Rumble Strip E-Book

Woodrow Phoenix

• Herausgeber: Myriad Editions
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

This is a powerful and darkly humorous graphic polemic by a leading British comi artist that investigates our increasingly dangerous relationship with cars. If you want to get away with murder, buy a car. Combining autobiography, statisti, case histories, advertising and reportage, Woodrow Phoenix draws a compelling picture of the warped psychology behind our need for speed.

Leseprobe

Praise for Rumble Strip ‘Every so often a book like this comes along, one which allows fresh vision, even a change of mindset. Brilliant... Rumble Strip is a crucial revelation.’ —Ali Smith ‘For a graphic work that doesn’t show a single human being, this is an extraordinarily human book.’ —Paul Gravett ‘One utterly original work of genius. It should be made mandatory reading for everyone, everywhere.’ —Times ‘A gripping narrative.’ —Creative Review ‘Wonderfully controversial... phenomenal and very original.’ —The Late Show, BBC London ‘In thrall to the vivid iconography of the roadside... vividly sketches the ways cars can isolate us from each other.’ —Herald ‘Phoenix articulates – and illustrates the devastating combination of human and machine on our roads.’ —Lovereading ‘Show[s] the comic as the ultimate creation of narrative meaning.’ —Latest ‘Simply astounding... one of the most original, impressive and essential British comics of the last ten years.’ —Comik motorik ‘Compulsory reading for people who carp on about rising fuel prices, lack of parking and how cyclists are the scum of the earth.’ —Bricycles ‘A unique addition to the transport policy debate.’ —London Cyclist ‘An emotional horror story told with a perfect symbiosis of text and image.’ —Broken Frontier

Praise for Woodrow Phoenix’s other books: ‘For toy lovers of the design kind...beyond a must-have, it’s a bible!’ —Map Magazine ‘A beautifully photographed survey of the toy world in its many evolving forms... An attractive, informative introduction to the aesthetic and cultural history of plastic.’ —Philadelphia Weekly ‘An incredibly stylish book that has obviously been created with the same passion as that expressed by the collectors and designers it covers.’ —Japan Times ‘A serious resource and reference book.’ —Daily News ‘Jampacked with vibrant pictures of all the hottest items and makes a quirky read.’ —West Australian ‘A joy from start to finish. Fresh, unique, novel and hilarious.’ —Teaching and Learning ‘Woodrow Phoenix’s art is simple yet expressive. Phoenix conveys the action with a style that’s very hip and full of energy.’ —Flooby.com ‘Woodrow Phoenix’s artwork complements the story perfectly. On the surface it’s simple, clear and cartoony. Once you dig a little deeper, though, his fine line rendered black and white drawings are chock full of subtleties. Phoenix puts in all sorts of visual cues and it works.’ —savantmag.com

RUMBLE STRIP

RUMBLE STRIP

WOODROW PHOENIX

First published in 2008 This ebook edition published in 2015 by Myriad Editions 59 Landsdowne Place Brighton BN3 1FL, UK www.myriadeditions.com Copyright © Woodrow Phoenix 2008 The moral right of the author has been asserted All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN paperback: 978-0-9549309-98 ISBN epub: 978-1-908434-65-4 Designed by superadaptoid at detonator This ebook edition has been created using CircularFLO from Circular Software

Contents

Rumble Strip

imagine you’re walking down a street where every building you pass has a couple of grand pianos outside dangling right over your head.

huge slabs of intricate metal and ornate wood. and your bare, helpless skull prickling as you pass underneath them.

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it’s not an ideal situation. after all, you’re just flesh and blood.

if those things fell, there wouldn’t be much left of you.

they’d be scraping you up with a shovel.

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you would want the owners of those pianos to be utterly responsible people who would be using only the best equipment. no old, frayed or cheap ropes.

you would want to know that every possible precaution was being taken to prevent those pianos suddenly dropping on you, wouldn’t you?

you would want to know that they had very strict and thorough training.

you would want to know that they were completely expert at dealing with hanging pianos.

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you would want to know that they always paid attention to what they were doing and didn’t allow anything to distract them while you were underneath.

you would want them to concentrate on controlling those huge heavy things suspended right over your head.

it would not really be acceptable for anyone to be swinging the full weight of an enormous heavy piano around with one hand while trying to drink a grande mocha latte with the other.

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or talking on the phone.

or trying to put on make up. or light a cigarette.

or changing a cd. or peering at a tiny screen and typing text messages to a friend about tonight’s dinner plans.

suppose a rope slipped while their attention was diverted?

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a moment’s inattention and those pianos could drop and crush you!

those bastards! can you believe anyone would be that irresponsible?

they could be sued for every penny they owned and they would damn well deserve it!

carelessly manoeuvered pianos are dangerous!

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obviously. all that weight. just hanging up there. anyone can see how precarious that is!

a huge bulk suspended in the air. and you have to pass right underneath it.

other people’s lives are in a piano mover’s hands every time they swing one on the end of a rope!

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anyone who could fail to remember that for a single moment has no business swinging massive slabs of steel and wood over your head.

imagine if they let one fall. would you trust them near a piano again? no chance!

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a car is a dense, unyielding wedge of metal, hundreds of times heavier than a human body. it can effortlessly kill anything in its path.

yet for all their immense destructive potential, cars are driven as if their misuse has no consequence at all.

if you really want to murder someone, and get away with it (the important part) here’s what you do:

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