Obscure Comic of the Month
takes a detailed look at a little known entry from my personal comic
book collection. Some will be from major publishers, others self
published projects, Original Graphic Novels, issues and Manga. What
they'll all have in common though, is that I've rarely, if ever, seen
anybody talk about them.
The Ballard of Half Hanged
MacNaghten by Danny McLaughlin and Adam Prescott – Uproar Comics
2013
Based on the Local Legend of
John “Half Hanged” MacNaghten
Contains Spoilers for a 250
year old folk tale.
The Ballard of Half Hanged
MacNaghten was produced as a special project by Uproar Comics to
coincide with Derry's status as the UK City of Culture for 2013. The
comic retells a local folk tale of star crossed lovers with a tragic
end.
The comic has a charismatic
start right from the get go. It's not often I go right into talking
about the art, but here the slick presentation by Adam Prescott is
really what sells the story from the start. There's a loose,
expressive quality to his lines and characters that give this tale a
bit of an easygoing flavour, despite the rather grim tone.
It's the kind of
presentation that brings to mind recounting tall tales in the corner
of a pub on a wet Thursday evening, which is perfectly appropriate
for the telling of a folk legend. Prescott's art swings back and
forth between sugar-sweet idealised romance and dirty, sleazy
streets, and the grayscale art shifting from light to dark keeps the
reader from ever felling dragged along.
But what of the writing
though? Well, given it's background it's no surprise we hit the
ground running with cliché. A character stands singing Danny Boy as
early as page two. Still, the Irish do tend to have a taste for
ironic self-deprecation, and it's clear that's the attitude the
creators are trying to go for.
The tale itself is one that's been told a million times before. The lowly, unreliable John MacNaghten falls in love with the noble Mary, who's father is set against their relationship. John and Mary try in vain to elope, which leads to tragedy and John facing execution. John survives his hanging but refuses live without his beloved. In the end, everyone is together in death.
No doubt every culture has
a variant of forbidden love ending in tragedy, The Ballard of Half
Hanged MacNaghten hardly holds a monopoly on that, but in a way,
that's what makes it great. The comic itself is a true part of
folklore. A retelling for the ages. It's been romanticised, it's
details tweaked, but as the writers say themselves in the comic's
afterword; “We wanted to take a leaf out of “Mac's” book, and
be that little bit daring and roguish, and use the history to tell
the more romantic tale of the legend.”
The creators don't waste
time on the fine details, just use every advantage the graphic medium
gives them to put a new spin on the story. It's a sad tale, and also
a very violent one, but it's also great fun, and none of the folk
spirit is lost in the translation, quite the opposite. I'd never
heard the tale of John “Half Hanged” MacNaghten, but through my
love of comic books he's now part of another world I'm eager to
explore.
The comic's connection to
the UK City of Culture almost feels perfunctory. The retelling didn't
need an event, or an occasion, and the comic itself stands on it's
own. However, it's important to note that folklore isn't just about
the people but the place. The comic is as much about Derry, and
Ireland, as it is MacNaghten himself. The preservation of his tale
communicates the values of it's storytellers, the underdog spirit,
the friendship of community and optimistic determinism, as well as
what is deserving of scorn, cowardice, defeatism, and most of all
arrogant authoritarianism.
Folklore and legends live
on for many reasons. Some are great stories, some come from an
important time in cultural history. I like to think that The Ballard
of Half Hanged MacNaghten is a combination of both, and a great
retelling like this is exactly where it belongs.
Jack Harvey 2016. The
Ballard of Half Hanged MacNaghten (c) 2013 Uproar Comics, Danny
McLaughlin and Adam Prescott. Images used under Fair Use.
