'Hitsville UK'.
John Riordan is a British comic artist and illustrator, best known for his absurd humorous comic series 'William Blake, Taxi Driver' (2007-2009), 'Hitsville UK' (2010-2018) and the webcomic 'Culture' (2014). A recurring theme in his work is his passion for rock music and the British writer/poet William Blake, but he also created an ambitious award-winning graphic poem about the financial crisis, 'Capital City' (2013). Riordan's art has been published in The Guardian, Reader's Digest and Times Higher Education Magazine.
Early life and career
John Riordan was born in 1978 in London. He inherited his cultural interests from both his mother, who enjoyed painting, and his father, who was a huge music fan. Riordan studied art at the Camberwell College of Arts (part of the University of Arts) in London, followed by a similar art course at the University of Oxford. Among his graphic influences have been William Blake, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Glyn Dillon, Grant Morrison, Peter Milligan, Brendan McCarthy, Jaime Hernandez, Peter Blegvad, Frank Hampson, Jon Link and Mick Bunnage, Winsor McCay, Charles M. Schulz, Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. He also enjoys Kurt Vonnegut novels and music by Björk and Damon Albarn. Riordan has also been active in a band of his own, The Little Philistines.
'William Blake, Taxi Driver'.
William Blake
John Riordan has been involved with several publications and organizations dedicated to the life and work of 19th-century British poet and painter William Blake. For Time Out London magazine, Riordan drew a weekly surreal comic strip named 'William Blake, Taxi Driver' (2007-2009), in which the historical poet was reimagined as a taxi driver in London. Blake often drives historical characters in his cab, among them poet John Milton and scientist Isaac Newton. In addition, Riordan has made illustrations for Blake/An Illustrated Quarterly, a peer-reviewed scholarly journal devoted to William Blake, and for VALA, the free online publication of the Blake Society, of which he is also art director. By 2024, Riordan was working on a graphic novel about William Blake.
Hitsville UK
Riordan followed up the absurd path of his first series with another odd creation, the comic book series 'Hitsville UK' (2010-2018). Scripted by Dan Cox, 'Hitsville UK' revolved around a record company that wants to sign a potentially successful rock band. However, most of the musicians they sign up are literal monsters. One band, Carrie Nation's Revenge, are undercover monster hunters. Apart from this wacky set-up, 'Hitsville UK' was full of pop music references. The most obvious example would be the title, a nod to the 1980 song 'Hitsville UK' by The Clash. But Cox and Riordan sprinkle dozens of other, more obscure winks to pop bands and songs. During its run, up to seven comic book issues were published by the authors, who label it a "musical pop art/soap opera in comic book form". In order to understand the plotline, it is necessary to read the entire series from the first volume on.
'Culture'.
Capital City
In 2013, Riordan created the graphic poem 'Capital City'. Inspired by the way 18th-century poet William Blake tackled the big issues of his lifetime, like the American War for Independence, Riordan wanted to turn the financial crisis into an illustrated mythological poem. To prepare himself for this project, he studied economics.
Culture
Riordan also ventured into webcomics, with the gag strip 'Culture' (2014- ) being perhaps his most peculiar one. It stars two microbes in a petri dish, who discuss events in film, theater, TV and art. The premise was so strange that Riordan couldn't find anybody willing to publish it. After a while, he decided to simply launch it online. He enjoyed the comic because he could draw and upload it in a short amount of time.
Graphic contributions
In 2015, BBC Four celebrated the pop art movement in a week long radio and TV celebration. To promote the event, Riordan designed an advertisement, naturally done in pop art style. He wrote and illustrated the book 'Sound and Vision: A Guide to Music's Cult Artists - From Punk, Alternative and Indie through to Hip Hop, Dance Music and Beyond' (2016).
Recognition
John Riordan's 'Capital City' won the 2013 Association of Illustrators Award.
'Capital City'.