you are correct. I don't think every issue has been officially translated into English, but translations are out there... As fantastic as the artwork is, the narrative is essential. As a collection, they deal with geographically-perpetuated inequalities, national identity expressed through architectural style, the various social impacts of modernity, Borgesian map/territory equivalence, etc etc etc. If I remember correctly, Samaris, Urbicande, and Brusel are the best of the bunch.
Pretty far back, but: The Thunderbirds in the '60s. Then revived decades later.
Uncharted island, hidden launching pads, secret passageways, modern architecture and landscape... what's not to love? (Batman's Batcave could learn a thing or two.)
Set in Radiant City, a dystopian municipality influenced by Bauhaus and Fritz Lang's Metropolis, the series concerns a mysterious figure who purports to be its architect. His radical theories of "psychetecture" cause the citizenry to go mad, just as he did, and he takes on the mission to repair his creation.
To accomplish this he remains awake twenty-four hours a day by means of the drug "insomnalin", all the while coping with a Dick Tracy–like rogues gallery and supporting cast including his long-suffering ex-girlfriend Mercedes.
Back in the day i was an avid subscriber to the original Heavy Metal, which was largely built around Moebius, whose influence can be seen in Star Wars, Blade Runner (1982) and other films.
Jan 29, 18 12:10 pm ·
·
threadkilla
yes, the early Heavy Metal mags were really awesome!
Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo" and "Dream of the Rarebit Fiend" are very interesting from an architecture/urbanism theory viewpoint, in that he extends the implied delirium of the skyscraper Metropolis that one feels in the drawings of Hugh Ferris and Raymond Hood into a projected dream state. McCay and Hood are of the same generation, Ferris being a bit younger...
the way this work would have influenced Moebius seems clear to me.
Dr. Manhattan's crystal lair in the moon. (Watchmen)
Jan 29, 18 3:29 am ·
·
threadkilla
classic, but it's on Mars ;) and maybe more like a physical representation of a time machine / watch mechanism than architecture in the strict sense...
"what kind of fantasy and gift you need to have to create this ?!"
I don't know, but one thing's for sure, modernism's absurd censure of using historical precedents doesn't help. Moebius and others create worlds that no architect could dream up because architects are told they can only draw from a limited and austere set of precedents, only what's politically acceptable. In today's pluralistic and heterogeneous world, the fact that our profession still puts out glass boxes and other equally banal buildings will be studied by future generations as an aberration.
In no other art form is the creative impulse so artificially stifled as ours. Every time I read about the socio-political crap that passes for theory in architecture, I think another very talented artist/architect decides to work for the movie industry, or becomes a graphic novel illustrator. What's it going to take to get our profession out of this aesthetic ghetto we've been in for almost a century?
Jan 29, 18 10:48 am ·
·
bowling_ball
That, and you know, we actually have to design stuff that needs to be built in the real world, on time and budget, alongside a team of other professionals, for a client with their own ideas and ideals, to meet building and zoning codes, be comfortable and durable, and not fall down.
Jan 29, 18 9:07 pm ·
·
Thayer-D
Yeah. Imagine how much better our build environment if schools trained architects to deal with all those things you mentioned. Because juggling those requirements with aesthetics is what architects have done since time immemorial, when the distinction between builder and architect wasn't as stark as our schools continue to present them. At the end, the public for both is all the same.
All those came to me later in life, I started learning about architecture with these guys,
Can't find many images, but they did a great job of showing the historical moment, and even did some satire about modern development
Jan 29, 18 11:55 am ·
·
threadkilla
I loved the Asterix and Obelix cartoons as a child! the comics look even better
Jan 29, 18 8:01 pm ·
·
Thayer-D
I loved Asterix and Obelix. The Roman Insula in that serial are incredibly accurate if one knows the real thing. Especially like the urban planning and whole developer theme of the ever so practical Romans.
Another great is the Hobbit movies. Another, Coco, a visual feast. Trigger warning for minimalists though, it's a little psychodelic, but well worth the effort to take it all in.
Orwell's 'Ministry of Truth' was based on this real building, the Senate House, which was the British Ministry of Information where his wife worked in WW 2. It is now part of the University of London. If you ever wanted to know where 'Room 101' is....
Jan 29, 18 8:23 pm ·
·
threadkilla
Thanks, this will come in handy for a side project I'm working on! Do you have any sources for this? I have Orwell's collected Essays, Journalism, and Letters in 4 volumes, in which he goes on at some length about the nature of his work at the BBC during and post-war, which is also where a lot of the background for Minitruth resides, but I don't recall the details of any particular architectural referents...
Fantastic Four's Baxter Building. There's a dozen (in axonometric section) version of this building that has been illustrated across multiple issues of Fantastic Four.
Renzo Piano's The Shard in London under attacked by a Shadow-King-compromised psychic-butterfly-wielding Betsy Braddock a.k.a. Psylocke. Astonishing X-Men #1. Illustrated by Jim Cheung.
I remember reading a Belgian comic book called Jeremiah back in the 80s.
"Racial wars have torn the U.S. apart, resulting in a post apocalyptic
world. Many small pockets of civilization still exist; from isolated super high-tech fortresses, hidden research labs, or racial groups in walled-in cities — all fighting each other among the more regular population which in many ways resembles the "old west"."
It had some wild modern walled cities and completely razed countryside. I can't really find much on it on google. Any Euros who remember it?
Feb 4, 18 3:47 pm ·
·
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Fictional Architecture & Cities in Comics
X-Mansion (drawn by Chris Bachalo)
Stark Tower (forgot the artist)
Central City (drawn by Alex Ross)
And my personal favorite, from Batman: Death By Design, The Ceiling by Dave Taylor.
Liquid City
Birnin Zana
Toronto
Any of Jim Lee's skyscrapers.
"Les Cités Obscures" series by François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters should be required reading in every architecture/urbanism program.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
that seems to be insanely good
you are correct. I don't think every issue has been officially translated into English, but translations are out there... As fantastic as the artwork is, the narrative is essential. As a collection, they deal with geographically-perpetuated inequalities, national identity expressed through architectural style, the various social impacts of modernity, Borgesian map/territory equivalence, etc etc etc. If I remember correctly, Samaris, Urbicande, and Brusel are the best of the bunch.
Frank Miller's Ronin
always a fan of Frank Miller's sensibility - looks like i have to try to get my hands on this book
I recommend it highly
Pretty far back, but: The Thunderbirds in the '60s. Then revived decades later.
Uncharted island, hidden launching pads, secret passageways, modern architecture and landscape... what's not to love? (Batman's Batcave could learn a thing or two.)
Fantastic launching sequences, original and later
The Last Jedi had and absolutely beautiful city in it. The Black Mirror is also interesting in how it portrays architecture.
Mister X by Vortex Comics
Set in Radiant City, a dystopian municipality influenced by Bauhaus and Fritz Lang's Metropolis, the series concerns a mysterious figure who purports to be its architect. His radical theories of "psychetecture" cause the citizenry to go mad, just as he did, and he takes on the mission to repair his creation.
To accomplish this he remains awake twenty-four hours a day by means of the drug "insomnalin", all the while coping with a Dick Tracy–like rogues gallery and supporting cast including his long-suffering ex-girlfriend Mercedes.
more Moebius aka Gir aka Jean Henri Gaston Giraud
because this thread would be utterly incomplete without an acknowledgement of his genius and contributions to fictional worlds
"Curiously given his mastery of the subject, Moebius confessed to having no special interest in architecture until he discovered Winsor McCay, the early 20th-century cartoonist who remains a key influence in comic-book art. ‘At first I was scared of architectural designs, because of their difficulty in terms of perspective, etc. When you draw as much science fiction as I do, it is hard not to dabble in architecture. But I remain an amateur. Winsor McCay was a master professional.’ Moebius. Modest. Magnificent. And very dearly missed."
some more goodness here: http://www.graphicine.com/jean...
I'm not a comics guy but I've always loved his work. You've inspired me to grab a few books.
this is fucking awesome
This stuff is achingly beautiful. Thanks for enlightening me.
Back in the day i was an avid subscriber to the original Heavy Metal, which was largely built around Moebius, whose influence can be seen in Star Wars, Blade Runner (1982) and other films.
yes, the early Heavy Metal mags were really awesome!
Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo" and "Dream of the Rarebit Fiend" are very interesting from an architecture/urbanism theory viewpoint, in that he extends the implied delirium of the skyscraper Metropolis that one feels in the drawings of Hugh Ferris and Raymond Hood into a projected dream state. McCay and Hood are of the same generation, Ferris being a bit younger...
the way this work would have influenced Moebius seems clear to me.
Dr. Manhattan's crystal lair in the moon. (Watchmen)
classic, but it's on Mars ;) and maybe more like a physical representation of a time machine / watch mechanism than architecture in the strict sense...
"what kind of fantasy and gift you need to have to create this ?!"
I don't know, but one thing's for sure, modernism's absurd censure of using historical precedents doesn't help. Moebius and others create worlds that no architect could dream up because architects are told they can only draw from a limited and austere set of precedents, only what's politically acceptable. In today's pluralistic and heterogeneous world, the fact that our profession still puts out glass boxes and other equally banal buildings will be studied by future generations as an aberration.
In no other art form is the creative impulse so artificially stifled as ours. Every time I read about the socio-political crap that passes for theory in architecture, I think another very talented artist/architect decides to work for the movie industry, or becomes a graphic novel illustrator. What's it going to take to get our profession out of this aesthetic ghetto we've been in for almost a century?
That, and you know, we actually have to design stuff that needs to be built in the real world, on time and budget, alongside a team of other professionals, for a client with their own ideas and ideals, to meet building and zoning codes, be comfortable and durable, and not fall down.
Yeah. Imagine how much better our build environment if schools trained architects to deal with all those things you mentioned. Because juggling those requirements with aesthetics is what architects have done since time immemorial, when the distinction between builder and architect wasn't as stark as our schools continue to present them. At the end, the public for both is all the same.
wow. I need to start looking at more comic books.
All those came to me later in life, I started learning about architecture with these guys,
Can't find many images, but they did a great job of showing the historical moment, and even did some satire about modern development
I loved the Asterix and Obelix cartoons as a child! the comics look even better
I loved Asterix and Obelix. The Roman Insula in that serial are incredibly accurate if one knows the real thing. Especially like the urban planning and whole developer theme of the ever so practical Romans. Another great is the Hobbit movies. Another, Coco, a visual feast. Trigger warning for minimalists though, it's a little psychodelic, but well worth the effort to take it all in.
Orwell's 'Ministry of Truth' was based on this real building, the Senate House, which was the British Ministry of Information where his wife worked in WW 2. It is now part of the University of London. If you ever wanted to know where 'Room 101' is....
Thanks, this will come in handy for a side project I'm working on! Do you have any sources for this? I have Orwell's collected Essays, Journalism, and Letters in 4 volumes, in which he goes on at some length about the nature of his work at the BBC during and post-war, which is also where a lot of the background for Minitruth resides, but I don't recall the details of any particular architectural referents...
^ Just Google 'Senate House Orwell' and tons of information will come up on your telescreen....
Asteroid M/Utopia:
On their days off, the X-Men moonlights as contractors/construction workers:
Fantastic Four's Baxter Building. There's a dozen (in axonometric section) version of this building that has been illustrated across multiple issues of Fantastic Four.
Post mutant catastrophe London in Freakangels
Renzo Piano's The Shard in London under attacked by a Shadow-King-compromised psychic-butterfly-wielding Betsy Braddock a.k.a. Psylocke. Astonishing X-Men #1. Illustrated by Jim Cheung.
I remember reading a Belgian comic book called Jeremiah back in the 80s.
"Racial wars have torn the U.S. apart, resulting in a post apocalyptic
world. Many small pockets of civilization still exist; from isolated
super high-tech fortresses, hidden research labs, or racial groups in
walled-in cities — all fighting each other among the more regular
population which in many ways resembles the "old west"."
It had some wild modern walled cities and completely razed countryside. I can't really find much on it on google. Any Euros who remember it?
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