to the escape of literal subterranean monsters from beneath the earth. That's the concept for Dilraj Mann's first graphic novel, Dalston Monsterzz.
However, these monsters aren't (too) ferocious. The hip young things that populate east London learned to tame the beasts and ride them with abandon across the area. Consider them an alternative to fixie bikes.
Mann uses familiar east London locales throughout the novel. Regent's Canal makes an appearance, as does Ridley Road Market and the Rio Cinema. There's also copious amounts of street art just like our own east London and an old gasholder in the background of one frame.
The only mistake we could spot was that the moquette on a bus looks like it's actually from an Overground train. But who could blame Mann for squeezing the Overground moquette in here, it's just so beautiful.
Speaking of beautiful, that goes for the entirety of Dalston Monsterzz. The artwork is stunning, capturing east London's penchant for bright colours, both in the streets and the people. The monsters feel like a natural extension of this.
The story is also compelling too. It has some fun with youth culture of today, but at its heart it's a story about friendship.
Also there's a group of characters called the Teenage Mutant Dalston Bastards. What more could you possibly need to know?
You can buy Dalston Monsterzz via its publisher Nobrow, or from your nearest comic book store.
