The City Beneath Her Feet #1
The City Beneath Her Feet #1
New Book from DSTLRY, FOC November 4th
To me, New York is a blur of energy, light, and memory.
It’s the bars that I remember sneaking into in college. It’s the shitty little apartments with illegal third bedrooms that I’ve watched countless movies in. It’s dancing in warehouses and bars to friends’ bands and dj sets. It’s curling up with a book in one of the parks. It’s holidays at my grandma’s house in Bay Ridge. It’s holding someone’s hand during an incredible solo at a broadway show. It’s long walks through desolate industrial stretches of road, until you hit the waterfront and see the shape of the city on the other side. It’s making out with a friend on a long subway ride back to Brooklyn, forty-five minutes out of the way of my own transfer home.
I’ve always joked that New York recharges me. When I’ve been away too long, I get irritable, and coming back one of the first things I do is take a long walk and let the place soak back in. It’s like I can feel the health bar ticking back up with every step. There are a million problems with this city, and a million headaches, but I’ve never felt like I fit in a place more. I was born here, and it’s always been a part of me. It always will be.
I write a lot of personal comic books. I think that’s pretty obvious to anyone who follows my work. Sometimes I wonder if anyone is actually piecing together the disparate bits of Real-James that I slip into the pages. But up to now I’ve really never written a New York City story. And God do I love a New York City story. I love the stories of adult people living through the dramas of their lives against the most interesting backdrop that exists in the world. I wanted to see what my version of a New York story would look like. I knew the pieces of myself I wanted to expose on the page. My relationship with certain figures in my life, my relationship to my own fiction, and my relationship to New York. I figured out the vehicles to do it correctly, particularly the character of Jasper Jayne… and then I laid it all at the feet of the incredible Elsa Charretier and asked her to help me bring it to life.
And look at the life she brought to it, hand in hand with the astonishing colors of Jordie Bellaire, and perfect letters from Aditya Bidikar.
THE CITY BENEATH HER FEET is unlike anything you’ve seen from me before. It’s a crime story. It’s a love story. It’s a tragedy. It’s a comedy. You’ll feel the dual influence of Quentin Tarantino and Nora Ephron on every page. I’ve let my love of French BD, Japanese Manga, and every other kind of story I like blend together into something that I hope feels new. Elsa and Jordie made the book stand out like nothing else you see on comic book stands.
I’m extremely excited for this to be my second title released through DSTLRY, in the gorgeous oversized album format. I shared it with a few friends and got some really encouraging feedback.
“That rarest of feats - a work of art that takes beloved genre tropes and remixes them into something fiercely original and new. A bloody, big hearted trail blazer.” - SCOTT SNYDER (Absolute Batman, White Boat)
“I love comics like The City Beneath Her Feet. Action and romance with colorful characters and a location that feels like one of the stars. It has all the fearless pieces that I love about James' work but now seen through Elsa's beautiful lines and Jordie’s dreamy colors. You'll be thinking about this first issue for a long time after you finish it.” - JOSHUA WILLIAMSON (G.I. Joe, Superman)
“I love how different it is for you and also how different it is from ANYTHING in American comics right now.” - TATE BROMBAL (Green Lantern Dark, House of Slaughter)
There was a lovely review from Kate O’Donoghue at Screen Rant that had a few great lines…
“With a twisted take on classic romantic comedy tropes and stylish cartooning, DSTLRY's next comic asks: what if Nora Ephron made a movie about a mysterious assassin?”
“Beyond the how-it-works of genre storytelling, it's a straight-up pleasure to see Tynion play with and within a new genre, taking a step back - or maybe in front of - the horror and mystery fare that cemented his still-growing role in the comics industry.”
“the twist in the final pages of the first issue offer one single question: is it ever really possible to know another person, even if - especially if - you love them?”
Look at all of that… Look at the incredible covers we’ve got showing off our lead, Jasper Jayne. Look at the sublime interiors from Elsa and Jordie. It looks fucking cool, right? You want to check this book out.
Well, it has its Final Order Cut-off on Monday, so you better tell your Local Comic Shop RIGHT NOW to get their orders in and make sure you have a copy.
Order code: SEP241143
Final Order Cutoff: November 4th
On Sale Date: December 11th
I absolutely adore this book, I think you will too. Sending love to you all from Brooklyn.
James Tynion IV
Brooklyn, NY
11.1.24