Here are some pages from an abandoned project by PJ Holden and myself. An adaption of The Oscar Wilde story The happy Prince into a comic strip we attempted back in the day. We transported the location of the tale from the London of Queen Victoria to modern day Belfast. Well, the Belfast of the early nineties which was a very different city from the one it fancies itself to be these days. The troubles were still raging with no end in sight and no possible resolution to the conflicts seemed likely. Murder and atrocity were still going on and everyday seemed to herald some new affront. New cruelties perpetrated in the name of Gods and flags. Being a frightful fop, even in those days, the works of Oscar Wilde were a great source of comfort and joy to me and I so wanted to translate a little of their magic into the everyday. I never wanted to stand in the gutter staring at the stars I wanted to drag them down to my level.
The comic was to be in black and white right up to the end when the angels would bear the precious swallow and heart of the prince into Heaven when the comic would explode into color.
Ah the ambitions of young men.
Anyway we never did finish it. Cannot think why, it was such a joy to see what PJ was doing with my attempt to adapt Oscar's magic words. Please pay particular attention, if you are so inclined, to the two characters on page two frame one. Not named but surely familiar to any who survived those days. we were trying to present the notion of two enemies reconciled in a shared opinion. After all you do not make friends with your friends you make friends with your enemies. It was unthinkable that these two men would ever stand together and in truth it never happened, never came true. Mind you it was not a kick in the arse off...
Is'nt PJ's artwork just lovely.
Like the wee man himself.
